Pearl Octopuss.y has never been interested in blending in. As the Oslo-based jewellery label returns to Oslo Runway, its exuberant world of pearls, crystals and sculptural excess offers a rather different proposition from the familiar mythology of quiet Scandinavian design.
There is a particular idea of Scandinavian fashion as restrained, functional, tasteful and preferably rendered in a shade somewhere between oatmeal and concrete. Pearl Octopuss.y has never subscribed to it. Founded by Norwegian designer Cathrine Børter, the Oslo-based jewellery label has built its identity around pieces that demand to be noticed. Oversized pearls, gleaming crystals and sculptural, almost organic forms have become part of a visual language that sits somewhere between adornment and object, elegance and eccentricity. The design philosophy is a balancing act between minimalism and maximalism, masculine and feminine, sophisticated and playful. Yet it is perhaps the maximalist side of that equation that has made Pearl Octopuss.y one of the most instantly recognisable names in contemporary scandi-fashion.
From jewellery to a complete universe
What began as a jewellery label has gradually expanded into something more ambitious. At previous Oslo Runway presentations, Børter’s jewellery has appeared alongside tailoring, draping, hoodies, fringe and other garments, creating a broader visual world around the pieces. The clothes may frame the story, but jewellery remains at its centre. This makes an art museum a particularly fitting setting for Pearl Octopuss.y.
Their runway show at Oslos Nasjonalgalleriet blurred the distinction between accessory and sculpture: extravagant and theatrical, but also something architectural. This is jewellery conceived not simply as decoration, but as objects capable of changing the entire silhouette and presence of the person wearing them. That distinctive identity has increasingly travelled beyond Norway. When Pearl Octopuss.y received the Oslo Runway Tribute Award in 2025, the jury highlighted both the strength of its design language and its growing international reach. The success suggests something rather refreshing about the current generation of Norwegian fashion, that Scandinavian design does not necessarily have to whisper in order to be taken seriously, but be loud, bold and brash as hell.
Where fashion meets art
The relationship between Pearl Octopuss.y and art is not new. For Oslo Runway in 2025, the label presented Solen at the MUNCH Museum, taking inspiration from Edvard Munch’s monumental painting of the same name. The show completed a thematic journey that had moved from At Dawn through Eclipse and finally towards the sun, exploring contrasts between darkness and light, masculinity and femininity, fragility and force. This season’s museum setting therefore feelt less like an unexpected detour than the continuation of a conversation Børter has already begun, creating a stage where jewellery, clothes, music, architecture and art are allowed to collide, each contributing to the atmosphere of the whole. that is precisely where Pearl Octopuss.y belongs. Because if there is one Norwegian label unlikely to be intimidated by sharing a room with great works of art, it is this one.
It is an approach that also reflects Oslo Runway’s broader ambitions. Norway’s fashion week has increasingly positioned itself not simply as a showcase for clothes, but as a meeting point between fashion, art and culture, with designers presenting their work in locations across Oslo and the surrounding region.
All photos: Styletalkmagazine
