FASHION Magazine
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Exclusive: Inside the making of Ostwald Helgason for Aldo Rise
Photography by Greg Kesser See the Ostwald Helgason Aldo Rise collection »
Susanne Ostwald and Ingvar Helgason are staring intently at a swatch of woven raffia. Ostwald thumbs its subtle texture and pauses. “It’s missing emotion,” she says. Helgason nods. “It’s missing that fuzzy, fun, happiness…,” he trails off. “We need something warm, something unexpected.” Aldo women’s footwear designer Jackie Yermus produces a rougher weave of white with natural-toned raffia. Ostwald’s eyes widen. “This one is very emotional,” she says, laying it beside a pebbled orange, a grainy sky-blue and a shiny nude, also under consideration. “Yes,” she says, “they are very happy together!” She and Helgason exchange high-fives.
It’s hard not to fall in love with Ostwald and Helgason—the charming duo behind breakout fashion label Ostwald Helgason. For one thing, high-fives and happy talk are de rigueur when they’re around, as are discussions about balloon animals (the inspiration behind their spring collection) and Little Shop of Horrors (a previous jumping-off point). If there were such a thing as a fashion prom, they’d be a shoe-in for Cutest Couple (sorry, Kimye).
Photography by Carlo Mendoza
Photography by Greg Kesser
Photography by Carlo Mendoza
Photography by Richard Lam
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Ones to watch: If you don’t already know about Ostwald Helgason, here’s why you really should
View the Spring 2012 collection »
Ostwald Helgason, the London-based label made up of German-born Susanne Ostwald and Icelandic Ingvar Helgason, is making some serious waves. Both have fashion backgrounds—Ostwald with a Fashion Design MA from Germany’s Burg Giebichenstein and Helgason with a combination of design, management, and tailoring—their individual interests in fine art and new technology come together in clean, modern shapes with a distinctly unique edge.