Young Scandinavian bicycle chic

Photos: Jørgen Kvalsvik

When Norwegian designer Siri Øverland Eriksen sourced for ideas for her undergraduate collection she came up with the idea she wanted to create a series of clothes you can ride a bike in without compromising your style. So Scadinavian – after all, she hails from a place where even politicians ride bicycles to work.

‘I was inspired by Anders Beer Wilse’s photographs of workers in old Oslo, which was named Kristiania in the early 1900s. That is when the bicycle became commonplace in contrast to the modern fast, aerodynamic style,’ she says.

Siri Øverland Eriksen was an established photojournalist when she realized she wanted to expand her career: she wanted to be a fashion designer.

“It’s been a bit nerve wrecking. But now I want to work more with clothes, and I would like to do a bachelor’s degree,’ Siri tells Styletalk Magazine.

Photo: Jørgen Kvalsvik

Siri Øverland Eriksen have been sewing clothes since she was very young. At home, her mum also loved sewing and used to create costumes for the local theatre.

“Yes, I was kind of brought up to be self-reliant. If someone had a dress or shirt that was either a little too big or too tight, mum was always like: ‘yes, but we can fix this ourselves.’ So, a couple of years ago, I realized that I wanted to get my sewing machine out and start creating again.”

Part of the motivation was also the selection in the local clothes shops, which Siri found a bit uninteresting.

“I couldn’t find the clothes I wanted and certainly not at a price I could afford. So that was the motivation when I started sewing clothes for myself,’ she says.

“In the beginning it was just a hobby, something I did for fun. But then it suddenly became exciting to learn more.”

Siri soon realized that she wanted to do more than sew from pre-designed clothing patterns. She wanted to create something unique, something that was her own idea.

“I saw an exhibition of haute couture at the Design Museum in Denmark. That is when I realized that clothes design was much more than ‘just’ sewing, that it can be a way of expressing yourself artistically. It is such a strange cross between art and commerce. And this is precisely what makes fashion design so fascinating and challenging, that while it is a profession and an art form, it is also an industry and big business,’ says Siri Øverland Eriksen.

Experiencing haute couture garments up close also opened her eyes as to why these garments are so expensive. It seemed alluring, exciting, and much more than just “sewing a skirt”.’ So, three years after graduating as a photojournalist, she embarked on a new programmed: a bachelor’s degree in fashion and production in the art and design program at Oslo Met.

Photo: Jørgen Kvalsvik

“I needed to learn all the basics, including the commercial aspects of the industry. They covered this so well at OsloMet,’ she says.

She was fascinated by how much they learnt and where others might have found the nitpicking, time-consuming work trying, she was delighted to be able to sit with her measuring tapes and construct patterns for basic garments such as jackets and trousers.

Photo: Jørgen Kvalsvik

“I knew that if I was going to be able to design clothes that push boundaries and fit well at the same time, I had to have a profound understanding of basic pattern construction. I had to be meticulous. Previously, I had taken a lot of shortcuts, but they were not always as successful. Now I realized that if you understand pattern construction and pay close attention to cutting and sewing, you will usually always end up with a garment that looks good on the body it was made for.”

During her studies, she was encouraged by her teachers to submit proposals for a collection to a design competition in China. She designed a collection she named ‘Echoes,’ a tribute to fishermen and life on the sea and in the ocean, and the litter that threatens nature. Her chosen materials were everything from oilcloth, linen, and wool to whalebone for corsets.

Photo: private

‘The collection combined a strong masculine vibe with a more voluminous and feminine style symbolized by the corsets,’ says Siri.

She had three months to sew up the collection, which had to consist of seven garments.

The result was impressive. In 2023 she was selected for the final which was held in Hangzhou, China. The Hempel Award is a prestigious competition for young fashion designers and part of Chinese Fashion Week.

Photo: private

‘I was blown away by everything I saw, it was a crazy experience,’ Siri laughs. Up until then her experience with catwalk spectaculars had been limited to a few runway shows at Sentralen in Oslo during Oslo Runway.

“I was a bit nervous, as I had heard that the fashion industry is full of bitchy and not very nice people. And I remember thinking: what if my clothes do not fit? What if anything looks not so good? But the people were so nice and helpful, and the models were fantastic. Seeing the clothes on actual models on the catwalk – that was an amazing experience for me, and worth the whole journey,’ says Siri.

Photo: private

She did not expect to end up in the top three. But the Chinese were impressed by what they saw, and Siri was able to return to Norway with a design award in her suitcase.

She now has two careers to choose from – photojournalism and design – and admits it can feel hard to choose. But Siri enjoys what she has learnt in both subjects.

Photo: Jørgen Kvalsvik

She is concerned about the environmental challenges that the fashion industry is facing and knows that a focus on the environment and ethics will be essential for a future designer. “It’s an industry with huge challenges, but it would be nice to have the opportunity to help change it from the inside. And yes, I really want to do a master’s degree, but we will see. In the meantime, I am going to keep designing clothes,’ she says.