With a history dating back to 1797, Steen & Strøm is often referred to as the world’s oldest luxury department store still operating. With over 2.6 million annual visitors and a long tradition of being Oslo’s main meeting point, it aims to maintain its position in an increasingly challenging retail landscape.
— Department stores have a responsibility to, what is a much-overused word, ’curate’ content, says David Wilkinson. In the retail training I went to years ago, we were encouraged to create a ’theatre’ — particularly at Harrods and subsequently at Selfridges. The stated intention for us is to be the home for what we describe as ’democratic luxury.’ Now, we have to find methods for connecting with baby boomers, but most definitely Generation Z and millennials. Their learning has been conducted almost entirely online; that’s how they resource opportunities and develop skills in particular areas.
”We believe Norwegian design has immense potential”
The department store also aims to be a stepping stone for Norwegian design, bridging local talent and customers. To support the local fashion industry, they’ve partnered with Oslo Runway over the past five years, providing up-and-coming Norwegian designers with visibility and trading opportunities. Designed by prominent Norwegian artists Fredrik Bull and Ali Gallefoss, a special pop-up shop and exhibition during Oslo Runway highlighted eight emerging local designers: ESP, Monuse, Bastante Textiles, Philippa Studios, Shitika Studios, Fiol, Serena, Atelier Hinode, and the Oslo Runway NEXT talent Tarinii.
— We believe Norwegian design has immense potential. It’s hugely important to enable local, national, and regional designers to come and play, playing a small part in helping the industry grow by giving both up-and-coming and established brands the visibility they deserve, says Wilkinson. He continues:
— There’s always been a very practical element to Norwegian fashion, but there are celebrated designers who have managed to develop their businesses with considerable strength. Holzweiler is one, and Tom Wood in jewellery, for example.
— Fashion regionally is broadly owned by Copenhagen but this district of Oslo (called Promenaden, Ed’s note) has a particular foothold in luxury, fashion, and food and beverage. Fashion is highly competitive, as you know, and we have a duty as a department store to provide a platform.
By developing the local offering, Wilkinson continues, an entire industry and ecosystem thrive.
— On the first level, we have an area for local footwear brand New Movements, with a very strong circularity story. We have spent significant time with Martin Evensen, the founder, to help them develop their business, design the area with natural and local materials, and grow together.
— Last year, when we were setting up the space, we welcomed a very esteemed Italian business leader from one of the top-flight luxury brands. We were walking through Nedre Slotsgate, which borders Steen & Strøm, when he opened his iPhone and asked, ’David, where can I find these?’ It was a photograph of the window of New Movements. This gentleman had taken this photograph very early on a Saturday morning on his walk through the city, looking at the various opportunities for the brand. I took him to what was then the building site for New Movements, and Martin sold him three pairs of sneakers. He now has an open invitation to go and meet that business leader in Milan. Maybe, at a later stage, he’ll take the opportunity to go meet him and use that as an avenue for breaking into other markets. I think it’s really special.
— When you’re launching a niche fashion brand, you’re competing against the existing church of brands. We have over 200 fashion brands in Steen and Strøm, so you’re competing for bandwidth. What is the best thing that you can provide for an emerging designer? Fundamentally, it’s a platform, space, time, and your energy. For me, all those things are super important.
What else is important to support local emerging designers?
— To accomplish real change, it’s obviously crucial — if doable — to be generous with time. Remember that the emerging designer you are meeting today could be the next star — treat them with fairness and respect. Present constructive feedback and understand their challenges which are often related to exposure through a platform at a lower cost, where there are high barriers to entry. Set aside time in the monthly schedule to meet newness, ask questions, and explore areas for collaboration. No idea is too small — intellectual capital is valuable.
— Using New Movements as an example of a local, Norwegian brand, our CEO declared interest in supporting the brand and we then set about creating a platform for the brand to flourish in a contemporary setting. It was a team effort and the results have been encouraging. In a sense, this is our version of a local ’corner shop.’
— Ralph Lauren presenting 6 handmade ties to a Bloomingdale’s buyer, who supported the onward trajectory of what is now a global brand, is another good example. Or Paul Smith, who was originally trading from a shop in Byard Lane in Nottingham, and now operates a globally recognised brand. I always recall a presentation from a Creative Director at Selfridges in the mid-90s, a kind of maven who predicted the future growth of athletic leisure, streetwear and the rise of the Antwerp 6… The other day I was listening to Rick Owens who said something along the lines of work, work, work: suggesting that creativity is of course important but productivity or output is critical to exposure and success.
If we look at retail trends, what do you see?
— Creating emotional value and experiences, personalisation and quality, sustainability and circularity, and adaptive technology. The continued growth of luxury — there’s an attendant interest in it — and, unquestionably, food and beverage, Wilkinson shares. He continues:
— A few months ago, there was a theme identified called coolcation. You come to Norway for a different kind of vacation than the one that you might have elsewhere in, say, Greece, Spain, or Italy. We’ve now been fortunate to capture tourists, which is an emerging market for us. They’re from the United Kingdom, but also Saudi and the Gulf states are now finding their way to Oslo.
What other challenges and opportunities do you see on the horizon?
— We have all the different macro-related issues to contend with. I think interest rates are possibly at their highest now and things will start to change throughout the next 10 to 12 months.
— Norway is a very kind country. I’m an overseas worker — British — who came here five years ago, and it positively encourages you to engage professionally. It’s also a city where there’s a phenomenal opportunity to enjoy work-life balance. You can have other pursuits away from work — be they sporting or personal health objectives, or learning, you can go and do that. I’ve noticed that particularly amongst our younger group who work here, the Millennials and Gen Z, many of them are attending secondary courses away from work. There’s an active interest in yoga, particularly, and various boot camps.
— You can get stuff done here quite quickly if you’re minded to do so — and I think one of the fabulous things is that you can travel across the city in 45 minutes by foot…
It’s a human city.
— It’s a human city. As an emerging designer in Oslo, you have an opportunity, because you can access most of the points of entry within a reasonable time. There’s an ecosystem here of people who want to help new talent as well as venture funding that’s chasing great ideas and opportunities, Wilkinson explains. He adds:
— We can use New Movements as an example, or Sprekenhus — a fabulous brand. These companies, in my opinion, deserve global recognition. It’s quite challenging for them to find their voice outside the region — I feel strongly that that’s one of the things that we should support. Business leaders enjoy stories — generally the shorter ones — and are pleased to hear from new and emerging talents. We should provide a showcase!
