Osklen: From Medicine to Fashion
(Photo below: Osklen designer on the runway Spring 2005.

Like most great inventions, the beginning of Osklen was due to the needs of its founder Oskar Metsavaht who went to a climbing expedition to the Aconcágua Mountain in the Andes.

A medical doctor by profession, he was also researching sports medicine. Armed with the knowledge of the human body and the need for a warm coat during his expedition, he developed and designed a winter coat.

And from that first winter coat, Osklen was born. Within two years time, Oskar Metsavaht had designed a whole collection of sportswear.

With a design philosophy of “total devotion to customers, presenting them with enchanting style, design, quality and service without forgetting the responsibility and ecological social conscience,” Osklen became an instant favorite among the forward thinking crowd.

The first store was opened at the resort town of Búzios, in Rio de Janeiro state, in 1989. The first show was three years later at the Golden Room of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, where Osklen received the Rio Sul Award for best Brazilian sportswear label.

In 2002, in partnership with a team of biologists, he launched the environmental group e-brigade, the origin of a whole collection designed with recycled materials.

Osklen's style is a perfect portrait of its creator. Its collections are all inspired by the expeditions and adventures that he takes part in or sponsors, in the four corners of the world: High Xingu, Indonesia, the Amazon, the Andes, Pantanal, Alaska, Fernando de Noronha, Himalayas, Bonito, Nepal, Floresta da Tijuca, Africa.

Currently, Osklen has 26 stores in 9 Brazilian cities. Its products include sportswear, accessories, shoes and a more fashionable collection for men and women.

Spring 2005 (Photo by FW)

Website: www.osklen.com

OSKLEN
Marketing
Contact: Vladimir Sibilla
Tel: +55 (21) 2219-8976
E-mail vladimir@osklen.com.br

Press Contact:
Palavra Assessoria em Comunicação
Contact: Bárbara Ariston
Contact: Cristina Rio Branco
Tel: +55 (21) 3322-7410
E-mail palavra@palavraonline.com