FUSHION

While unique in their individual approach to design, each label that showed during FUSHION expressed an active dedication towards environmental sustainability. Each artist brought their worldwide perspective to an audience that may not have otherwise been exposed to the experiences and challenges of their fellow Norwegians.

Peep our recap of the festival below and live vicariously through our photo diary of the whole experience.

Vi elsker FUSHION!

Day 1 of FUSHION kicked off with a joint presentation by designer Elisabeth Stray Pedersen and minimalist label Moiré. Staged against the stunning backdrop of Hole in the Woods, a painting exhibition by artist Andreas Siqueland, models for Pedersen and Moiré performed slow-motion movements which allowed each garment to be viewed at a detailed pace. With a thematic focus on curtailing overproduction and building an environmentally-conscious wardrobe, the creators’ combined vision was emblematic of the festival’s overall theme of sustainability.

From there we caught a well-choreographed runway show titled As You See It from designer Tonje Plur, whose incorporation of natural elements gave us Midsommar vibes in the best way possible. The evening included a gallery opening for design duo Holzweiler in collaboration with artist Ali Gallefoss. Bestowing a large selection of their existing scarf designs to Gallefoss, Holzweiler allowed the artist to repurpose their garments into a new form, giving the surplus products a new life as opposed to continuing the cycle of overproduced fashion.

Rounding out the day was an immersive gallery installation from Ethiopian artist Wendimagegn Belete. Based in Norway for the past four years, Belete’s work incorporated elements of video, painting, text, found materials, and archival photography in order to address the unique history of his home country and push against stereotypes of Africa in general. Speaking about the exhibition Belete said, “The moment that I arrived in Europe I started to realize how Ethiopia has been portrayed and how Africa has been portrayed. From where I grew up, there's a lot to know, a lot to tell about Ethiopia and Africa in general. It’s not about that sensational figure of the starving child. I want to engage this by collecting archives that could tell about the past.” The work shown by Belete at FUSHION addressed Italy’s two failed attempts at colonizing Ethiopia in the 19th and 20th centuries.

That night we partied with Costume Magazine and printer gods Epson as they gave out awards to celebrate designers who incorporate digital print into their work.

Day 2 of the festival started in the world of Mardou & Dean Souterrain, where founder and creative director Ingrid Bredholt showed a captivating presentation of her designs via photographs and audio-visual installation created alongside artist Victor Nicolai. Titled The Butterfly Kiss, 35mm images of Ingrid’s clothing modeled by an obscured figure were printed with scanned details of butterfly wings and installed throughout a subterranean gallery space. Speaking with Ingrid during the presentation, the designer emphasized “I think people today, especially young people, are always wanting to be so prepared and so tough. I wanted to show something more vulnerable.” We also tried out Bredholt’s collaboration with Norweigan chair design house Varier which were displayed in a space one floor up from the installation - mad comfy!

After a short detour to the Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, office pulled up to the Avenue S/S 2020 runway show which was held at the gorgeous Villa Stenersen. Designers Ingvild Abrahamsen, Gustaf Gyllenhammar, and Espen Follestad delivered a strong collection of menswear and womenswear which saw models descending the villa’s picturesque steps in looks reminiscent of desconstucted 80’s and 90’s Scandanavian clubwear. Following the show we snapped pictures of the models and ate fresh apples from the Villa’s surrounding orchard.

Jetting back to the city’s Barcode district, we stopped for a look at designer Anne Karine Thorbjørnsen’s latest collection which was presented via photographs by Märta Thisner.

From there we sat in deferential silence as cross-disciplinary, Sudanese-born artist Ahmed Umar gave a presentation of sculpture and live performance titled If you no longer have a family, make your own with clay. Lit only by candlelight, Umar filled his gallery space with clay figures representing the atrocities faced by citizens of his home country during the ongoing Sudanese revolution, as well as the feeling of being disowned by family and friends after coming out as gay; “[This performance is] not only about me. The first performance was 100% about me but now it’s about the revolution in Sudan. We don’t have a lot of media coverage; the world basically doesn’t care about what’s happening there. The revolution started in December of last year and there were many killings because people said ‘No, we don’t want a dictatorship’. Sudan is a country that’s struggling very much to gain democracy and democracy will come with a result to all of us; it’s not just Sudan. Humans share the planet and we should take care of each other.”

Underscoring this message was Umar’s invitation to the audience to make their own clay figures to be added to performance as seen fit. There were tears and hugs all throughout the crowd as people allowed themselves to feel what others felt in another part of the world.

Day 3 was an odyssey around town that started with a trip to see photographer Vitaboy’s print show, held at the Norwegian Rain space in downtown Oslo. Working in the lanes of fashion and portraiture, Vitaboy’s eye for captivating subjects and settings held a strong commercial appeal while maintaining a raw, expressive attitude.

Up next was a journey to the countryside with designer Catherine Hammel, whose presentation titled The Urban Farmer transported viewers to a pastoral world where clothing not only looks beautiful but functions to be used while working with one’s hands and harvesting from the Earth. This was emphasized with the casting of actual farmers who tended the land where the presentation was staged alongside models and friends of the house. Maintaining the festival’s underlying theme of sartorial sustainability, Hammel spoke about the importance of cultivating a curtated and versatile wardrobe; “We wanted to emphasize the quality of life here [in Norway]. It’s always about being comfortable. My aim is not to have too much; to have clothes that can fit in many different situations. I love fashion but our brand is about other things too. We have to be loyal to that. This is an opportunity to show our clothes in real life.”

Back in the city center, designer Michael Olestad presented Session; a spectacular preview of his S/S 2020 womenswear collection. Staged as an AA-style meeting, a small group models wordlessly sat in a circle of chairs while periodically getting up to replace themselves with framed photographs of the collection. Working with photographer Jakob Landvik, Olestad’s models were stoic yet exuded a vibrant presence somewhere between Michèle Lamy and Angelina Jolie’s character Lisa Rowe from Girl, Interrupted. The wise casting of models across a broad age range gave the collection a timeless yet aspirational energy. With the full collection debuting later this month in Paris, we are stoked to see the completed vision come to life.

As the sun began its hours-long process of setting over Oslo, we caught one last presentation from designer Sara Skogøy whose show was titled Single by Sunrise - Confessions of a Woo-Girl. A handful of gorgeous models lounged in a 60’s-style beach scene like they had just stepped off a Pan Am flight to paradise. Standout looks from the playfully campy collection included a flame-printed beach robe with feather details and a ‘beaded’ bikini coverup made from red acrylic nails. The whole affair had us planning our own Syden-style getaway complete with sunbeds, cheap cocktails, and a view of the wide blue sea.

Before partying our way into the weekend with a wrap event hosted by Team Models, we caught one last exhibition from German artist Frederik Heyman. While not physically present at the show, Heyman’s digitally-altered sculptural pieces played on screens that ushered the audience into his stylishly baroque world of Cronenberg-esque sensuality. We’ll never watch Salò the same way again!

Omar Ahmed, Charles Caesar Photography, Charles Caesar

Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, Charles Caesar Photography

Restaurant Vaaghals, Charles Caesar Photography

Charles Caesar, Charles Caesar Photography, Canal New York

Charles Caesar, Charles Caesar Photography

Charles Caesar and Adam Duong, Charles Caesar Photography

Charles Caesar Photography, Charles Caesar

Catherine Hammel, Charles Caesar Photography

Ingrid Bredholt and Victor Nicolai, Charles Caesar Photography

Michael Olstead, Charles Caesar Photography

Special thanks to the phenomenal Hilde Reljin, Adam Duong, and the entire FUSHION team for having us join them.

Ser deg igjen snart!

Culture

The Club Is Coming to the Stage

We enter and make our way to what is approximately front left of the DJ booth, where we’re accustomed to dancing at clubs in New York. “So is this a techno club or a dance performance?” yells an uncertain participant in my boyfriend’s ear. He laughs, bouncing along to Ben UFO, and yells back, “It’s both!” The club has long been a hot topic in European contemporary dance but it is only now making its way into New York performance venues, largely through transatlantic tours. R.O.S.E. follows recent examples like Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1 (May 2024), (LA)HORDE’s Room with a View at NYU Skirball (October 2023), and Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd at BAM (October 2022).

Do these performances compromise the club’s spirit — a space idealized for its anonymity, dark lighting, and thundering music? The notion of the club as a utopian escape is admittedly just that — an ideal — because of how its intense conditions can create barriers to entry. Still, the club remains sacred for many, a place to forge connections and embrace an alternative state of being. Looking at how performances transfer this spirit to new settings reveals what aspects of the club are essential and those that aren’t.

Sharon Eyal, R.O.S.E. 2024. Photography by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

Eyal’s dancers make their entrance. The lighting shifts from roving blue to yellow spotlights as Ben UFO’s tracks transition to more melodic beats. Clad in deconstructed lace Dior lingerie with dark red tears painted on their faces, the dancers move cautiously in a tightly maintained pack, slicing paths through the horde with hoof-like steps and jerky leg extensions. After around ten minutes of this controlled choreography, the dancers vanish as the lighting shifts back to blue and Ben UFO picks up his dubby beats. The club, as we knew it, resumes. This cycle of tightly executed movements and free-flowing club-goers repeats several times, each time emboldening the dancers to plunge further into the crowd.

Clubbing in a building once built for the U.S. Army National Guard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side turns out to be surprisingly successful — at least for the audience. What starts as an awkward, scattered group searching for their non existent seats gradually gels into an engaged, bouncing crowd that erupts in cheers each time the dancers enter and exit. Performance patrons who might never step foot in a club find themselves swept up in its potential for communion, moving in unison with fellow ticket holders. But it isn’t until the very end of R.O.S.E. that the dancers finally break free from Eyal’s choreography and join the fired-up audience in a brief moment of improvisatory movement with the music. By keeping her dancers at arm’s length, Eyal seems more interested in the club as a backdrop for her signature movement style than wholly as a space with meaningful stories to be told.

Michele Rizzo, HIGHER xtn. 2024. Photography by Cameron Kelly courtesy of MoMA PS1.

Back in May, I attended Wire Festival, a multiday electronic music event at Knockdown Center that had no shortage of organically united dancefloors. It attracted a crowd of seasoned ravers who were eager to celebrate the start of spring as they danced alongside DJs who played well into the daylight. I left Wire in an afternoon daze to see Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1. My sleepless euphoria only deepened as the performance unfolded, starting with a lone dancer who looked plucked out of the festival.

The dancer, dressed in sneakers, baggy jeans, and a tight tank top, shuffled slowly into the gallery, perfectly in sync with the looping bars of an understated electronic melody. Soon, other dancers, clad in the same staple rave uniform, joined him — each having traveled from Europe for the U.S. museum debut of HIGHER xtn., which premiered at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam in 2018 and quickly became a fixture at kunsthalles and festivals across the continent. As the score’s tempo climbed, the choreography locked into a 16-count sequence, which the dancers executed with precise synchrony. They remained intensely focused, never making eye contact with each other, as they sought release in the endless repetition of synthesized beats. Once the dancers reached their limit, they stopped the sequence and exited the gallery, one by one.

HIGHER xtn. used the focused daylight of the gallery to highlight the meditative release found in the repetitive movements that dominate dark dancefloors. The performance’s restraint brought more consistency and intentionality than Eyal’s all-encompassing club construction in R.O.S.E. Yet both performances offer enticing entry points into club culture for those who may not frequent raves. Rizzo’s ecstatic, hypnotic repetitions reveal how the club can mirror other meditative practices, while Eyal’s interpolation of performance and clubbing helped hesitant audience members blossom by the end. Still, both works overlook one of the most underappreciated aspects of clubbing — its potential for individual expression. HIGHER xtn.’s pristine uniformity especially risks promoting the outdated techno trope that there’s a “right” way to dance to electronic music.

Maybe this shortcoming is, in fact, a benefit. For habitual ravers jaded by one too many sunrise sets, it’s a reminder to return to the club with more intention. If you pause and peer through the darkness, you’ll see hundreds of people moving to the same beat, each with their own subtle variations. This collective choreography is a ready-made spectacle that doesn’t need validation in a theater or museum. And when the music shifts slightly, you can watch the ripple effect sweep through the crowd while feeling the new beat in your body. Maybe this small bit of magic is best left on the dance floor.

Culture

Real Slick, Jack: Psyche Organic Arrives in New York

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Culture

Porsche SCOPES Brings Art, Music, and Design to Toronto

The festival was a full immersion into Toronto’s dynamic creative energy. Day one set the tone with DJ collective Living Room, followed by an experimental performance by Claire Rousay that captivated the crowd. Jewelry designer Steff Eleoff unveiled her Porsche Taycan 4S art car installation—a bold fusion of automotive and wearable art inspired by her Sedona ring—while OVO Sound’s Naomi Sharon and DVSN wrapped up the night with powerful, genre-defying performances.

We witnessed SCOPES Toronto bridging underground and mainstream with day two’s lineup. DJ Korea Town Acid’s set paved the way for Angelphroot and Dameer’s debut of BASSMATI, a track blending South Asian influences with bass-driven sounds. Chippy Nonstop’s return to Toronto and Richie Hawtin’s extended set were milestones of the evening, proving that the city’s underground scene has a global resonance.

The final day featured standout performances from local pianist Harrison, Indigenous artist Tia Wood, and hip-hop visionary Sean Leon, who elevated his set with a live choir. Moonshine Collective’s film and musical performance explored themes of African utopia, showcasing art’s power to bridge culture and technology. Rising Toronto star SadBoi, who paused her tour to perform at SCOPES, further underscored the festival’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

Throughout the weekend, we experienced installations from artists like Mitsu Mitsu and culinary creations from Bar Mordecai, capturing the multifaceted creativity Porsche SCOPES brought to Toronto. This milestone 10th edition, open to all, allowed Toronto’s vibrant arts scene to thrive, underscoring SCOPES’ mission to celebrate local talent while connecting it to a global audience.

office had the chance to connect with rising star SadBoi ahead of the event. In our conversation, she shared insights into her creative journey and reflected on what performing and growing up in Toronto means to her and her work.

How are you, and where are you at right now? You told me you were traveling.

Um, I’m good, I’m feeling really good right now. I’m traveling back to Salt Lake City. I had a show yesterday in Seattle. I’m on tour right now with Coco and Claire.

How is touring life treating you? Do you like it?

I love being on the road. To be honest, I feel like I don’t know—like I’ve had good experiences and bad ones—but this time it’s really fun, especially with the people I’m surrounded by. It’s also the longest tour I’ve been on; I have about four more weeks to go. I’m trying not to think about how many days I have left.

Do you feel homesick?

Yes, because when I start thinking about how many days are left, I start to miss my dogs. I’ve just been trying to stay in the moment—I don’t even know what day of the week it is, to be honest with you.

Oh, sweet! What are your dogs’ names?

Jillian and Winston. I know, they’re crazy names.

You’ll be performing at SCOPES in Toronto, which is where you grew up. Do you feel like the crowd is different when you perform in Toronto compared to other cities?

Yes, I mean, Toronto just feels different because it’s home. Every time I come back to perform, something in my career has changed. The last time I performed in Toronto, people just wanted to have a good time, and I’m excited to perform back home again to see everyone’s reactions. I know it’s going to be different from the last time. It’s exciting to see your own growth. Toronto is a tough crowd, though. If we’re with you, we’re really with you.

So, they’re super picky? You have to gain their respect, or what is it?

I think Toronto people are in their own world, but when something really connects with them, they’ll lose themselves in the moment. But it takes something to bring them out of that. Toronto crowds are tough because even if they like you, they won’t show it outright until they’re really vibing with you.

It’s like a vibe check, right?

Exactly. They’ll enjoy your performance, but it’s hard to explain. When people visit Toronto, they often say, “Oh, you guys are so nice,” and I’m like, “I don’t think we’re that nice, we’re just polite.” Like, you can walk down the street, and no one will say anything, but it’s just our mannerisms.

You mentioned Toronto can have a moody energy, especially at night, and that the underground night scene there really inspires you. Can you talk more about what makes Toronto's nightlife so influential for you?

Absolutely, Toronto has this unique energy that comes alive at night. Similar to New York, there are the popular clubs everyone knows, but you need to find your niche—the people who know where the real parties are. I remember going to raves in high school yards, sneaking in because I wasn’t old enough. Events like Baby, Jerk!, and Yes Yes Y’all were pivotal, exposing me to DJs blending dancehall with EDM—something I hadn’t seen before. Toronto nightlife is moody and intense, but when everyone’s out, it’s like the whole city is alive.