Nick Johannessen visited Raw Denim on March 13th and talked about fashion, myths and sustainability. An evening about how clothes can be both stylish and responsible.
Theme evening
Nick Johannessen, better known as WellDressedDad on Instagram, and known for the podcast Garmology, held a theme evening at Raw Denim on March 13. The lecture dealt with fashion, myths, and the environment.
Inger Kristin Haugsevje, owner of Raw Denim, has previously been a guest on the podcast Garmology to discuss vintage, when Raw Denim was still a vintage store. Now the store has changed direction.
“Towards the end of the last few years that I was running a second-hand shop, we started to receive more and more fast fashion,” she says. “I don’t want to sell that to our customers, so I prefer to sell clothes that are of a certain quality, such that they can be used in a circular way.”
– Buy something that you like and that you can wear until it can no longer be repaired. What we sell is meant to last, we call it future vintage.
Garmology
Johannessen started the podcast Garmology to convey an important message
– What I wanted to highlight were the brands and companies that make good things. Those that are not just concerned with making money, those that make clothes with their hearts, not just their heads.
– For most big brands today, it's just about how many units they get out this quarter, how much profit, what the margin is. At the same time, you also have people who make things because they feel they want to make good things, and those are the ones I want to give a vote to, says Johannessen.
Johannessen explains that much of what is thrown away in clothing collections is never reused. He says that much of this clothing is instead sent abroad, where it is often then burned.
–Clothes are a big problem. There are piles of discarded clothes so big you can see them from the moon.
–There is a lack of circularity, explains Johannessen.
Johannessen wore a tweed coat, a textile he incorporates into much of his wardrobe.
Doesn't follow fashion
One of Johannessen's great interests has long been tweed.
– It goes back to my childhood when we were on holiday in England, when we stayed with friends on a farm. I always noticed the tweed jacket hanging there, and the nice thick wool feel. It's so real, a jacket like that lasts for 50 years.
– I must admit that I myself don't follow fashion.
Johannessens has a different point of view.
– Think for yourself. Look, find something that works for you.
Johannessen still emphasizes that there are several things you need to be aware of.
– fabric, construction and fit are important.
Finally, he advises actually going to a store and trying on the garment when it's something you're considering buying.
Asbjørn Slettemark and Kevin Svindland
Important topic
Asbjørn Slettemark and Kevin Svindland were present at the theme evening and contributed valuable perspectives.
Svindland himself works in textile production, and he emphasizes that the theme evening was informative and useful.
Slettemark found the details surrounding clothing production particularly interesting.
– I love exploring the world myself. If there's some deep nerdy knowledge he's curious about, I always contact Nick, he explains.
Slettemark thinks it's really cool to have a good awareness of where the clothes he buys come from, something the event helped with.
Emil Victor Astroza Lydersen himself works at Raw Denim.
– These are values that I share myself. I feel like a lot of Nick's knowledge is something that everyone should know, he says about the lecture.
– Sustainable clothing and buying something and using it over a long period of time are values we have at Raw Denim, says Inger Kristin, owner of Raw Denim.