Photography: Ragnar Hartvig

About

Norwegians Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrisson are highly regarded fashion designers, textile artists, YouTubers and authors. They are best known for their original, colourful and visually striking designs, as well as their knitwear and their books. Their work is highly influenced by their Scandinavian background and everyday life in rural Norway. They work under their artist name ARNE & CARLOS, established in 2001.

In 2010, ARNE & CARLOS’ first knitting book, Julekuler (55 Christmas Balls to Knit), became an immediate Norwegian best-seller. It consequently went on to become a best-selling book in North America, Europe and Asia. Today, ARNE & CARLOS have published ten books which are available in Norwegian, English, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

The two Scandinavian designers have collaborated with many prestigious international brands, including Urban Outfitters (2009) and high-end cult Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons (2008). Click here to read more about the ARNE & CARLOS x Comme des Garçons  collaboration. Today, they design for and work closely with Rowan and Regia yarns.

ARNE & CARLOS’ creative base is located 170 kilometres north of Oslo, Norway, in the mountainous region known as Valdres.

Awards

ARNE & CARLOS have received many nominations and awards throughout their career. They received the Norwegian fashion magazine HENNE’s design prize for “Designer of the Year” in 2004 and Stiftelsen Schleiber’s “Talent Award for Design” in 2005.

In 2010, Norway’s Arts and Crafts Association – Norges Husflidslag – awarded Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison its highest medal of recognition, the medal in gold. They received this recognition for “revitalising and highlighting Norwegian arts and crafts in the Norwegian and international design scene”. The medals were presented to the designers at a ceremony during Norges Husflidslag’s centenary celebrations on June 12th, 2010, in the presence of the association’s high patron, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway.

Museum Collections and Exhibitions

ARNE & CARLOS’ work is in the permanent collection of several museums in Norway, including The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Oslo), The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Bygdøy Folkemuseum, Oslo), the National Museum of Decorative Arts (Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondheim) and Maihaugen (Lillehammer).

Their work has also been on temporarily display at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark (2012) and The Gwangju Museum of Modern Art in South Korea (2015).

In 2012, to mark ARNE & CARLOS’ 10th anniversary as a fashion brand, The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design curated and produced ARNE & CARLOS. Eit Ferdaminne, a solo exhibition of the duos’ work. The exhibition was later shown in museums and art galleries across Norway for three consecutive years, with a grand opening at the centre for Design and Architecture DogA in Oslo on May 30th, 2012 and closing at the Alta Museum in Finmark, Northern Norway, on August 16th, 2015. Their work has also been temporarily displayed at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark (2012) and The Gwangju Museum of Modern Art in South Korea (2015).

Books

ARNE & CARLOS have written ten books which, except for “Masker og snitt fra Tonsåsen”, are available in 15 languages. Here is the complete list including the original Norwegian title and publication date in Norway:

Masker og snitt fra Tonsåsen, written by Tone Skårdal Tobiasson with ARNE & CARLOS (Norges Husflidslag, Oslo 2007)

55 Christmas Balls to Knit (Original title: Julekuler, Cappelen Damm, Oslo 2010)

Knitted Dolls (Original title: Strikkedukker, Cappelen Damm, Oslo 2011)

Easter Knits (Original title: Påske hele året, Cappelen Damm, Oslo, 2012)

Knit and Crochet Garden (Original title: Håndarbeid fra hagen, Cappelen Damm, Oslo 2013)

Norwegian Knits with a Twist (Original title: Strikk fra Setesdal, Cappelen Damm, Oslo 2013)

30 Slippers (Original title: 30 tøfler, Cappelen Damm, Oslo, 2014)

Make Your Own Idea Book (Original title: Boka du lager selv, Cappelen Damm, Oslo, 2015)

Knitted Birds (Original title: Fugler, Cappelen Damm, Oslo, 2016)

ARNE & CARLOS’ Favorite Designs (Original title: ARNE & CARLOS favoritter, Cappelen Damm, Oslo, 2017)

See our Japanese site at arne-carlos.co.jp