Inside the creative minds of — Fæbrik
The Norwegian sewing collective Fæbrik, has quickly become a go-to source of inspiration for creative DIY’ers all over the World. Their mission is to make it easier and more fun creating your own clothes from recycled fabrics as well as repairing and renewing old garments – while fostering a more sustainable approach to fashion.
Personal style with a good conscience
The four female founders of Fæbrik, Jenny Skavlan, Ingrid Bergtun, Mari Norden og Ingrid Vik Lysne, created their company based on the idea of providing tools for people who wanted to learn how to sew. Their reasoning was; if you learn how to make your own clothes, you will know how much work and effort has been put into each fashion item, and you will make more sustainable choices the next time you go out shopping for clothes.
Ingrid's trolley
Ingrid with her personalised trolley that - much like the office dog, Hundre - follows her around everywhere in the studio. This way she has her sewing gear at hand all day.
Making it your own
We met with three of the ladies for a cosy chat about colours and sustainability. When asked how Montana matches the Fæbrik philosophy Jenny describes their approach to sewing patterns as being based on modules just like the Montana System.
In the Fæbrik universe, everything is about hacking the patterns and making them your own; you can use a sleeve from one pattern and add it to another. The flexibility and playfulness in the design are key. Fæbrik wants to inspire more sustainable living by making it a more light-hearted matter.
We work with very few partners, and they must have a sustainable profile. We find it very appealing the way Montana makes high-quality furniture that last a lifetime, produced in Denmark.
Personalised storage for the sewing factory
It’s important for Fæbrik to have plenty of storage in their factory. When customising the big Montana composition, they wanted to create a partition wall for the studio while also adding loads of storage possibilities to hide away clutter.
With piles of fabrics and sewing equipment lining up they can store everything from tiny beads to large pieces of second-hand textiles in the various sized cabinets. All four women also wanted a personalised trolley, where they can keep all their current sewing projects and personal items at hand.
Jenny's trolley
Jenny uses her customised trolley for both sewing equipment and beauty equipment, because at Fæbrik you never know when there’s a photo shoot coming up.
Mari's trolley
Mari loves the various functions on her trolley; the rail on the side for fabrics, the large storage box on top for current projects, and the trays for all the little things.
Living with colours
When asked about their relationship with colours in their work and home, Mari bursts out “Colours are life!” Ingrid adds that she loves colours and that having the colourful Montana furniture in their studio has inspired her to use braver colours in her everyday life. Jenny replies that on a gloomy Monday morning it’s a joy turning on the light in the studio and being met by a colour explosion.
Fæbrik’s favourite Montana colours
We challenged Fæbrik to choose a Montana colour to describe their personalities. Ingrid went with Rhubarb, as the colour attracted her the most the first time she laid eyes on it. Mari went for Rosehip, and Jenny was torn between Iris and Azure, but ended up feeling a bit more Monarch.
