WORDS
Jane Fulcher
The centre of Scandi cool is a subject of long debate, and one that will continue perhaps forever as the baton is passed from country to country. While Stockholm and Copenhagen might have been the cities most commonly associated with fashion and luxury from northern Europe, at the moment Oslo – and Norway – are having quite a moment. And leading the trend is the world’s oldest department store Steen & Strøm, which has been operating at the heart of Oslo since 1797, and its operating company, Promenaden, the company that has built the remarkable Fashion District in the capital’s centre.
Norway’s population has one of the world’s highest GDP per capita, giving its residents extraordinary spending power. And that, added to clever planning and courting of luxury brands, has meant Promenaden has created an incredible luxury fashion centre including an enormous Louis Vuitton store across two floors with all of the brand’s collections, from fashion to homewear – the only store of its kind in the Nordic region. Dior also opened its first store in Scandanavia in August over 500sqm and two floors of extraordinary luxury shopping, with an entrance facing Steen & Strøm. One of the streets of the Promenaden Fashion District focuses on Norwegian and Scandinavian fashion brands including Acne, Swims and Tom Wood, the Norwegian jewellery brand and one of the darlings of the Oslo fashion scene.

At the centre of the fashion district is Steen & Strøm, the gorgeous historic department store beloved by Oslovians, that has recently gone through a £25.7m refurbishment to bring it up-to-date and expand its appeal. The renovations have created a new entrance on to Karl Johans gate, the main shopping thoroughfare and most important street in Oslo and the creation of an airy new atrium, which works as a central, welcoming point, an area to meet people, and a place to showcase interesting new brands.
Steen & Strøm has completely reimagined its beauty hall, making the area lighter and introducing more niche, trending brands, and Scandinavian producers, alongside prestige stalwarts including Clarins, Armani and Dior Beauty’s first boutique in Northern Europe. The team of expert staff have been trained to answer any beauty question posed by its well healed clientele, whether it be how to start a skincare routine, remove fake tan, or what lipstick shade best suits their skin tone.
The changes have led to a marked increase in footfall for the department store, as well as record-breaking sales that the team, led by retail expert David Wilkinson, the department store’s executive director, hope to continue with plans for transformation of the department store. Plans for the future include turning the first floor into a unisex fashion space, working to bring more luxury brands into Steen & Strøm and launching an ecommerce platform.
As Wilkinson says, however, it’s about much more than footfall and sales, and the project is also about uplifting an Oslo icon and being part of a movement forward for the Norwegian capital: ‘Steen & Strøm is about passion. It’s also about business and developing something that will create value for shareholders. But I perceive it as something that’s about passion, energy and creativity… You have to have an emotional kind of connectivity with the project, You don’t do these jobs for money. Not really. It’s not the main reason for getting out of bed in the morning,’ he says.

Oslo’s rejuvenation isn’t just about luxury shopping, the groundbreaking 13-storey Munch Museum is driving visits to the capital, as is the burgeoning gastronomic scene, the development of the harbour area including the striking Oslo Opera House, the new Barcode Project that has rejuvenated the formerly unloved docks area into a centre of chic boutiques and cafés. For many Brits, it might be the Norwegian cool represented in the Oslo Trilogy films of director Joachim Trier including the recent hit The Worst Person In The World, the lead in which, Renate Reinsve, won Best Actress at Cannes. The male lead, Anders Danielsen Lie, still works as a medical doctor in the city, testament to the quality of life of an Oslovian.
As Annette Lund, Promenaden Management’s CEO, says: ‘People look to Oslo now. And they look to Norway, both in terms of brands who want to be present here and we see that Norwegians and international tourists are visiting Oslo as a destination, but also now international tourists see Oslo and Norway as a hot destination. We have the new Munch Museum, the National Museum, the Opera House, there’s so much going on in Oslo, it’s really booming.’

The recent Oslo Runway fashion week, which took place from 23 to 28 August, is testament to the city’s position as a leader in style and creativity. Journalists and fashion experts from across the world descended on the capital for a series of shows, talks, events and exhibitions highlighting the finest in Norwegian design across the city. Steen & Strøm was a headline partner to the fashion week, hosting a collection of events with leading Norwegian brands at the department store including an innovative pop-up event in collaboration with wool outerwear brand ESP and Salvation Army thrift store Fretex Arkivet to highlight the importance of sustainability, circularity and modern Norwegian design.
As David Wilkinson said: ‘We are proud to continue our support for Norwegian fashion and design, and to dedicate part of our ground floor to the unique pop-up store concept by Fretex Arkivet and ESP, both promoting conscious consumption and circularity. We hope visitors will feel inspired to commence their sustainability journeys and use this opportunity to get educated and inspired.’
Sustainability is so built into the DNA of Norwegian brands that conversations around Oslo Runway are more about how brands are sustainable, rather than how they can become sustainable. In fact, Oslo is known as the most sustainable city in the world – another aspect of its burgeoning appeal, and the brands it has born are the same, including Envelope1976, Holzweiler, One & Other and Livid.
The journey for Oslo in becoming an international trendsetter and destination for luxury has only just started. Promenaden and Steen & Strøm will continue leading the way in making Oslo the centre of Scandi cool for years to come.