Borealis
In summer 2024, I made my first trip to the isolated arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Svalbard is the world's northernmost inhabited island, with its largest settlement of Longyearbyen only 800 miles south of the North Pole. It's a place with a peculiar history, and contentious future, with the island existing as a sovereign state of Norway, though being open to all. It has both Norwegian and Russian settlements, and it is one of the few places in the world where you can arrive, live, and work without a visa. Interestingly, it is also a part of the world that has no native human population. Humanity was not meant to inhabit this part of the planet.
Visiting in the summertime, I experienced my first midnight sun, explored the seas and glaciers, hiked inland, and learned about the island's history of exploration. The sea and its adjacent glaciers were a vivid icy blue, and the land a mix of earthen mud and muted-green thawed tundra. Upon visiting Longyearbyen's (surprisingly sophisticated) art gallery, I discovered the artist Kåre Tveter, a Norwegian painter. I became enraptured by his oil paintings of storms and changing light during the island's long winter.
"Svalbard is fierce, solitary, angst-filled; it allows me to put my own existence in perspective. I have found reality here. And beauty." ~ Kåre Tveter
I decided to return during the transition from polar night to midnight sun, to experience the juxtaposition of light and weather in such an extreme climate. Having summer's permanent light had its advantages for exploration, but I felt drawn to the possibility of experiencing the archipelago at its most savage.
In March 2025, I travelled back to Svalbard during the winter. I convinced visual artist Coline L’Achiver, of Studio Cosmogram, to accompany me and experience the severity of the arctic for herself.
Svalbard is a place of many contrasts. Talking with the island's Russian inhabitants, they spoke with sadness of years past where (now-defunct) Ukrainian settlements would compete with Russian and Norwegian settlements in the 'Arctic Games'. An act of play had disintegrated into today's act of war.
The archipelago is a place where so many of the world's contradictions come face to face - climate change and a booming economy; tourism and preservation; peaceful coexistence and struggle for geopolitical domination. It's an incredible part of the world to experience now, though there's growing tension on the island over climate change and international political forces angling for control over the most northern part of our planet.
I cannot postulate that a fashion and art collection inspired by this isolated place can challenge any of these issues. At times it feels futile to filter this tension into something merely aesthetic. As with all of my work, I can only hope that by raising awareness of these faraway climates and places it can make the world feel smaller, more relatable. Fear, arrogance, and misunderstanding are the undercurrents of much of the world's turmoil. It is a very small part to play, but I humbly aim to transmit unity, curiosity, and understanding through beauty.
~ Katarina (Founder & Creative Director)
Released for AW25.
You can learn more about the collection here.
Nova Organic Cotton Zip Boilersuit
