We caught up with the design duo behind Ostwald Helgason, Susanne Ostwald and Ingvar Helgason, to find out how they captured the hearts and lenses of editors and street style photographers alike.
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| New York casting agent Natalie Joos wearing Ostwald Helgason at fashion week in September 2012. Photo: REX Features |
In a jam-packed studio in Hackney Wick, overlooking the Olympic stadium, Susanne Ostwald is wiping up a tiny spillage from under my tea cup. "For Susie, everything has its place," her boyfriend and business partner Ingvar Helgason sniggers. "Getting things to fit in this studio is like a game of Tetris." Susanne readily admits her obsession with order. "I have a little bit of an OCD. If I get things fitting in perfectly in here, then I get 10 points!"
If all goes according to plan, Susanne's Tetris obsession will soon be a space-saving eccentricity of the past. Together the couple comprise Ostwald Helgason, a brand with a loyal following of fashion editors setting out to win them pavement exposure. Street style favourites Miroslava Duma and Tatler Russia editor-in-chief Anya Ziourova are frequently snapped in head-to-toe looks; bloggers Susie Bubble and Natalie Joos are also fans. Buyers have followed suit: their first order for New York boutique Fivestory sold out within 24 hours, and ASOS, Opening Ceremony, Browns Boutique and Moda Operandi have all put in orders.
