Take a moment with Holzweiler

Isabella Bukerie Bessières is the founder Elite Helse Oslo, a skincare practice that fuses the latest developments in both the beauty industry and science. Elite Helse’s mission is to protect and enhance someone’s unique features - it’s about finding the best version of yourself, not about trying to become someone else. Isabella also champions a holistic approach to skincare, meaning a rejection of the popular ‘more is more’ mentality in modern skincare where a 12+ product daily routine is promoted in favour of a more pared back approach. All we really need are a few scientifically-backed products and to simply listen to what our bodies are telling us from within.

Susanne is a regular at Skin Helse, which is where she discovered that her and Isabella have more than one thing in common. Not only are they both mothers, they both actively take a mindful approach to life and are female entrepreneurs in industries where importance is placed on outward appearance - and they’ve both figured out how to navigate this in a positive way. 

Isabella’s business is growing: Elite Helse has its own range of skincare and she’s recently released a book, Skin Intelligence, which she intends to be a manual for everyone as they navigate skincare through all stages of life. Our skin is our biggest organ, and Isabella says the key is to view it as ‘a mirror image of what’s going on inside’. Everything is connected - taking a moment for yourself everyday is as important for your mental health as it is for the health of your skin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s hard to imagine the Oslo’s contemporary culinary scene without Oslo Raw. Established in 2016, it’s developed something of a cult following. Lines snake around the street outside its doors; people are happy to queue to sample its menu, which is a rare sight in Oslo. Oslo Raw’s huge success is down in no small part to Tiril Refsum, its founder and our guest this week on Take a Moment. 

Tiril and Susanne have a lot in common. Not only are they businesswomen at the helm of their own companies, self care and mindfulness also play a key role in how they both lead both their professional and personal lives. As Tiril herself says, the pair are ‘living their brands’, meaning that Holzweiler and Oslo Raw respectively are representative of their principles and lifestyles. When you’re this passionate about what you do, there’s no way that the quality of the end product won’t be excellent. 

Oslo Raw recently celebrated its eighth birthday, and Susanne and Tiril discuss growing with your brand. Tiril says that personal growth is integral to the strength of your business because ‘strong branches grow from deep roots.’ Running a business on your own is no small task, and Tiril fills Susanne in on her methods of finding calm amidst the chaos: including breathwork, taking things slower and simply allowing herself to be happy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever since our brand’s inception in 2012 we’ve had the dream of a collaboration with Bjarne Melgaard. He’s one of the most respected names in Scandinavian art whose work pushes boundaries and asks uncomfortable questions, but always with a playful sense of humour and expressive use of colour. 

2024 was the year our dream was realised - it saw the release of our Holzweiler x Caviar Kaspia x Bjarne Melgaard collaboration. Alongside Caviar Kaspia motifs, the collaboration saw Bjarne’s illustrations interpreted across Holzweiler designs - symbolic of his lifelong relationship with fashion, which he discusses with Susanne. Bjarne views fashion and art as inextricably linked, and places fashion icons such as the Antwerp 6 as inspirations in his own work. 

Bjarne’s work is also one of the main topics of this discussion. Recorded in front of a live audience at Holzweiler Platz, Susanne takes Bjarne back to his beginnings. His mother is the person who started him on his journey within art that took him to far flung destinations such as New York and Sydney, before returning to his hometown. He fills us in on his thoughts on the art and fashion scenes in Norway, his experience working with Holzweiler and his plans for what’s to come, which include a tour. As he tells Susanne, he’s always focused on the future as his best years are yet to come.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fran Burns is a stylist whose work is celebrated on a global platform, and for the past two years she’s been a key member of the Holzweiler family. Fran sees clothes as a way of storytelling, and she’s utilised this skill to tell the story of our brand: our values, our heritage and our inspirations. Aside from Fran’s innate talents, she also has an impressive CV: she’s a former Fashion Editor for publications such as Vogue and i-D, and her first job as a teenager was to work alongside Kylie Minogue and her team on tour. 

For this week’s episode, Susanne visited Fran’s tranquil studio for a catch up. They discuss Fran’s early days at Holzweiler and some of her favourite moments she’s created with us. Prompted by health issues which she describes as a ‘breakdown to breakthrough’, Fran now takes a mindful, holistic approach to life and work. She recently went back to college to study Nutrition, and Fran fills  Susanne in on her goal to demystify healthy living, which she says can be as simple as ‘letting go of perfection’ and trying your best to do something good for yourself every day.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If we had to pick only one word to describe this week’s guest, it would be ‘fearless’. Hailing from Norway, Aleksandra Orbeck has been modelling and acting since her teen years, however these days it’s her activism that’s taking centre stage. Aleksandra has always felt a kinship with the outside world and animals, and in the past she’s passed on lucrative modelling gigs in favour of exploring the world, namely Namibia and other parts of East and Southern Africa. Aleksandra’s passion and interest in the indigenous people’s way of life there led her to found Nanofasa in 2011, her non-profit organisation. 

Nanofasa harmonises ancient wisdom with modern conservation practices to find solutions for our planet and its guardians. They empower indigenous communities by preserving traditional knowledge, creating job opportunities, and fostering sustainable development. It’s an inspiring and unique take on conservationism, and in this week’s episode Aleksandre sits down with Susanne to tell the story of the journey that brought her to Nanofasa, what’s next, and what she’s learned through letting nature and wildlife take precedence in her way of life.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susie Lau is one of contemporary fashion’s true creative minds. She’s a blogger and content creator; no fashion week would be complete without her thoughtful, insightful take on it. As a channel to express her passion for it, Susie first published her online fashion blog in 2006. Named Style Bubble, (inspired by Susie’s nickname, Susie Bubble), it was the one of the first of its kind. This was a time before social media, when fashion was still reckoning with its future in the Digital Age. Susie was a part of all of it, witnessing in real time the complete restructuring of an industry. 

Susie is a close friend of Holzweiler; this week’s episode captures a continuation of a conversation started between Susie and Susanne at a recent dinner celebrating our Holzweiler x Caviar Kaspia x Bjarne Melgaard collaboration. Susie gives her valuable thoughts on fashion: how it’s become intermingled with other industries, how globalisation has changed our perception of what a ‘fashion capital’ can be, the pros and cons of tech and more. More than just a fashion trailblazer, Susie is also a mother and sustainability advocate. Susie and Susanne also compare notes on modern motherhood, and how ritual and routine is crucial when finding balance in the fast-paced world of today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest, Mersedeh Dakini, is not only one of Susanne’s closest friends but she’s also invaluable to daily life at Holzweiler. A spiritual guide and healer with her own practice, Mersedeh travels the world organising retreats yet finds the time every Wednesday morning to lead a meditation with us - she’s our in-house meditation teacher.

Mersedeh is a calming presence in our lives who encourages us to consider life and work through a spiritual lens, and she also has an inspiring backstory that deserves to be heard. In this episode Mersedeh takes us along the path that led her to settle in Norway - she came as a refugee from Iran and her journey was far from smooth. Mersedeh speaks with Susanne about her journey up until now: from arriving in Norway at 14 as a refugee, to achieving materialistic ‘success’, and to ultimately discovering her true mission in life on a spiritual level.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At just 27 years old, Amanda Delara has garnered a wide audience for her music that extends far beyond Norway. Her distinct fusion of Pop, R’n’B and Electronic sounds has captured the attention of global icons such as Alicia Keys, and she’s only begun - her debut album was released only last year. Also a passionate activist, Amanda is of Norwegian and Iranian descent and she often uses the platform her music has given her to speak out about the oppression of women in Iran and other humanitarian issues that are close to her heart.

In this week’s episode, Susanne and Amanda discover something they have in common - they find inspiration in the life stories of people they admire. Amanda fills us in on her life story so far, from exploring her love for music at a young age by singing Ricky Martin in her kindergarten class, to her more recent career moves into the worlds of fashion and T.V.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.