I first encountered clothing company Norwegian Rat while undertaking research for my upcoming book Hyperborean Shadows : Contemporary Dark Northern Culture, and they immediately struck me as something really bloody special.
Founded in an unsuspecting, quiet little village called Etne, in the West Fjords of Norway, Norwegian Rat are inspired by the dark and mysterious sides of Norwegian culture and history. They craft clothing and accessories that are more – ever so much more – than bits of cheap fabric quickly stitched together.
I was fortunate enough to nab one of their extremely popular shopping bags while volunteering at Blekk Metal Festival in Bergen, Norway. Luck was on my side that day as it was the last one in stock.
What I Love About The Norwegian Rat Shopping Bag:
The Durability
The first thing that struck me about the shopping bag was its remarkable durability. This shopping bag isn’t made from a flimsy piece of thin material. You can’t just stuff it into your coat pocket as an afterthought when racing out the front door. This is a solid, unyielding, built-to-last bag, that’s perfect for carrying heavy stuff like hardback books and bottles of beer.
The Design
I can’t fault the impeccably printed white on black design. It’s big. It’s bold. It’s brilliant. The pristine print job is another indication of how far Norwegian Rat are willing to go with the craftsmanship of their products.
The Zippered Pocket
One of the reasons I haven’t used shopping bags (or totes) very often in the past is because of the lack of security that they offer. Plus, they’re generally impractical for my little but important bits and pieces – keys, lipbalm, bus tickets, cash – that would get stuffed deep into the corners and be hard to reach. So…I was uber delighted to discover the perfectly sized zippered pocket inside.
The Attention To Detail
Norwegian Rat paid special attention to detail when designing this product. From the embossed labels (which also double up as great little bookmarks!) to the little rat motif on the zipper to the text printed on the inside of the bag, which, by the way, provides a fascinating insight into the history and motivation behind the company. These guys feel, without a shadow of a doubt, deeply passionate about what they’re creating and putting out into the world. They want their customers to be happy with their product, and not just happy in the here and now (as many of those money hungry fashion companies do nowadays) but happy years down the line too.
Things You Should Know:
Product: Norwegian Rat Shopping Bag
Available Colours: Black and white.
Price: The tote bag retails at 199,00 NOK (Just over £15 The best £15 you’ll ever part with, believe me.)
Shipping: Free shipping worldwide.
You Can get your Norwegian Rat Shopping Bag here.
Find Norwegian Rat at their Website, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram pages.
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 