Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.04.2014, Blaðsíða 30

30The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 4 — 2014
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Vegetari
an Dish
of the D
ay
Icelandic Fashion Grows Up
Reykjavík Fashion Festival 2014 showed that Icelanders
are finally serious about their stuff
Farmer’s Market
This quality local label takes its inspiration from
traditional Icelandic materials and styles, using
Icelandic wool and casual country styles to de-
velop the ultimate in chic designs. It has definitely
made an outstanding mark for itself in recent
years, with sales among tourists, for example, ris-
ing enormously. Every show the designers pres-
ent stays true to the brand’s calling—they do not
follow any trends but create a unique and en-
chanting atmosphere with wonderfully subdued
colours, great attention to detail and a very wear-
able collection.
Ziska
The Ziska collection presented by designer Harpa
Einarsdóttir started with the most stunning video
feature of the whole festival—an epic black and
white film showing Icelandic horses charging
through the desert and featuring models dressed in
a Mongolian style. Her collection seemed inspired
by all things fantastical and ethnic, with beautiful
prints, jewellery, and touches of leather, blending
futuristic and vintage influences. The standout
piece was a floor-length white leather dress.
Cintamani
Cintamani is one of Iceland‘s most prominent out-
door labels and I did wonder whether its pieces fit
in with high-fashion ones. But the collection was
obviously loaded with quality: bright touches of
colour and inspiration from the Icelandic country-
side. Being a minimalist, I wasn’t as enchanted by
these flourishes, but the styling of the whole show
was beautiful and well-executed.
REY
REY’s latest collection was stunning to say the
least, and in keeping with designer Rebekka Jóns-
dóttir’s very feminine style. The models reminded
me of Hollywood in the ‘50s, and standout pieces
included stunningly cut dresses, catsuits, knitwear
and trouser suits. Beautifully wearable and sexy.
JÖR
Guðmundur Jörundsson’s collection was the
grand finale of RFF this year. He is Iceland’s fashion
wunderkind and his show attracted a huge crowd,
all waiting with anticipation for what he would
offer up next. In the stunning smoked-filled pro-
duction, I felt I was watching some sort of ‘zombie
Goth rock star goes to a rave’ experience. Deca-
dence and heavy metal were the key words. The
collection was dramatic with gold belts and long
silhouettes for women, and patterned coats and
jackets for men. A very surprising and totally new
look from JÖR, and I have to give particular praise
to his co-worker and stylist Hrafnhildur Hólmgeirs-
dóttir for her extraordinary styling.
Sigga Maija
There’s been a lot of talk about the brand new
label of Sigríður María Sigurjónsdóttir, who pre-
miered her collection at this year’s RFF. The retro
and almost masculine-looking models reminded
me of French starlets from the ‘20s, which is not
surprising, as Sigga has stated that she takes in-
spiration from the surrealist movement. The col-
lection was an ensemble of exquisite and beauti-
fully patterned silk prints in blues and reds with
dashes of black leather. The most stunning pieces
included a long red chinoiserie-inspired dress and
a backless, black knee-length draped dress. All
this was framed by the music of Broadcast and
Clinic, which made me fall even more in love with
the collection.
All in all, it was a memorable festival. If, however,
RFF could possibly rethink next year to have shows
running simultaneously in more than one hall at
Harpa, it would help those suffering fashionistas
who have nothing to do between shows except
yawn, drink the free bottled water and admire the
architecture of the building. If there is a benefit to
all that down time, however, it’s that there’s plenty
of opportunity to reflect on each show.
Magnea
Magnea, a newcomer on the scene, had a spec-
tacular stage set with netted drapes and neon
lighting. The collection was comprised of beautiful
knitwear with touches of metal, in hues of grey,
black and burgundy as well as a variety of avant-
garde hats. A very elegant and wearable collection
pushing knitwear to the foreground.
ELLA
ELLA—Elínrós Líndal's collection designed by
Katrín Káradóttir—has enjoyed huge success on
the Icelandic market with high quality dresses,
mostly in black and beige, which are extremely
flattering, versatile, sexy and wearable for women
of all ages. Her collection for Autumn/Winter 2014
revealed a rather different side, focusing on beau-
tifully cut cashmere coats in wider silhouettes in
hues of navy, soft green and beige and reminis-
cent of the ‘40s and ‘50s. “We wanted to show that
we can do more than dresses and also broaden
our target audience here locally,” Elínrós said.
“Dresses come really easily for us so we wanted to
show something different.” One such outstanding
piece was a brown leather bomber jacket that ex-
uded expensive quality and was reminiscent of the
classic pieces of French high-luxe fashion house
Hérmes.
Words by
Anna Margrét Björnsson
Photos by
Nanna Dís
Reykjavík Fashion Festival is in its fifth year and has been a fantastically worthwhile, if ambitious, project for a country with only 330,000 people and
one fashion college (Fashion Academy Reykjavík). It’s a long, long journey for those students who graduate, those who have the courage to struggle
against all odds, find funding and, hopefully, go abroad to gain experience with international fashion houses—something that I think is extremely
necessary in the field. Here are some of the highlights of the festival this year:“There was a void in
and there was a void in
the representation of
the art that I like. This
is about exposing that
Fashion