BACKSTAGE WITH ANNA RINGSTAD
X.06.2026 INTERVIEWBackstage - an interview series bringing you backstage with the creative people. In the first edit, I spoke to fashion designer, stylist and visionary Anna Ringstad.
After what must have been one of those down-the rabbit-hole kind of Instagram stalking session a while back, I randomly stumbled across Anna Ringstad’s profile. There was just something about her that instantly sparked my curiosity, and I blame it on a mix between the incredible things she was creating and her effortlessly cool-girl aura (which I could indeed sense through the screen). Fast forward a week later, and I met up with the “iconic, single and based in Paris’ Anna Ringstad, on a sunny Monday afternoon. Living up to her every word, she greeted me in a pair of big, fabulous sunglasses, hot pink Sonia Rykiel ballerinas and obviously, a self-made handbag.
Anna Ringstad
Photography: Iver Ambrosius
I wanted to start at the very beginning, because how did Anna even end up in the fashion industry?
AR: By chance, I ended up in Oslo to study Fashion Production at Oslo Met - I'd never been there before, knew nothing about the city or the industry, or what KHiO even was. I did a year at Oslo Met learning the basics; sewing shirts and jeans. I was lucky enough to live with someone who studied costume design at KHiO, and that's how I was introduced to it after that first year - if I hadn't lived with her, I would never have been introduced to it at all.
During her time at KHiO, Anna went to do an internship in what one might argue is the only place acceptable for a young, emerging designer - the heart of haute couture and the world’s fashion capital: Paris. She was later offered a permanent position at her internship, and after spending eight months working and doing her degree remotely, she returned to finish her last year of school in Oslo. But clearly, Paris had left its mark, and after graduating from KHiO with her “Trickle Up, Trickle Down, Trickle Trickle Little Star” collection she packed her bags and headed for another internship at Louis Shengtao Chen. She now lives there full-time, working on her eponymous brand from her sewing-sanctuary of a 19 square meter apartment-atelier in the 11th arrondissement near Place de la République - or, in her own words, ‘Oslo S’ with stylists.
AR: After being offered the internship at Louis Shengtao Chen, I thought, maybe I’ll just pack all my things and go. If i can pay for what I need per month, I’ll do it as long as I can. There hasn’t really been a plan - but it’s very nice to be there and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do this. I was also lucky to find the place that I live - it’s so central that everyone can come through, it’s like Oslo S with stylists. Photographers and stylists can stop by and borrow pieces, and through that, my work has ended up being featured in press. There have been some funny situations where people say, 'I'll come by your atelier,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, I live here too.' I don't exactly have a proper space for people to sit down.
“Once YOU actually move, you also signal a kind of WILL - like, okay, I'm really going to INVEST in this.”
Anna knitting and sewing in her Paris apartment
In a full on ‘pesto-pasta’ atmosphere, preferably in her pajamas, she sews, knits and creates her made-to-order custom Grocery IT-bags, a handbag first introduced in her graduation collection “Trickle Up, Trickle Down, Trickle Trickle Little Star”, inspired by the French ‘chariot de course’. An accurate translation would be those shopping trolleys on wheels the chic old ladies roll around, that you desperately wish you had when your weekly trip to the grocery store without fail turns into an intense bicep workout. Anna started documenting her time in Paris by writing essays and travel letters, and through these observations the Grocery IT-bag was born. And with it, one of the trademarks of her design-universe: irony.
AR: If you use irony and humor - an aesthetic that most people recognize - people outside the fashion bubble will also be interested, and understand more. That was the first thing that clicked. I was like, 'Oh my God’. This is where I want to be creating from. In this type of landscape.
The Grocery IT-bags
But not everyone gets the privilege of wearing, or even ordering, one of her unique bags. All potential customers must fill out an application form to request purchasing, which she carefully reviews before approving or declining. Some describe exactly what kind of bag they want, and other write a tad more personal motivation letter, or a visual pitch - like a playlist or a short text - for Anna to interpret. Then, the bags are hand-crafted from all sorts of different color combinations and materials, and she even creates her own textile. What initially started as a joke, parodying the absurd Hermés waiting game of buying a Birkin, has now become her way of being hands on in the design-process. Looking from the outside, it’s almost like chasing a 6-foot, brown-eyed, hard-to-get player put into system: you have to show yourself from your most desirable, yet nonchalant side, without knowing if he’ll fall in love with you or simply move on to the next in line. Because yes, the rumors are true, people have been rejected.
AR: I like the idea that my customers have thought carefully about what they actually want - not just “I've seen four people with this bag, I want the same.” Everyone who wants to buy has to fill out a form: what do you know about me, why do you want a bag, what's your intention. Then I do a background check and decide if you're allowed to buy one. And after going through all that, I feel like I've already quality-checked them - no matter what they want, I can stand behind it.
“It’s kind of like a PARODY of the fashion system itself. It started as a JOKE and a SILLY thing - but that's what makes it WORK today.”
Anna’s order request for the Grocery IT-bags. Would you pass the test?
Anna with the Grocery IT-bags
Photography: Evelina Devaitè
Part of the job description of being an artist today is having to post your work. Besides being the accountant, the publicist, and the underpaid assistant, you’re also the social media manager. At first, Anna couldn’t stand the idea of having to cosplay an influencer to make it in the industry - but when she realized that it’s going to be part of her career in one way or another, she decided to start posting for fun. That also meant posting pictures of her creations while they were still in the making, still un-finished and far from perfect.
“Everyone thinks answering EMAILS and writing INVOICES is fucking boring. And if you also think that being on INSTAGRAM is just as BORING - yeah, then a lot of your time goes to WASTE on doing things you DON’T enjoy.”
One could say Anna works both sides of the clothing rack - both creating the pieces hanging on it, and being the one pulling them for styling jobs. She can therefore confidently confirm that posting your work will make a difference, and potentially create new opportunities for young designers:
AR: I'm always looking for young designers making clothes I could use in styling. It's been really hard to find things, because people are so bad at posting what they've actually made. I’ve spent a lot of time digging - going through tags and scrolling forever to find anything at all. Then when I meet them in person I'll say, 'oh my god, why don't you post anything?' And they'll go, 'oh, I haven't really made that much lately,' and so on. And I get that when you’ve spent two years making something, posting it can suddenly feel very scary. But the truth is, if people posted more, they'd get more requests.
Lesson learned people: Post, post & post!
Purple fake Chanel Tweed Dress Photography: Edgar Scherwinski
Anna is one of those people you meet where you leave feeling inspired thinking “damn I really could be doing more with my time”. So naturally, I had to ask her if she had any advice for people who want to pursue their passions like she does. In general, Anna feels a lot of freedom being new to the industry, and points out that beginners of any kind should embrace the “I’m still new at this”-mentality. Because when you think about it, what’s more freeing than being able to experiment without the pressure of being a professional at it just yet?
AR: You have to be the one responsible for keeping the ball rolling. I always had a side project going - just to ask myself, 'okay, but what would I do if no one had asked me to?' To test things out, and in a way prove to yourself that you don't only do projects because a teacher told you to. And also - just throw yourself into it, without trying to be some perfect pro. Just do it, even if you don't feel completely ready or 'finished.' Maybe it sounds cliché, but it's something you constantly have to remind yourself of.
So, what’s next for Anna Ringstad, or should I say what’s NEXT? She is officially presenting her new collection “Maintenance Melancholia” during Oslo Runway as part of their NEXT program this upcoming season. In other words, I got a sneaky feeling that you’ll definitely be hearing and seeing more of her.
Photography: Iver Ambrosius