one NODE is a clothing studio designing products with a sense of identity and continuity. A platform to experience, share and (re-)connect with crafting skills and cultural roots in a sustainable and innovative way.
The brand aesthetic is built on the appreciation of classic shapes such as the shirt; a blank canvas to explore the wider possibilities through print and texture. The current product range are men’s shirts, shirt dresses, knit and sports top, leggings and fashionable but functional raincoats for women; all designed and developed in Selje, rural west coast of Norway and produced in Europe. A part of the process is to identify, use and upcycle smart materials such as the fabric from a past formal shirt production for the Norwegian military now used for the one NODE signature print men’s shirt.
Founder Jullia Kröner Venø is a German fashion designer, educator, pattern maker and ladies’ tailor. She is also behind the rural arts organization Venø Gård KUNST. Since her arrival to Norway, Julia has been profoundly inspired and fascinated by the skills and generosity of local knitters.
In January 2021 she had the idea to truly celebrate those ‘unsung heroes’ in the context of a catwalk show under the name STRIKKET! (knitting in Norwegian) including international creatives and designers.
In February 2021 the managing director of Uniform Partner AS Selje, formerly known as Selje Shirt Factory, offered Julia a studio space in their fully equipped facilities, a truly defining moment. Now, Julia was given the opportunity to not just envision a large-scale fashion show that connected locals with international designers but was able to make it a reality.The catwalk was presented in August 2021 at Stad Hotel, Vestland and then invited to be presented at the opera house (Operahuset Nordfjord) in Nordfjordeid, the second largest in Norway with great success through its innovative and creative approach in 2022.
Through this process and to honor the ‘uniform’ shirt that has been part of the DNA of Selje since 1948, she interpreted knitting patterns as a print on the shirt. The print tells the story of the coastal culture, knitting as a labor of love and cultural symbols. The print is made up of dots or ‘nodes.’ Nodes are points of intersections that aspire to inspire further nodes. Traditional Rosemåling inspired the prints for sports tops and leggings.
one NODE would like to have an open dialogue with a global audience ever more interested in sustainable and ethical goods with a strong cultural story. Julia believes in the tradition and crafting skills of making clothes; ‘Clothing as text’ to share an important story in response to the environment, the interaction with nature and history. It is the story of a living heritage thriving to interconnect generations locally, nationally, and internationally.
The brand started to activate this process by (re)using local resources and potentials in a sustainable way. One NODE believes it is the starting point to bring a positive shift therefore the approach and selection has included:
- Fabrics produced in Europe (Italy, Belgium and France).
- Production taking place in Europe (Lithuania, Italy and France).
- Trims, yarns and notions sourced in Europe (UK, Italy, France, Austria).
- Innovative technology companies working towards an ‘ethical, sustainable, and eco-efficient textile & apparel industry’ (Spain).
Materials used for one NODE products are carefully selected according to their innovative and intelligent properties, and according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), PSV (Second Life Plastic) and OEKO-TEX Standard 100. The packaging is reduced to its minimum to not add more waste products and is compostable and recyclable and the hang tags and thank you cards are made of biodegradable bamboo.
one NODE is working together with Oslo based musician, visual artist, and scenographer Sebastian Schmiedl from Ecuador on an innovative musical intervention project. Sebastian started to translate the ‘heritage’ knit patterns into music with the aim to create a soundscape for each garment with the dotted print. The idea is to generate a QR code for people to access the soundscape of the garment after purchase. Sebastian’s forte is to translate conceptual notions into immersive, multimedia experiences. This collaboration is an exciting beginning to connect the past to the present to see the future.
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Photos by Bjørn Venø & Ulf Ugumayon Amundsen
