Mads Søreide Takes the Fashion World by Storm

At just 22, self-taught designer Mads Søreide has become the name on everyone’s lips in Norway’s fashion scene. His label, Cohmé Atelier, has already earned critical acclaim, and his Oslo Runway show “A Distant Scream” was nothing short of dramatic: dark, sensual, and miles away from the clean minimalism Scandinavia is known for.

“I’m not really interested in making something that is just commercial. I want to treat fashion as art. For me, every look I create I regard as a piece of art,” says Søreide.

At 22, he’s only a year older than Yves Saint Laurent was when he debuted at Dior. But unlike Saint Laurent, Søreide is entirely self-taught, and far more rebellious in his vision.

“The last time I was in a classroom was back in 10th grade. I never finished high school. Since then, I’ve just been working and doing what I know I’m meant to do: be a designer.”

We caught up with Søreide at Oslo’s Hotel Continental, where he was shooting a campaign for Hartlino, the Norwegian luxury brand whose womenswear he now designs alongside his own label. It’s been a whirlwind year, he admits.

“Yeah, it’s been intense. But honestly? I could happily design a hundred collections a year—I just love it.”

For him, the two brands channel very different sides of himself:

“Hartlino is the light side of me. Cohmé Atelier is the dark.”

Let’s look at “A Distant Scream“. The runway show at Oslo Runway was dark, decadent, and dripping with sensuality, like a smoky nightclub scene from 1930s Paris or Berlin, with a touch of irony and punk attitude. Models appeared in glitter, sequins, tulle and latex, some with jeweled nipples, in striking exaggerated poses. It was pure theater, reminiscent of the ‘90s heyday when Alexander McQueen and John Galliano turned the catwalk into performance art.

Like McQueen, Søreide’s vision is also rooted in art more than commerce.

“I wanted the atmosphere to be heavy and immersive—so the audience would enter the same headspace I was in while designing the collection.” he says.

Søreide first drew national attention with a smaller show at Hotel Continental last year. But immediately after, he retreated to his hometown of Sandane.

“It felt like screaming without a voice. I had so many ideas, but I couldn’t share them for another year. It was frustrating, but also the seed of the whole collection. That silence became the concept.”

Fashion has been part of Søreide’s life since childhood. Growing up in Sandane, a tiny town of fewer than 5,000, he would dress up in scarves, hats, and dresses.

“I was always sketching, at school, after school, everywhere. I still have those old drawings, and they’re absolutely wild.”

His grandmother was a huge influence.

“She’s always been artistic. She doesn’t always get what I’m doing, but she loves seeing it. She cheers me on.”

Still, being obsessed with fashion in a small town often felt isolating.

“I sometimes felt like an alien. I’d say, ‘You know, Kate Moss…’ and people would just stare at me. They had no idea who she was. It was like I was speaking another language.”

At 16, Søreide left for Oslo to pursue his dream. His first job was with celebrity stylist Jan Thomas.

“Jan Thomas was incredible, so generous and welcoming. He let me join him on shoots, introduced me to people and helped me network. Honestly, I feel like I grew up in that studio.”

At the same time, he started seeking out seamstresses to help realize his own sketches, eventually finding one he still collaborates with today. Working locally is important, as he wants to be hands on through the process.

“We’re completely in sync now. She just gets me.”

Last year, Fredrik Hartmann, founder of luxury label Hartlino, discovered Søreide’s work on Instagram and reached out.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Wait, they want me? With all my sequins and crazy dresses?’” says Søreide, and remembers how he turned up with 20 looks sketched out, not knowing what they expected.

“Fredrik was just like, ‘Yes! Yes!! This is it!’ Right away, we clicked.”

Now he have created a full women’s line for the high end brand. With Hartlino, Søreide suddenly had access to exquisite Italian fabrics and a full team to back him up.

“Getting to work on that level at my age, feels like such a privilege,” he says.

His work for Hartlino could be seen this time at Oslo Runway. Balancing the two labels is like living in two different worlds.

“I think of Cohmé Atelier as my dark side, and Hartlino as my light. Both are glamorous, both are exclusive, but Hartlino feels more grown-up. With Cohmé, I can unleash all the madness in my head.”

Back on the West Coast of Norway, Søreide still lives in his childhood bedroom and works the front desk at the local hotel.

“I’d love to just quit and go all in creatively. But for now, yeah, I’m checking in guests—and secretly building mood boards on the office computer,” he laughs.

His ambitions, though, are far bigger than Sandane, or even Norway. New York is the dream, or Paris.

“If you want to grow, you have to leave Norway. Sure, I can design from anywhere, but I want to be part of something bigger. I know it sounds cliché, but I want to be somewhere I truly belong, where the artistic side of me is seen, understood, and taken seriously.”