The Streethearts

Eirik Slyngstad, co-founder slash creator of new street fashion
website The Streethearts, has another creative outlet to add to his library of talent. This multi-talented photographer from Oslo, Norway teamed up with partner Andreas Schjønhaug to bring us the latest in street fashion from around the world, with the main focus being the streets of Norway. With street fashion being the “new wave” in fashion, with sites such as lookbook.nu and The Sartorialist popping up, street fashion is still a young pup in the world of web. But street fashion has been brewing in cities ever since  the fall of the Persian Empire, and it’s been screaming to be boasted to others. We humans yearn to share, and The Streethearts provides just one more source of inspiration.

Trey Taylor: So why The Streethearts? Did you feel as though street fashion wasn’t being represented well in the North?
Eirik Slyngstad: Andreas pitched me the idea of a new streetfashion blog, and I liked it. We both saw the need for a streetfashion blog with decent photographs covering Oslo.

TT: Okay, I can’t pretend I’m not curious about your smashing site design. First off, the logo. Did you design that yourself? Is it hand drawn?

ES: The logo is hand drawn by our talented friends at Heydays, an Oslo-based design studio. We’re very satisfied with their work. http://heydays.info/

TT: Did Andreas and you design the site yourselves? I love the minimalistic approach.
ES: Andreas made a sketch showing what we wanted, focusing on large pictures and stuff. Heydays finished the layout by deciding fonts and margins etc.

TT: Basically, what is the site trying to do?
ES: We want to stimulate our readers to personalize their style and find new ways to put together their outfits. We hope to inspire people that care about how they dress.

TT: Will this project ever branch off from just you and Andreas taking photos? Will there be a user submission feature?
ES: No, we aren’t planning a user submission feature. But we may be looking for good photographers to cooperate with in other interesting cities in the future.

TT: I love how you have a list of “characters” that the user can follow on their fashion journey. For example, I really like Julianne’s style, so I can view all the photos of just Julianne. What gave you this idea?
ES: We try to get good detail shots to show important details in the outfit. That way you can look closer at for example a bag you find interesting.

TT: How do you go about shooting these people? Obviously, you ask their permission?
ES: People have always reacted in a positive way when I’ve asked to take their picture. They take it as a huge compliment.

TT: Okay, here’s a tricky one. How do you take photos of people just off the street with creativity in mind? The photos would certainly not be found on a usual point-and-shoot street fashion site.
ES: Since we both are photographers it’s natural to put an effort into taking the good photo, showing the outfit in a good way. I always try to find a background that fits within the color scheme I want for the streetheart.

TT: What does The Streethearts newsletter include if one were to subscribe?
ES: The newsletter will include various news, and a monthly featured streetheart.

TT: The name “The Streethearts” is very clever. Who thought up the name?
ES: Andreas came up with the name, and I loved it immediately.

TT: Anything else you’d like to say about The Streethearts?
ES: We hope people find the blog interesting and useful!

Thanks Eirik! Everybody head on over to The Streethearts for some true fashion inspiration! I think we can all take advice from our friends up North…