From Karasjok to Paris Far, far away from the catwalks of Paris, Milan and Oslo, in Karasjok on Finnmarksvidda, lives fashion designer Anne Berit Anti, the woman behind the brand Abanti. “I’m happy with being a little bit weird by choosing to live up here, rather than in one of the fashion capitals of the world. I have tried living in Oslo, but I am happiest here,” Anti says. By Andrea Bærland | Photos: Abanti
Designer Anne Berit Anti
“Finnmarksvidda is an adventure in itself. Out here it is only me, the forest and the river, and I find plenty of inspiration in those elements,” the designer adds, while admitting that living so far north offers logistical challenges from time to time. The fashion designer in Anti — who originally trained as a journalist — was born when she was gifted a sewing machine. Though she did not know how to use it, she started making traditional Sámi 26 | Issue 86 | March 2016
clothing before moving to Oslo to study fashion design.
Merging cultures Anti’s fashion label, Abanti, is inspired by traditional Sámi clothing and the culture in the Saami region, making use of a variety of reindeer print and zigzags that are commonly used patterns in Sámi designs. While animal print is currently on trend — and according to Anti you do have to pay attention to international trends to remain relevant on an international market — the reindeer print also has a personal connection as Anti comes from a family of reindeer herders. “The Sámi culture is a treasure chest filled with identity and inclusivity, but it is also a vulnerable culture that has to be treated with respect when you merge it with western fashion the way I do,” Anti says firmly, and adds that she has declined offers to