Two days have passed since Oslo Runway kicked off this year’s fashion week, and certain moments have stayed with us. From new design talent in the heart of Oslo to leather, silk and spectacular shows at Kistefos: this is what we liked best from the opening day.
Oslo Runway is well under way, but before we turn our attention fully to the rest of fashion week, we’re rewinding a couple of days.
This year’s first day started in central Oslo, where new names and tomorrow’s design talent took centre stage, before fashion Norway later headed out of the city. The destination was Kistefos, and it turned out to be well worth the trip.
With art, architecture and Norwegian nature as the backdrop, we were treated to fashion, music and performance throughout the evening. Two days later, there are some moments in particular that we’re still thinking about.
The new talents we believe inOne of the most fun things about fashion weeks is of course seeing what the established names have been working on since last time. But it’s at least as exciting to discover those we may be talking about a lot more in the years to come.
Oslo Runway began at Steen & Strøm, where press and industry got to know A.S.G. and 1313 SELAH, both part of the department store’s pop-up.
At the same time, we got to meet the graduating students nominated for Steen & Strøm’s Talent Award 2026.
The focus on the next generation of Norwegian designers felt like the right way to open fashion week. Because if Norwegian fashion is to keep growing, we don’t just need the established names – we need new perspectives, new ideas and designers who dare to challenge what Norwegian fashion should look like going forward.
Tarinii turned fashion into an experience
Later, we headed to Kistefos, where Tarinii was among those who caught our attention.
Designer Tarinii Martinsen presented her work inside the old Træsliberiet (the wood pulp mill), accompanied by live music.
It was atmospheric and intimate, and a good example of how much a presentation can add to the clothes when the surroundings are allowed to be part of the story. Instead of a traditional catwalk, we got a small universe where the music, the space and the design worked together.
And it’s exactly moments like these we want more of at Oslo Runway: when fashion isn’t just about watching a collection walk towards you, but about the whole feeling surrounding it.
ENVELOPE1976 had the day’s coolest location
It takes a lot to compete with the clothes at a fashion show, but when The Twist at Kistefos forms the backdrop, even the models face competition for attention.
ENVELOPE1976 presented its latest collection with the iconic building – at once a sculpture, a bridge and an art gallery – as the backdrop.
And what a setting.
The monumental architecture meeting the surrounding nature (and we got lovely weather!!) made the show one of the opening day’s big visual highlights. The whole thing felt both grand and unmistakably Scandinavian, and showed how effective it can be when a truly special location becomes part of the whole experience.
If day one had a postcard moment, this was it.
Myklé gave us more than a presentation
Another favourite from Kistefos was Myklé, which took the format in a completely different direction.
The brand, known for its printed silk scarves, invited guests to sit down in the courtyard by the visitor centre. What followed was not a classic fashion show, but a performance in which musicians, dancers and an opera singer performed wearing specially made Myklé outfits.
And we love it when fashion is allowed to be a little more than just fashion.
The combination of clothes, movement, music and performance made this one of the moments we still remember best from the day.
Kistefos in the evening sun
We also have to talk about the setting of the evening itself.
Between the shows, guests gathered outside the visitor centre at Kistefos for a drink, mingling and, naturally, a little review of the day’s looks.
With the evening sun over the grounds and art and nature on all sides, it was hard to ask for a better setting for the opening day.
It’s easy to become a little jaded by spectacular locations during fashion weeks, where the hunt for the next Instagram moment can sometimes overshadow everything else. At Kistefos, however, it felt as though the surroundings actually added something. That made the evening an experience, not just a series of shows and presentations.
An opening day we’re still talking about
The day was rounded off with Oslo Runway’s official opening dinner together with Promenaden.
As the last rays of sun disappeared over Kistefos, guests gathered for a three-course dinner in the fresh evening air. True to tradition, the annual Tribute Awards ceremony was also held.
Now, two days later, Oslo Runway has already offered up far more fashion. Even so, there’s something about the opening day that has stayed with us.
Perhaps it was the contrast between the fresh design talent at Steen & Strøm and the established names at Kistefos. Perhaps it was The Twist in the evening sun. Or perhaps it was the feeling that this time Oslo Runway began by showcasing some of what Norwegian fashion does best: letting clothes, art, nature and culture exist in the same universe.