After 5 years of online sales, Norwegian Wood is partnering with General 54 for a two-week Norwegian Wood PopUp Shop!
Here at General 54, at 54 St. Viateur West, in Mile End
May 16th to May 31st!
We caught up with designer Angie Johnson and had a little chat about her exciting partnership with the boutique and her SS2013 line.
How
did Norwegian Wood get its start?
I started
Norwegian Wood in 2008, after about 10 years of working for larger clothing
companies. I decided it was high time I take the leap and start working for
myself full time. I've never looked back!
Why a pop
up shop now?
I'd been
thinking about it for awhile, and since I just moved into Mile End, and my
studio is also in the neighbourhood it seemed so much more doable than ever
before. I liked the idea of having a little Norwegian Wood boutique...but for a
limited time...running a boutique full time is a LOT of work...ask Jen [Glasgow,
General 54 owner and local designer]!
Why at
General 54?
I've
known Jen for quite a few years now, and the store has always been such a great
supporter of indie and local design. It's a neighbourhood staple, with a
friendly vibe, so it seemed like a good match. Also, what a gorgeous huge
window for display, so fun!
What is
the SS2013 line all about?
The
SS2013 is inspired by the watercolour backgrounds and poppy colour palette of
1960s Spider Man cartoons, the Norwegian Wood SS13 collection is full of watery
tie-dyes, 60s A-line silhouettes and graphic patterns with pops of saturated
colour.
Why do
you think it’s important for people to buy/ support local designers/ boutiques?
I often
think about this, and the conclusion that I've come to is this....If everyone
bought one or two things from an independent designer/boutique one or two times
a year, the whole structure of how people make a living could be changed. 100
years ago it was really not all that strange to run a small business, but now
it seems like people think of it as a crazy dream, and very few people go for
it. Now we're taught (from an early age I must add) that we should be going to
school to try to get a job at a company. We are rarely encouraged to start our
own businesses. So the end result has been the growth of large corporations,
and the homogenization of choice in the marketplace. Without supporting small
businesses, in effect our options as consumers decrease. So if everyone just
supported small business a little bit, it would allow these companies to
survive and thrive, making for a much more diverse marketplace.
What are
your major aesthetic influences? This year? always?
Oh man,
this is a hard one...it's constantly changing. I do find I'm always inspired by
well dressed old ladies though. This started with my grandmother and great
grandmother, and has never really stopped I guess.
How do
you balance clothing and jewelery design, are they forever linked for you now?
Well, the
control freak side of me LOVES being able to design a collection from top to
bottom, so I guess that's where it started. If only I could make shoes too!
Who is
wearing your clothes? Sketch that person for me.
A
confident girl, who dresses for herself, who likes to experiment with colour,
texture and silhouette. A person who still thinks getting dressed in the
morning is like playing dress up.
What is
coming up for Norwegian Wood in the future?
For Fall
2013 I'm doing three collaborations that I'm super excited about! Once again
I'm collaborating with Kimberly Fletcher, who has designed leather bags for the
last 3 collections. I've also collaborated with my studio mate Evan Melnyk, who
is a graphic designer. He created some digital prints which we printed on
fabric for a few pieces, as well as some screen print designs for some basic
slouchy tops I've been working on. Lastly I collaborated with my good friend
Elaine Ho on silver jewelry for the collection. I've wanted to add some higher
end silver jewelry to the collection for awhile, so it was nice to do this
through a friend I could totally trust. She came up with some GORGEOUS pieces
that I'm SO excited about!
Shoes:
what shoe looks do you wish would always be paired with your spring designs?
Well
ideally I could also design the shoes, ha! I'm not sure, shoes can totally
change the look of an outfit...which is why I love shoes so much. Variety is
key, I could never pick one style!
