Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.07.2014, Page 32

32 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10 — 2014FASHION
So what’s it like to live out of a
suitcase? How far in advance do you
have to plan your trips?
I know my plans one or two months in
advance based on projects, and I plan
my personal trips in between those.
It’s a crazy life, but it’s not the most
horrible existence ever. I think it might
be stressful for some people, but I can
see myself doing it for a few more years.
I just really enjoy experiencing the world
this way.
What keeps you coming back to
Reykjavík? Is it one of the places you
visit most frequently?
I’d say it’s one of my less-known regular
destinations. I spend most of my time
in New York or London or Paris—even
Stockholm or LA maybe, but I think
Reykjavík has a lot to offer culturally and
fashion-wise without being too ex-
posed. Of all the places I’ve been ar-
ound the word, there’s no town that is
so small and remote as Reykjavík that
is so cool. It has this unique energy that
doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Would you say that’s what’s best
about Reykjavík?
It’s this unlimited sense of creativity.
There’s so much self-confidence. People
don’t feel like, ‘oh, we’re too small.’ They
have intuition and it works quite well for
people here. It’s a special case.
What’s the best part about taking
photos here?
People-wise, I like it because the fashion
isn’t too trend-driven. You don’t have
access to all of the big high street chains.
People need to be more creative and
actually they like to be creative. If you go
to a bigger city, New York or London for
example, people are cool and diverse,
but you tend to see more patterns.
That’s interesting because I feel
like everything down to haircuts
goes into fashion here. A particular
haircut goes into fashion and all of
a sudden everyone has that haircut,
even if it doesn’t suit him or her.
Of course within a society people are
inspired by each other. It’s also normal
for people to want to belong. If you
live here, I’m sure you can tell that
a lot of people are doing similar thi-
ngs, but from an outsider’s
perspective it seems quite distinct co-
mpared to a lot of places I’ve seen.
The fashion seems to be less
contaminated by international trends,
which I think is partly due to the fact
that you have less access to big chains.
People have to figure out how to dress,
so it’s more vintage and do-it-yourself.
You see more unique pieces, which
spices it up. To me it always seems a
bit more out there and different than
anything else.
Do you have any favourite Icelandic
designers?
In menswear I like what Bóas
Kristjánsson does. Last time I saw his
work I thought it was very innovative and
unique for menswear.
So you come here two, three times
a year. What are the best times to
visit?
Summer is definitely a highlight because
the weather is so good—well not that
good, but it’s kind of good—and that
creates a different energy. There’s more
action. There are more parties. There are
more people out.
Then you also tend to come for
Airwaves and the Reykjavík Fashion
Festival.
Yeah, RFF is a highlight as well because
it’s a gathering of stylish people—there
are a lot of them per square metre in
town. Airwaves is a bit tricky because
it’s late in the year, so it’s pretty dark and
people are really drunk. It’s fun, but it’s
difficult for me to take style photos.
Are Icelanders more stylish in the
summer? Are they too bundled up in
the winter?
Not necessarily. They dress well in the
winter, but they are just more difficult
to catch. It’s dark and they stay inside
more.
What do you look for when you’re
taking photos? The people who you
photograph?
I’m looking for a package. So it’s not just
the clothes. It’s the attitude, the hair, the
tattoos and the personality.
When are you coming back? Is that
planned?
No, not yet.
Yvan Rodic hasn’t been in the same place for more than two weeks in the last five years.
He says he takes an average 170 flights per year. He’s like George Clooney in ‘Up In The Air,’
except he’s a tall, Swiss-born fashionista who travels the world doing something far more
benign. The photographer better known as Face Hunter documents street style via his blog,
which reportedly gets a million views per month. During his most recent four-day trip to Reyk-
javík, we met up at Boston for GusGus’s jam-packed album release party. We found a table
in the far corner of their outdoor patio to sit down and catch up since our last rendezvous at
Iceland Airwaves in November. He told me about his recent trip to Alaska and showed me
some of his incredible photos from a remote island in Resurrection Bay. We talked about tur-
bulence and the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, and at some point I turned on the recorder
for a quick, impromptu interview in anticipation of our ‘Best of Reykjavík’ issue.
Photo
Provided by Yvan Rodic
Words
Anna Andersen
What Brings
Face Hunter
To Town?
A Guided Walking Tour
Dark Deeds
in Reykjavík
Every Thursday in June, July and August at 3pm
This 90 min. walk is at an easy pace
:ŽŝŶƵƐĨŽƌĂĨƵŶŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐƟŽŶƚŽ/ĐĞůĂŶĚŝĐ
ĐƌŝŵĞĮĐƟŽŶ͕ŐŚŽƐƚƐĂŶĚŐŚŽƵůƐ
Starts at Reykjavík City Library in Tryggvagata 15
/ŶĨŽ͗ǁǁǁ͘ůŝƚĞƌĂƚƵƌĞ͘ŝƐ
Free of charge
ĮƫŶŐǁĂƌŵͲƵƉ͗ƚϮƉŵĞǀĞƌLJdŚƵƌƐĚĂLJǁĞƐĐƌĞĞŶ
Spirits of Iceland͕ĂĮůŵŽŶ/ĐĞůĂŶĚŝĐĨŽůŬůŽƌĞ
ŝŶƚŚĞůŝďƌĂƌLJΖƐϱƚŚŇŽŽƌƐĐƌĞĞŶŝŶŐƌŽŽŵ
www.borgarbokasafn.is
Tel. 411 6100