Arwen Kask

Arwen Kask, 34, is a part-time model who is currently training to become a nurse. She’s also an educated yoga teacher and has got an history in PR management. Arwen moved to the Stockholm suburb Saltsjöbaden three years ago after deciding to apply for nursing school.

– I’m not really an anxious person but I remember being quite nervous about moving here because most people who live here grew up here. So I thought it was going to take ages to build connections, but then I met Filippa from Minimal Showroom in our mum group and we became best friends pretty quickly after that.

During spring 2020 Minimal Showroom had a pop-up at Vår Gård in Saltsjöbaden where Arwen volunteered to help out and that’s how she came in contact with Josefine as well.

Arwen is wearing Julian Waffle Jacket from Aniela Parys and Sierra Pants from by Signe.
Photo and text by: Cassandra Huczkowski

When did your modelling career start?

– I’ve been modelling since I was 18. I went to France on a language exchange trip when I was 15 and got recognised by a woman from a model agency in Milan. Considering I was only 15 we had to have a meeting with my father over the phone, and I also had to turn 16 before taking any modelling jobs. They also told me I needed to loose weight which is horrible considering how skinny I already was. When I turned 16 I went to Milan for a month and it was honestly the worst time of my life. I just wanted to be with my friends and eat McDonalds and I wasn‘t really ready for a modelling career.
Arwen did however love to be seen which is why she applied to a Swedish reality-show called Robinson. She got an audition but unfortunately never heard back from them, until she got a call three months later from the same girl that interviewed her.
– She had kept my papers and wanted me to come to Stockholm and audition for Top Model Sweden. I thought it was a great opportunity to be seen so I just went for it and somehow got through. After my appearance on that show is when I started modelling for real and I felt like I was more mature and ready for it by then.

How come you decided to apply for nursing school?

– I’ve never really had much thought about what I wanted to do in life, everything just kind of happened and rolled into place. After I had been on maternity leave for three years I didn’t really feel like going back to the PR agency I was working at. I couldn’t really picture myself working there as I got older and I just wanted to do something else.
Arwen felt like it was too risky to just rely on her modelling career after having kids. She explains how she wanted to have the assurance of independence and to work with something meaningful.
– I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and it was actually my mother-in-law that said “Maybe you could become a nurse?”. I didn’t know anything about it and I definitely didn’t think I’d be able to get in with my grades. But I got curious and started to look around and gathered all my grades to see what I needed in order to apply. I lived in LA at the time but my husband and I decided to move back to Sweden and I applied to do a test in Stockholm that could boost my chances on getting in to the school I wanted to. Apparently it went pretty well because I passed the test, applied for the school I wanted to study at and got in. Everything went quite fast from thinking about it to actually getting in and it wasn’t thought through at all. However when I got my acceptance letter I just knew I had made the right choice.

By Jesper Waldesten. Photo: Cassandra Huczkowski

“A big interest of mine is that I collect four-leaf clovers. I actually made an artwork with four-leaf clovers and I think there are over 150 pieces of them on it. It looks kind of dark though so I’m going to re-do it since it is supposed to be a happy painting.

I have this idea of giving it to a care facility when it’s done. I never made any wishes on those so I just thought that I could give those wishes to the people at the hospital instead. ”

What are your other Passions?

– I absolutely love to meet new people and start new friendships, I think that is one of my biggest passions in life. I’m also very family-orientated and have got two kids so obviously they are a big passion of mine. But other than that I love to work out and move my body. I’m not fond of cooking but I do love to eat and my favourite thing to eat would probably be a burrata and tomato salad. I also love pancakes!

What are your proudest moments in life?

– I work as an assistant nurse at a hospital nearby and whenever I feel like I’ve given someone knowledge and they leave saying “thank you so much for helping me”, that makes me feel really proud. I also get immensely proud of myself every time I pass an exam.

What does sustainability mean to you?

– Sustainability for me means a lot of things. I rarely buy clothes and when I do it’s something that I really, really want and then I wear it until it falls apart, and then a bit longer than that. I do think that everyone should think more about sustainability, myself included. I went in to a clothing store the other day to buy some clothes to my kids and it’s just insane how cheap some things are. That’s when you really start to wonder ”who’s making these clothes and how much are they getting paid?”. It’s really sickening when you think about it.

Arwen wearing Marina Bodysuit and Cardigan Dress by ORES. Photo: Cassandra Huczkowski

An absolute “must-have” in your wardrobe?

– A pair of Dr. Martens and maybe a leather jacket.

Which of our brands interests you the most?

– I adore the Julian Waffle Jacket from Aniela Parys, as well as all of the wonderful lingerie. I also love all the designs from Signe, especially the shirts.

What would you do if you had an entire day to yourself?

– That rarely happens but if I had an entire day to myself I’d sleep and just lay in bed watching Grey’s Anatomy all day. Or just have some quality time with a friend that I haven’t seen in a while, maybe going on a walk with a cup of coffee or having lunch with some wine. That would be nice.

Which song makes you dance?

– Hmm, good question. I’m not much of a dancer but I’d definitely have a little cosy-dance to Cold little heart with Michael Kiwanuka. It was actually my most played song in 2020!

What are you reading right now?

– Right now I’m reading “Jag kan ha fel” by Björn Lindeblad and also “Introduction to Global Health” which is my course literature at the moment. I recently finished Karin Smirnoff’s trilogy about Jana Kippo and I really loved that.

What are you watching right now?

– Grey’s Anatomy, Masterchef Sweden and a Swedish series called Tunna blå linjen which is amazing. Some of the best series I’ve seen are however Black Mirror and Stranger Things. When it comes to films I’m a sucker for chick-flicks and any of the animated short-films from Pixar!

What are you listening to right now?

– I’m a sucker for any type of Swedish music. Right now I’m listening a lot to Steget and Moonica Mac.

“Pretty much every women inspire me in one way or another. Especially mums. I’m just fascinated with women overall and I think it’s very inspiring to be a woman. I don’t feel like you have to have accomplished something special in order to be inspiring, I can look at my three-year-old daughter and be inspired.”