Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.09.2016, Qupperneq 46

Design Emerging46The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 15 — 2016
Tanja Levý is an Icelandic fashion
and textile designer who has gar-
nered attention for her tropical
designs. She studied at the Reyk-
javík School of Visual Arts and
in 2012 finished her bachelor's
in fashion design at the Iceland
Academy of the Arts. She has in-
terned for design label Eley Kishi-
moto and taken part in various
design projects and exhibitions.
Her most recent clothing line,
Sýnódísk Trópík, has now been
released and is for sale at www.
tanjalevy.com.

When did you start designing?
I started designing clothes for
myself in secondary school and
later participated in a school
fashion show. I particularly re-
member one piece I designed for
the show. It was a low-necked
spandex jumpsuit for men in-
spired by Jon Bon Jovi in the 80s. I
wanted a model with chest hair to
wear it so the hairs would show.
I was seventeen at the time so of
course not many of the boys had
chest hair and therefore nobody
wanted to wear the suit. I ended
up asking my friend who was used
to modeling to wear it. He didn’t
have chest hair either though, so
the plan didn’t really work out.

What inspires you?
I am extremely curious so I like
to use the design process to learn
about something that sparks my
interest. When I was a teenager I
saw a psychologist who diagnosed
me with a “washing machine
brain,” in other words, a brain
that never stops. I started using
this “washing machine brain” of
mine for a creative purpose and
therefore have found an outlet for
my obsessions to create unlikely
connections, which become the
concepts of my works.
I really like working with op-
posites and have used that for
my last two clothing lines. “Eitur
í f lösku” was inspired by find-
ing the beauty in ugliness and
“Sýnódísk Trópík” was inspired
by finding happiness despite suf-
fering from winter depression.
Tell us a about your most recent
clothing line.
Sýnódísk Trópík is a unisex cloth-
ing line and my own way of tack-
ling winter depression. I focused
on the print-making and was in-
spired by the mix of colours and
patterns when birds fly in the sky.
The clothing line is dedicated to
people who daydream about sun
and warmth in the short winter
days and run out lightly dressed
as soon as the days get brighter
and the snow has melted.

How is it being an artist in Iceland?
There are pros and cons. Mate-
rials are very expensive, which
makes products ex pensive. I
have always admired the Icelan-
dic music scene and musicians'
motivation, how open they are to
supporting each other and col-
laborating. I’ve always dreamt of
working in this kind of environ-
ment as a designer and I feel like
that dream might be coming true.
I’ve surrounded myself with good
people and I feel a lot of support,
which I am very thankful for.
SHARE:
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“the mix of colours and patterns
when birds fly in the sky”
Tanja Levý
Words & Photo HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR
I C E L A N D I C R E S T A U R A N T & B A R
Tasty tapas and dr inks by the o ld harbour
T a b l e r e s e r v a t i o n s : + 3 5 4 5 1 7 1 8 0 0 - w w w . f o r r e t t a b a r i n n . i s
Certificate of Excellence
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We’re expecting a busy summer but you
can check-in 2 1/2 hours before departure
and have plenty of time for refreshments
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We offer unlimited free Wi-Fi, many
charging stations and a range of nice
restaurants and stores. Icelandic design
and quality brands tax and duty free
at the Airport.
YOUNG DESIGNERS