Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.07.2017, Page 27

27The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2017
Life under pressure
Nevertheless, Eygló doesn’t
seem to have any problem when
it comes to discipline. In fact,
she seems to find happiness in
her work most of all, so much
so that being on a break for six
weeks has been stressful, to say
the least. Not keen on either too
much or too little pressure, Eygló
gives herself deadlines to work
with and a lot of discipline when
it comes to designing and manu-
facturing, even more so because
she has to manage the business
on her own. She demands in-
dependence in her creative en-
deavours. She seems protective
of her own label as well as proud
of it, and the slightest interfer-
ence seems to be either rejected
or ignored. No investors have
ever been involved with her la-
bel, nor will they ever be “unless
they back off and leave me the
money,” she says, with a hearty
laugh. “I don’t like people snoop-
ing around my stuff. I’m very pri-
vate and I’ve always wanted to be
alone. I think it fucks me up if
I have to please somebody else,
mentally. I would freeze.”
Expanding abroad, then, is
almost out of the question. Al-
though she has showcased a col-
lection at the Venice Biennale,
where she chose artists to wear
her designs instead of models,
she likes the current vibe in Rey-
kjavík—relaxed but not over the
top. “It’s very important that I
stop if I’m not enjoying it any-
more,” she says, candidly. “I used
to do two collections a year but
then I didn’t feel like I wanted to
push myself too much so I just
made one. But then at the same
time if I slow down too much I
get depressed. I go on a holiday
for a few days and I find it stress-
ful as hell!”
She pokes fun at herself and
her own contradictions. “It’s in
my character, I always need to re-
fresh every six months, and start
completely over. It even says so
in my star sign book,” she adds,
and as she looks at me with a
mischievous smirk we simulta-
neously burst out laughing.
A tough industry
It certainly helps that the Icelan-
dic fashion industry seems to be
quite close-knit. It’s ironic that
in the meantime the global in-
dustry is being taken by storm by
the news of Lucinda Chambers’s
dismissal as long-time fashion
director of British Vogue. Even
more shocking were the details
she gave in an interview with
journal Vestoj, detailing the
wrongdoings and backstabbing
that’s typical of the industry that
has fed her for years, as well as
its frequent compromises in the
name of its ever-ravenous audi-
ence.
If I were hoping to find as
much drama here as there is
abroad, I’d be sorely disappoint-
ed, and Eygló laughs at the im-
plication. “It’s too small here to
be bitchy about stuff! If you’re
bitchy in Iceland then you’re just
out. There’s only one bridge to
burn here,” she says, matter-of-
factly. “I remember one person
that totally fucked up in that
sense and nobody likes this per-
son anymore. What’s the joy in
that? It’s not New York, it’s tiny
Reykjavík. It’s a joke!”
But it’s clear that the sunny
disposition Eygló talks of isn’t
about being nice for the sake of
not being ousted. Having fun
is crucial to her, and being nice
to people as well as being sur-
rounded by individuals who are
supportive naturally makes for a
great work environment.
“Bernhard Willhelm and Jere-
my Scott were people I looked up
to in a sense because they were
nice, and making fun stuff,” she
explains sincerely. “I could never
work for a bitchy company, over
my dead body! What’s the fun in
that? Be nice to people.” To give
me an example, she explains
how Icelandic designers tend to
work together when it comes to
sharing information about dif-
ferent stages of production, al-
though this helpful community
didn’t exist ten years ago. Now,
however, “if somebody has found
something interesting they usu-
ally share it with others unless
it’s something really specific.”
The beginning of
a great adventure
It’s not a coincidence that the ad-
venture she embarked on years
ago with fellow fashion design-
ers Milla Snorrason, Sif Baldurs-
dóttir from Kyrja and Helga Lilja
Magnúsdóttir from Helicopter
has turned into more than a
business. KIOSK was born with
the intent of becoming a co-op of
sorts, a boutique where design-
ers would collectively round up
their clothes and work behind
the till once a week, taking the
profits for themselves and per-
sonally interacting with custom-
ers. In this sense, she is her own
competition.
Considering that this sup-
portive community did not exist
ten years ago, KIOSK is not only
revolutionising the way we con-
sume fashion, but it’s also trans-
forming the way we experience
the business. “It’s quite a unique
shop,” Eygló affirms. “I would
like to see that in other cities. I
would say thanks to KIOSK that
I’m still doing what I do. It would
have been much more difficult
without that.” Yet, despite her
modesty, I have a feeling that for
Eygló this is only the beginning.
“With her
unapologetic
attitude and
the gaiety of a
newcomer, she
isn’t just part of
the landscape of
Icelandic fashion—
she sets the tone
for it.”