Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.08.2008, Síða 14

14 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 10—2008
INTERvIEW By Steinunn jakoBSdóttir — pHotoS By jói kjartanS
Last weekend, designer shop The Naked Ape cel-
ebrated its three-year anniversary. Owned by de-
signer Sara María Eyþórsdóttir, the shop has made
its mark in the fashion industry for its colourful
designs, artistic vibe and creative energy and to-
day ranks among the most successful designer
boutiques in Reykjavík. When Grapevine caught
up with Sara she was at the art festival LungA,
teaching a workshop in design and print but still
ound time to tell us how it all started.
The Naked Ape opened on July 14, 2005. and
soon developed a huge fan-base, with anyone
from trendy artists to law students sporting Naked
Ape’s trademark hand-printed hoodies.
It’s quite funny that the first customer to set
foot inside the shop was [fashion mogul] Sævar
Karl. The shop had only been open for five min-
utes. He stormed in and took a good look around.
He hasn’t bought anything yet but has done his
share in bringing all sorts of people inside,” she
says and continues:
“When I opened the shop I pretty much
knew what I was getting into. I had worked in a
textile-gallery and knew I would be able to do this.
But it’s been hard work. I realised that the first two
or three years would be complete mayhem, and
they have, but I never expected things to turn out
this way.”
Asked which projects stand out she names
the Iceland Airwaves, but Sara and her team have
designed the cool hand-printed festival T-shirts for
the past three years. “For me it’s a huge honour to
be a part of the Airwaves-family and this year I will
do the designs for the festival for the fourth time.”
Her designs have also caught the attention of big-
shots in the fashion business and last year she was
contacted by the Swedish clothing-giant H&M.
How that collaboration came about was a coinci-
dence she says. “It was 4am on a Saturday. I had
been working but didn’t want to go to sleep right
away. I went to Kaffibarinn and a guy [from the B-
line DJ-crew] comes up to me and says he recog-
nises me from an article in a Swedish travel-mag.
He introduced me to his friends who happened to
work for H&M. They had visited the shop earlier in
the day and shot loads of photos. The week after
I received an e-mail from H&M. They wanted an
Icelandic theme so I also pointed out Steed Lord
and Siggi Eggerts. We created three lines for the
company.”
The Naked Ape has received a huge feed-
back, both locally and internationally. The shop
has got coverage in magazines and fashion blogs
and Sara’s own line ‘Forynja’ has been showcased
internationally. Why the shop has such an ap-
peal is quite understandable. It’s not only that the
space is stuffed with eye-catching designs and
accessories. For the most part it’s the fact that
The Naked Ape is so much more than a fashion-
shop. It’s a party-place, a concert venue, exhibi-
tion space and a creative hang-out where people
come to chit-chat and throw around ideas in order
to create something fun, new and fresh. “Every-
thing happens, very spontaneous. Someone can
be sketching a pattern on a napkin and the next
day it’s on a sweater,” says Sara. When anything
goes, only great things can come out of it. Be sure
to check out the shop on Bankastræti 14.
sara maría eyþórsdóttir is the woman behind the most colourFul designer shoP in the city
Three Years Of Fashion
The Naked Ape’s owner looks back and ahead
CHEAP REYKjAvíK
Hey. Welcome to another instalment of Cheap
Reykjavík, where the Grapevine’s resident misers
share some of their patented money saving tricks
and tips. If you’ve got some miserly penny-pinch-
ing advice you’d like to share with Grapevine
readers, drop a line to haukur@grapevine.is. and
he will pass it along.
CHEAP, NAY, FREE COFFEE
Last issue, we pointed your attention to Kaffibar-
inn’s standard 300 ISK for a cup of anything hot
(coffee, double latté, triple cappuccino). While
that is indeed cheaper than your average cup,
those lacking a smidgeon of dignity can go fur-
ther still and score their coffee for free! “Where do
I get this ‘free coffee’?” you ask. Our answer: at
the bank! Every bank in Reykjavík offers free cof-
fee (and sometimes even mineral water) for their
waiting customers. If you’re passing one, why not
drop in and grab a cup? No one can tell (or care) if
you’re a customer or not. And it’s free!
While most banks only offer a standard,
transparent brown coffee flavoured liquid, some
of them have invested in fancy bean-grinding,
double-latté spewing coffeepots. One of those
places is the Kaupþing branch on Rauðarárstígur
(next to Hlemmur); they make one hell of a cup.
Make sure to stop by and stick it to the man next
time you’re there.
FREE bATHING
Lasciviously soaking in a public hot tub can even
be free if you know where to go. If travelling in
Iceland, make sure to be on the lookout for some
of the awesome natural hot pots spread around
the country. They can be found in most corners
of Iceland. Check out www.sundlaugar.is for de-
tailed and multi-lingual info.
Similar yet completely different is the Nau-
thólsvík public bathing area in Reykjavík (acces-
sible on the cheap via a 20 minute walk from 101
Reykjavík or bus route 19). It offers a charming
fake beach environment (they pump hot water
into the ocean to make it a sweet 20°C) along with
access to a nice hot tub and shower room facili-
ties, all for the sweet price of nothing.
CHEAP EATING
Eating out at quality restaurants is good fun, but
budget tourists, students and journalists most
often can’t afford to. This is where the excellent
new Mexican restaurant Santa Maria comes to the
rescue. Located right in the middle of Laugavegur,
Santa Maria offers authentic Mexican food at a
price that can’t be beat. No course on the menu
sells for more than 1.000 ISK, and drinks are sold
at a very fair price too (their service is also excel-
lent). This means that you can go out, have a nice
meal, some drinks and even dessert without sell-
ing your grandmother. Santa Maria, we celebrate
you!

We Got It
for Cheap
By Haukur S. MagnúSSon
COMIC STRIP By lóa HjÁlMtÝSdóttir