Considered the rainiest city in Europe and boasting an impressive record of 85 consecutive days of rain, this coastal city in the west of Norway promises to soak any citizen challenging the forces of nature without proper clothing.
Through generations, nature-loving Norwegians have found innovative ways to counter the rough North European weather, and as the traditional Norwegian saying goes, ”there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”
Nevertheless, it was function lacking fashion that eventually led Karine & Ros-Mari to establish BRGN.
With Karine and Ros-Mari’s abilities within design and marketing respectively, they started a project which has brought fashion and functionality together in stylish Scandinavian rainwear.
BRGN’s design is inspired by nature. Living close to wild and diverse nature, it’s natural for Karine to take advantage of her surroundings to stimulate creativity. The colours of BRGN’s upcoming spring collection draws on Scandinavian light and the Norwegian nature around the west coast.
But BRGN was never just about designing fashionable rainwear. For Karine and Ros-Mari, the ambition was always to carry out their project in an “earth-friendly” way.
They have made sustainability an integral part of the design, taking on an ambition to always start from a place of sustainability and integrity.
All of BRGN’s products consist of sustainable materials. The products are durable and high-quality products, designed to endure years of West-Norwegian weather and thereby challenge the consumer culture of fast-fashion.
As the latest step in their project, BRGN opened a “store & bistro” in Bergen’s historical train station at the end of last year. The store puts roots down in the city that BRGN was founded in and based on.
In the store, customers can find all BRGN’s items in stock. The bistro is attached and has a little space for people to sit and enjoy high-quality, locally sourced food. Everything is homemade, from the cakes to the breads. For Karine and Ros-Mari, it’s a way of being present in the community and a place where they can give back.
Lying at the foot of Mount Fløyen, the bistro will be a place to hold events with local chefs and artists. Although corona has made it a bit more difficult to organise events, you can already take cover from the rain at BRGN’s store and bistro and even enjoy high-end Norwegian tacos (Yes, Norwegian tacos!) with Prosecco at the weekly “Bobler & Tacos” every Friday.
