Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.03.2014, Page 52

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“There are no VIPs in Iceland,” Þórey
Eva Einarsdóttir says in regard to the
Reykjavík Fashion Festival (RFF),
which she is directing this year for
the third time.
Þórey tells me she among others
has been working hard to perfect
the festival’s formula over the last
three years, trying to make it as
inclusive as possible. “In a small
and young market like Iceland,” she
says, “local sales are the foundation
of an up-and-coming label and it’s
important to show gratitude to loyal
customers.” Whereas at another
big fashion rendezvous you would
have to be ‘someone’ to attend, the
three-day festivities taking place at
Harpa welcome all fashion enthusi-
asts. Plus, the show will be streamed
online again this year.
Champagne Ideas
RFF gives the city’s local fashion
scene invaluable exposure, both
locally and internationally, and its
very existence is a testament to the
creative forces running rampant in
Reykjavík. As a young festival, how-
ever, Þórey notes that RFF faces the
daunting task of bringing together
“players from different leagues who
don’t play the game the same way.”
She claims that her “biggest
victory” so far has been to bring Wol-
fram Glatz onboard two years ago.
The founder and head of creation at
German design agency Atelier Kon-
trast, he brings valuable experience
to the festival. “It was pivotal that the
celebration got seasoned input,” she
says, noting that she doesn’t have a
fashion background herself. “It has
to grow steadily, step by step, and it
must never compromise on quality.”
The festival’s committee estab-
lishes this ‘quality control’ from the
very beginning, carefully selecting
brands that are both deemed suf-
ficiently mature to participate mixed
with younger brands. “It takes several
collections for a designer to clearly
establish an aesthetic,” Þórey says.
It goes without saying that a fashion
show open to international media
isn’t the place to bomb.
It’s important for designers partic-
ipating in RFF to step up their game,
she says, to show that they under-
stand their clothing, as well as how
to direct make-up and hair teams.
To that end, RFF has worked closely
with the designers, even hiring mod-
els so that the designers don’t have
to rely on their aunts and nieces.
“It has to be more than just walking
clothes—it has to be a show.” At the
same time, she says RFF encourages
creators to be pragmatic about their
presentations. “It’s no good to have
champagne ideas on a beer budget.”
When The Corks Stop
Popping
The post-collapse Iceland that Þórey
returned to after a decade-long
sojourn abroad was far from the
glitz and glamour that it had been
only a few years earlier. “The party
was over, everyone had a hangover,
and I had to pick up the bill,” she
says, metaphorically. “On the upside
though, humility came back to people
who had bought into the economic
craze too much and this has made it
easier to implement new ideas and
concepts.”
In this vein, Þórey hopes that an
increased conscientiousness about
consumer practices will take hold
here, breaking Icelanders’ frequent
habit of satiating sartorial hunger
abroad where clothes are often
cheaper. Þórey’s idea, however, is to
bring ‘slow fashion’ to Iceland. Bor-
rowing its name from the ‘slow food’
movement, slow fashion encour-
ages people to buy quality fashion
locally. “It’s important to start this
conversation so that people can
make educated decisions,” she says.
“People have to think, ‘If I buy this I’m
supporting a local designer and the
money stays here.’”
There Are No
VIPs In Iceland
Þórey Eva Einarsdóttir on
the Reykjavík Fashion Festival
Words by Fred Q. Labelle
Bóas Kristjanson,
fashion designer @ KARBON:
66°North, Ella, Cintamani, JÖR, REY
Fabio Del Percio and Anna Fríða Giudice,
product designer/artist duo @ Hver Design:
Human, delicious, creative, off-beat, a lot of fun
Guðmundur Jörundsson,
fashion designer @ JÖR:
Non-commercial, futuristic, diverse,
young, unexplored
Magnea Einarsdóttir,
fashion designer @ Magnea:
Experimental, fun, vibrant, edgy, versatile
Rúna Thors,
product designer:
Losing its innocence, entering puberty
Sif Baldursdóttir,
fashion designer @ Kyrja:
Sincere, friendly, creative, energetic, fun
Þórey Eva Einarsdóttir,
managing director @ RFF:
Ambitious, brave/courageous, clever, cool,
quality, statement (bold for the ego)
Icelandic Fashion
In Five Words
...Or Mostly Five Words
By Fred Q. Labelle