ANETTE MIWA DIMMEN | FOUNDER OF AS WE ARE NOW
As We Are Now was born from founder Anette Miwa Dimmen’s desire to create a new kind of lifestyle brand with a holistic approach to fashion, lifestyle, design and sustainability. Having worked for ten years in an international design and manufacturing agency, Anette saw a gap in the market for a brand that connects feminine aesthetics and values with smart products and innovative fabrics.
As We Are Now (AW:AN) is about the freedom to live comfortably, sustainably and effortlessly. It is about understanding the modern woman’s need for versatility, and help her save time while she transition seamlessly from A to B and from am. to pm. in her everyday life.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW AW:AN WAS BORN?
I started As We Are Now while on my maternity leave. Suddenly I wasn´t waking up to 100 emails every morning or managing a constant stream of clients and projects. I had time and space to think about what I wanted to devote the next years on professionally and I felt the time had come to follow my dream to create a meaningful consumer brand. Having spent the last 10 years as a co-founder of an international design and manufacturing agency - I felt as ready as I could possibly be to embark on the journey. So I gave birth to my company As We Are Now and my daughter Mila pretty much at the same time.
I pre-launched the brand with a pre-order crowdfunding campaign, challenging the normal supply chain set up for fashion by producing based on orders in one large batch instead of pre-buying stock before any sales are made. Following this, I launched my online store and found myself a sales agent in my home country, Norway.
Describe yourself and your designs to us?
As We Are Now (AW:AN) is a lifestyle and fashion brand exploring new connections between timeless style, wellness, sustainability & innovative technology. We launched just over a year ago with a collection of long, feminine, minimalistic dresses in sustainable performance fabrics.
I didn´t want to create “just another” fashion brand. I wanted to solve a problem that women have struggled with throughout most of our fashion history - the demand that we have to suffer for beauty. I believe we have finally arrived at a time when fashion, practicality and comfort can go hand in hand. Today, fashion and wellness can be part of the same picture. I also wanted to create a brand that is a part of the solution and not the problem with regards to sustainability.
That is why AW:AN dresses are designed to be so comfortable you can easily sleep in them, yet so stylish you can wear them in pretty much any situation, at any time. Most of our dresses are made with fabrics from natural, renewable sources, produced in a closed loop system devoid of toxic chemicals, with added performance qualities for optimal breathability and moisture management.
What is a stand out moment in shaping your brand?
When I won the Oslo semi finals of the Creative Business Cup – an international competition for tech start up companies in the creative industries. It was my first pitching competition and I was so nervous. But winning validated my concept and belief in building As We Are Now as a start up company instead of following the typical fashion brand template. After all, As We Are Now is about rethinking pre-existing boundaries and create based on where we are NOW (as we are now).
What creative work has you excited right now?
We just completed another successful pre-selling campaign for our last collection of lounge and resort wear dresses with integrated biodegradable insect repellent. Again pushing the boundaries between feminine design and technical wearables, bringing smart and practical fabric innovations into the everyday lives of fashion conscious women.
What excites you about the year ahead?
I am just embarking on a 2 month program in Stockholm for tech start ups creating tomorrow’s global brands. We will be joining almost 100 entrepreneurs from all over the world and get help to create teams and prepare our companies for international growth. So I am super excited about this.
I am also very excited about our next design projects that will further push boundaries for design, performance and sustainability.
What do you love to do most to relax?
It´s usually a combination of spending quality time with my family, travelling, singing and sleeping!
What advice do you have for emerging designers?
Look outside of the fashion industry for inspiration on how to build a company for the future. Make sure you are solving a problem, and don´t be afraid to push boundaries.
