Norwegian Laughs: Moods of Norway Shows Zany Side in New Store
The Scandinavian nation of Norway is best known for its dramatic fjords, thriving oil industry and some really cold winter weather. Oslo-based fashion label Moods of Norway wants to add a light, zany sense of humor to the forefront of its nation’s brand. So Moods built a comedy version of the Norwegian countryside in its new store on the high-profile Los Angeles shopping street Robertson Boulevard. It is Moods of Norway’s first store in the United States.
To a first-time visitor, the boutique looks like a mix of a tourist brochure, family-attic kitsch and some buildings lifted from rural Norway. The store was designed by Moods co-founders Peder Boslash;rresen, Simen Staalnacke and Stefan Dahlkvist. Designer Scott Oster, a former professional skateboarder, also worked on the store’s look. It debuted at 113 S. Robertson Blvd. in May.
The first clue that the store does not represent traditional Norway is located at the front.
Store visitors are greeted by a gold-painted 1949 tractor near the entrance of the 2,500-square-foot boutique. Hanging from the ceiling is a homemade chandelier, which features the glass works of 35 jam jars.
Much of the wallspace is covered with photographic murals of the magnificent fjords seen in tourist brochures. But an alcove in the back, adjacent to the store’s office and design section, is a shrine to hillbilly Norway.
The alcove holds a motel-style painting of Norway’s king, black-and-white pictures of 19th century Norwegian folk, gold lacquered skis and some folk art.
The store’s dressing rooms were designed to look like the Nordic nation’s traditional grass-roofed farmhouse. But the store’s faux farmhouse is topped off by Astroturf. The dressing-room walls are painted a woodsy brown. Embedded in the dressing-room doors are tiny screens showing Super-8 films. They show a sheep exhibition at a country fair in 1950s Norway.
Moods of Norway has more than seven stores in its home country. There also is a Moods boutique in Iceland and another in Japan. —Andrew Asch
