The Latest Chapter in Iceland's Style Saga

Icelandic designers are putting a new spin on their arts and crafts heritage. Björk's eccentric style made Iceland fashionable and some still believe we all wear swan dresses. First came music and then fashion. Until recently Iceland's history of a fashion industry was limited to the famous Icelandic knitted wool sweater and while the Handknitting Association of Iceland is still going strong and whips up handmade wool pieces for tourists, the country's emerging designers show a different kind of diversity. This diversity is a new development.

A Hotbed of Bona Fide Fashion

As Reykjavík becomes more and more fashionable, Icelandic fashion designers are getting more exposure around the globe. Reykjavík has suddenly become a hotbed of bona fide fashion. A flurry of designers have been opening up boutiques in Reykjavík and the newly established fashion program at the Iceland Academy of the Arts has sent a breath of fresh air into the local fashion scene, plus Icelandic culture generally supports creativity and art. All this has added to the emerging Icelandic fashion industry. The first sign of an industry in bloom is the newly opened exhibition Icelandic Fashion at The Culture House.

38 Pieces from 10 Designers

The exhibition is the first in Iceland to focus entirely on fashion. Ten of Iceland's top designers present the versatility and creativity of the contemporary Icelandic fashion scene in 38 pieces on display. According to the German curator Matthias Wagner K they unveil not only artistic finesse, technical virtuosity and perfection, but also the great richness of artistic inspiration, aesthetic perception and innovative creative power. Wagner curated earlier an exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany where Icelandic fashion was on display among other art and proved a great success. The pieces clearly convey the distinctiveness of Icelandic fashion. It's the combination of apparent contrasts and the inspiration designers get from the colours, light and textures in the landscape.

Prime Minister Geir H. Harde opened the exhibition and emphasized aspects perhaps not apparent to natives, such as the extent to which Icelandic fashion design is inspired by elements of nature. The exhibition also features large landscape pictures that intertwine with the design. The pieces are made out of fabrics that represent lava, snow, moss, mountains and one skirt even has sheep printed on it. Icelandic culture also plays a large role in inspiring these new designers: Icelandic music, literature, art and technology are sources of inspiration that feed Icelandic fashion as well as the distinctive cultural heritage. These designers design clothes that are almost timeless, away from the world of fashion, and represents each person wearing them. In Iceland, a new significant attitude towards fashion can be perceived: it is increasingly seen as an art form. -hbv



The designers on display are:

Anna Guðmundsdóttir, ásta créative clothes, Dóra Emilsdóttir, jbj design, Path of Love, Rósa Helgadóttir, Spaksmannsspjarir, STEiNUNN

Icelandic Fashion: 29 June 2006 - 27 February 2007

The Culture House, Hverfisgata 17, 101 Reykjavík

Opening hours: Everyday 11:00 - 17:00

Admission: 300 ISK