Googling “Tavi Gevinson” results in a number of articles from the websites of Vogue, New York Times, The Huffington Post and British The Guardian to name a few. Now as the official Norwegian web site in the U.S. we could decide to focus all our attention on the short Wikipedia-article revealing that Tavi is the daughter of an Oslo native, celebrating Norwegian jul in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois. But reading through articles and interviews, a curiosity like her heritage fades in comparison to the things this young editor, writer, student and blogger has achieved at the age of 15.
Style Rookie
Tavi started her blog Style Rookie at the age of 11, stating that “I write about things I like”. Her already then well developed personal sense of style and take on trends and clothing was soon discovered by fellow style bloggers of all ages and made her blog a popular online source of inspiration. Four years later the high school sophomore has written for and been featured in heavily respected magazines like The New Yorker and French Vogue, started the web magazine Rookie and attended fashion shows only a carefully selected group of people are invited to. So at an age when many find the world of high school alone hard to handle; how does Tavi find the time and energy to keep up with her role as a student, writer, blogger and editor?
“I don't procrastinate”, Tavi tells norway.org via e-mail. “And I'm good at time management!” The young talent emphasize the significance of style and clothing as a reason for why she dedicates so much of her time to it; “My style and way of dressing is the most natural way for me to internalize and make a part of myself all the things I really love. That’s why there are a lot of nostalgia and references involved”, pointing to her love of all vintage and second hand. And perhaps that is one of the most important reason for her rise to the respect she has earned within the fashion community; a fearless and unique take on how to dress, with a style that is impossible to place within one single decade.
Inspiration
While being an inspiration to thousands Tavi is well supported by her own inspirations, naming fellow creative souls like movie directors Sofia Coppola and David Lynch, musician Courtney Love and author Joan Didion. “My personal style is a way for me to feel a part of and embody all the things I really love. I try to take in everything and reference it somehow; movies, music and other things that have stuck with me or been closest to me. It’s all about creating my own universe, and organizing the one in front of me now”, says Tavi, who is in the privileged position of frequently meeting kindred spirits through her travelling and dedication to her online magazine. “I’m really thankful to have met and kept relationships with people who are also passionate about fashion, feminism, art and writing”.
With travels, access to special events and meeting internationally acclaimed personalities within fashion, the young editor is clear on what has been the most rewarding and fun. “Rookie is very important to me. I hire writers, illustrators, photographers, editors and web designers, but I oversee everything, define the aesthetics, give feedback and have the final word. I’m so used to having my own blog as an extension of my attempt to aesthetically catalog the world around me, so I can’t imagine not having it at all.” 
Norwegian roots
So back to young Gevinson’s Norwegian family ties. Because there are some strong ones. Her mother Berit was born and raised in Oslo, resulting in Tavi spending several summers in Norway at a young age. So much that she at one point spoke Norwegian fluently. “I’ve unfortunately lost quite a bit of it, but we have great friends and family there and I would love to go again soon.” And it is hard to finish the interview without trying to give the old country at least a tiny fraction of credit for Tavi’s incredible success and unique creative sense: “A lot of my style is about childhood, memories and nostalgia. So things like our cottage in Norway, the watering hole nearby and searching for bottle caps with my sister have stuck with me and found their way into my style.”
All though this creative and productive 15 year old sophomore might seem exceptional to the rest of us, she does not want to be portrayed as more special than other girls her age: “I’ve never tried to act more adult than I am when writing my blog or working on Rookie. I’ve never tried to hide my obsessions or ideas, however dorky or pretentious they might be. So I don’t really see a huge divide between who I am as a 15 year old girl and a person with an online magazine. My peers seem to be interested in reading what I write, my ideas and my obsessions, so I don’t think it’s too strange.”
The high school student is also lending her voice to the short film Cadaver. Both as one of the characters and by covering Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”