Photography: Ragnar Hartvig

About

Scandinavians Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrisson are highly regarded fashion designers, textile artists, authors, and YouTubers. They are best known for their original, colourful, and visually striking designs, as well as their knitwear and their books. Their work is deeply rooted in 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 bestseller in Norway and later achieved international success in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since then, they have published ten books, translated into 15 languages: Norwegian, English, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. This level of global reach is rare in the field of textile and design publishing and reflects their universal appeal.

ARNE & CARLOS have collaborated with numerous international brands, including Urban Outfitters(2009) and the prestigious high-end Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons (2008). Read more about their collaboration in this Hypebeast feature — a testament to their work with one of the world’s most respected fashion houses. Today, they design in partnership with Rowan yarns.

Their creative base is located 170 km north of Oslo, in the mountainous region of Valdres, Norway.

Awards

ARNE & CARLOS have received many nominations and awards throughout their career, including:

Designer of the Year – HENNE Magazine (2004)
Talent Award for Design – Stiftelsen Schleiber (2005)
Gold Medal of Recognition – Norges Husflidslag (2010), awarded for “revitalising and highlighting Norwegian arts and crafts in the Norwegian and international design scene.” Presented during their centennial celebration in the presence of 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 duo’s 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 Finnmark, Northern Norway, on August 16th, 2015.
You can read more about the exhibition here.

Books

ARNE & CARLOS have written ten books. With the exception of Masker og snitt fra Tonsåsen, all titles are available in 15 languages:

Masker og snitt fra Tonsåsen (2007)
55 Christmas Balls to Knit (Julekuler, 2010)
Knitted Dolls (2011)
Easter Knits (2012)
Knit and Crochet Garden (2013)
Norwegian Knits with a Twist (2013)
30 Slippers (2014)
Make Your Own Idea Book (2015)
Knitted Birds (2016)
ARNE & CARLOS’ Favorite Designs (2017)

Japan

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