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The Norwegian musician Anna Lotterud, aka one-half of synth-pop band Anna of the North, has had quite the year. After releasing her band’s debut record, Lovers, in September and lending her vocals to two tracks on Tyler, the Creator’s last album, Flower Boy, she’s now unfurling her very own fashion collection. The line is composed of versatile, classically Scandinavian basics in pale pinks, neutral grays, and even a bold pop of orange.
When Lotterud explains the inspiration for the collection, she describes an experience that we’re all familiar with: You have an idea in your head of that perfect garment, but after you enter the store and start looking around, you find something close to but not exactly what you need—the shirt you tried on is too long, or the pants don’t fit the way you want them to, or you like the cut of a jacket but the color is all wrong. For Lotterud, the need to find that ideal stage outfit adds another frustrating layer to this timeless problem. “Dressing for the stage is the hardest thing that I do,” she says.
While most people have to settle for a piece of clothing that’s close to that idealized vision they have in their head, Lotterud was lucky enough to have a designer friend, Mari Norden, who could realize the musician’s particular sartorial vision. “The main thing we thought about was having a couple of pants, T-shirts, and shirts that you can just mix and match,” she says.
Norden, who runs a fabric store in Oslo, has her own line of clothes that Lotterud describes in contrast to her own style: “She’s really into patterns and bright colors and I’m more into just basic colors.” Reflecting Norden’s technical know-how and Lotterud’s muted color palette, the final collection is deceptively simple. Subtle details (like patterned cloth chokers) and simple statements (like that bold orange sweatshirt) add flair to the classic designs. “I always want the basics to be something extra, if that makes sense,” Lotterud says.
Before the collection goes on sale, Lotterud and Norden are sharing an exclusive first look at the line’s lookbook, which Lotterud models herself. While their line will be a capsule collection to start, Lotterud hopes to continue making clothes in the future. “I feel like with fashion, the way you dress kind of tells a lot about yourself,” she says. That’s even truer if you’re designing the clothes. “I’m wearing my ideas, the colors I like, and the mood that I’m in.” While these clothes may be based on Anna’s idiosyncratic aesthetic, they’re sleek and simple enough to add a touch of Scandinavian cool-girl style to any wardrobe.
