Iceland review - 2014, Qupperneq 18

16 ICELAND REVIEW
FAshion
Our inspiration for Fall/
Winter 2014-15 was the
scene from Tim Burton’s
Batman [1989] where the
Joker and his gang break into a muse-
um and start destroying the artwork
with splashes of paint. Very Pop Art,”
says Ingvar Helgason, one half of the
fashion design duo behind the cloth-
ing label Ostwald Helgason, which last
spring staged its first proper catwalk
show at New York Fashion Week. “It
was such a thrill—a dream-come-true
and a big leap from the presentations
we had been hosting since 2012, where
models simply wore our clothes at a
gathering for the press, buyers and
other guests. Although we’re London-
based it made more sense to show in
New York, where we’ve received great
attention from the media.”
The brand has garnered popularity
among fashionistas worldwide, thanks
to its winning formula: easy pieces,
such as T-shirts, skirts, dresses and
jumpers, made from light and soft fab-
rics of the highest quality; the textiles
By ÁSta andréSdóttir
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESy OF oStwald HelgaSon
factory also makes fabrics for leading fashion houses such
as Dior Couture. “We wanted to make top quality cloth-
ing more accessible,” he explains. “Our typical customer
works in the creative industries; she is interested in
fashion but wants to stand out. Her look is a bit preppy,
she enjoys being feminine without being sexy; she's a bit
quirky and has a great sense of humor.”
Recently, pop divas Rihanna, Beyoncé and Solange
Knowles have been spotted wearing their designs. “We’re
always happy to see someone wearing our clothes; it real-
ly is the biggest compliment. Actually, it doesn’t come
from us—we didn’t even know about it until we saw it
in the press. There are a few Hollywood actresses that
we’d like to see wear our clothes. We’re working on that
now,” he reveals.
The brand’s big break came last year when their
clothes were noticed by Russian style icons Mira Duma
and Anya Ziourova. “It’s actually a funny story. They had
both noticed our clothes on a mutual friend and decided
to borrow something to wear at the Chanel Couture
show. The outfits they chose were very similar and we
feared that the whole thing would be an utter disaster!
But it all ended well. They are good friends and decided
to make the whole thing into an event. Street style has
actually become very important to fashion designers.
Instead of only noticing what Hollywood actresses and
musicians are wearing, the spotlight is shifting to women
EASY
PIECES
With its playful yet elegant clothing, sold in 29 countries, German/Icelandic
design duo and real life couple Susanne Ostwald and Ingvar Helgason
are making a splash in the fashion world.