Launching Fashion Week In Hell

The Norwegian jeans brand Anti Sweden Jeans is known for its rebellious identity and close relation to the black metal scene. As a protest against the established fashion industry, Anti Sweden will stage their own fashion week in Hell – in the county of Nord-Trøndelag in Norway. Anti Sweden Jeans and Fashion Week in Hell has already caught the attention of Mötley Crew, Steven Tyler and The Killers. Calico Cooper, controversial daughter of Alice Cooper, will now literally be travelling to Hell on earth to front the new Black Metal clothing line. 

– We're tired of Swedish brands taking complete control of the Norwegian market. We're tired of fashion snobbery and toothless arenas for the exposure of Norwegian design. Now we want to launch our new collection on our own terms, says Kjetil Wold, founder of Anti Sweden Jeans. People fascinated by the dark and occult have for many years been drawn to Hell in Trøndelag. On Thursday 3 March the place will really be hell on earth when Anti Sweden launches "Fashion Week In Hell" to present their unique new clothing collection. 

Calico Cooper who is central in her legendary father, Alice Coopers, show of sex, flames and rock and roll, is going to Hell in Norway to front Anti Sweden Jeans collection. Calico Cooper is educated as a ballettdanser, but is most famous as a controversial kontroversiell performance artist and model. The LA-based rock daughter is travelling to Hell in Norway to do what she does best – burn down the show.   

– The Killers toured in our jeans when they wanted a darker, more edgy image, and both Mötley Crew and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith have shown great interest in our jeans. That Calico Cooper is now travelling to Hell, a remote place in central Norway, is a strong confirmation that Norwegian black metal culture, fashion and design has a strong appeal all over the world, says creative director in Anti Sweden, Kjetil Wold. 

Swedish jeans burned in Hell

Anti Sweden Jeans was founded back in 2009 when customers was invited to bring their Swedish jeans to Anti Sweden's store in Oslo and get a pair of Anti Sweden jeans in return at the reduced price of 666,-Kroner . The offer proved so popular that Anti Sweden decided to go to Hell and burn the Swedish jeans and use the left-overs to design a special collection in cooperation with well-known Los Angeles based designer Tod Waters. This collection will be presented during Fashion Week in Hell together with Anti Sweden's new collection, designed by Karoline Bakken Lund.

– We live in darkness for large parts of the year.  The darkness has inspired Norway's internationally renowned black metal community to capture the dark Nordic mind and rawness. This is where Anti Sweden finds its inspiration. Norwegian design is more than pastel colours and arts and crafts, and we want to prove that our clothes need no smell of the traditional Norwegian waffles to be noticed internationally, says Wold.

Hell as tourist destination

The name Hell has created a lot of good stories for the locals, but also frustration. Some even called for the removal and destruction of the famous "Hell Gods expedition" sign at the local train station, to remove the place from the link with the biblical Hell. But since then locals have again embraced the connection to Hell and today a replica of the original sign hangs in its rightful place on the station wall.

– Living in 'Hell' can be a strength to us. It tickles tourists as well as people who live here. The picture of our train station is Norway's best selling postcard, which proves our point. Fashion Week In Hell will help highlight this region as a destination. We identify with the way Anti Sweden's embraces the dark parts of our national heritage, says Hell tourist chief, Odd Petter Haugseth.

Tell your friends to go to Hell

Anti Sweden also opens up Fashion Week In Hell to more than specially invited guests. A Facebook competition allows anyone the chance to win a "Ticket to hell". Whoever encourages the most friends to go to Hell compete for the VIP tickets. Check out: http://www.facebook.com/antisweden

About Anti Sweden Jeans

The Norwegian design office Anti wanted to use their experience and knowledge of design to create their own brand - a brand that reflected their love of fashion, of graphic design, and which reflected the unremitting darkness that is at the heart of the Norwegian identity and is the seat of true Black Metal. Anti Sweden is that unholy creation! Their goal is to once again take rebellion back to black jeans!

As Norwegians they dare to challenge their bigger neighbors, Sweden, who are renowned worldwide for their recognizable Scandinavian brands, notably Acne and Cheap Monday. With Anti Sweden we are now taking up the friendly fight that has existed between our two countries ever since the liquidation of the alliance in 1905. While minimalism is at the heart of both Scandinavian countries, the Norwegians embrace the dark and the occult as central to our identity. Anti Sweden is Black Metal going fashion.

For more information:
Kjetil Wold creative director in Anti Sweden, tlf: 997 10 975. E-post: kjetil@anti.as

Photographs should be credited: Tor Lie

Tags: