JOHNNYLOVE

JOHNNYLOVE was launched in 2006. How was the brand conceived?

Some years down the road from when I tailored my first clothes – and after launching my first brand in the late nineties, a futuristic and minimalistic collection under the name Zaishi – I felt ready to go all in, creating what should be my legacy.

The starting point for JOHNNYLOVE was that Norwegian men in the early 2000s either dressed very loose and casual, or very updressed or formal. Most men weren’t good at combining clothes to be more presentable but still casual. I wanted to create a line of clothes that would make it easy for a man to build a wardrobe that would make him a bit more updressed without crossing the line to formal wear. Clothes that you could wear at work and still not have to change before going out at night, say, if you got a spontaneous invitation to a party.

Also, i didn’t want to present very conservative clothes, but something that was a bit playful and elegant at the same time. At the time a lot of my friends and early customers were band members or part of the local emerging music scene, and I guess the rock esthetic is present in JOHNNYLOVE’s dna because of that. I remember as we all grew older, my friends needed something else than Converse all stars and saggy jeans; There was a need for grown up clothes with an unconventional attitude.

I think “making men dress up in daily life” sums up my vision. Updressed means something specific in my mind of course, regarding materials, cuts and detailing, that goes into that vision.