Fashion in the land of fire and ice.
Iceland, the land of fire and ice. Do you remember the Icelandic singer Bjork? Having visited Iceland I now understand her style and her music far better. She always seemed to have that mix of softness and incredible edginess. And that is Iceland for you. Harsh and edgy and at the same time soft and lush. The land of rainbows and waterfalls and fairies. Glaciers, volcanoes, gale force winds, lava fields and trolls! The icy Atlantic at their door.
In response to their environment, Icelandic fashion has been sporty,practical, with a European flair. (66 North - https://www.66north.is - comes to mind for this type of clothing.) But the Icelandic designers have recently been branching out from their age-old craft traditions and creating new lines for all types of style; romantic, classic or cutting edge. Here are a few of the designers. And, yes, the names are unpronounceable!
http://spaks.is - very cool designs from design team Spaksmannsspjarir.
http://www.ofeigur.is - women's fashions by Hildur Bolladottir.
Many of the Icelandic designers do their best to keep production in Europe. The result is that things are a bit more pricy by European standards (very expensive for us in the US because of the weak exchange rate) but by and large the quality is excellent.
I love the shoes by Kron, designed by a husband and wife team. Unfortunately their website is really poor, but it's one the few that offers an English version. Their shop in downtown Reykjavik is so much fun to browse in, because their shoes are so unique and playful.
http://www.kron.is - this is such a poor site, that you have to go to Reykjavik to appreciate the shoes that they sell!
Storefront window, downtown Reykjavik
Downtown Reykjavik is teaming with innovative design stores, in all design categories. It's so fun and inspirational to spend some time there and if you happen to be traveling from Denver, Icelandair has a direct flight, Denver to Reykjavik. Oh, and the Icelandic food? Really excellent!
Jennifer Krigsman
Personal Stylist
www.coloronstyle.com
303-704-6519