Iceland review - 2016, Page 14

12 ICELAND REVIEW
I grew up in Borgarfjörður [West
Iceland] where my parents ran a
restaurant located in the middle of a
lava field. Now I live in Hafnarfjörður,
where there is lava, and also the fishing
industry. So both nature and culture
inspire my work,” says Margrét Oddný
Leópoldsdóttir, creator of Gola & Glóra,
a line of household design products that
includes posters, bags, pillows, trivets,
plates, and tea-cozies. The images and
patterns in Margrét’s work reflect her
appreciation for different aspects of
Icelandic nature, from the spots found on
a sea bird’s egg, to the coils of mooring
ropes and the rough outlines of reindeer
lichen and lava. The other side of the
coin—Icelandic culture—is represented
in her work primarily by themes sur-
rounding fish and the fishing industry.
“I’m inspired by my workshop, a former
fish-processing plant in Hafnarfjörður,”
says Margrét. She recently developed
a series of small hand-sewn travel bags
printed with fish, ship’s wheels, fish-
ermen’s boots and hat designs, as well
DESIGN
PATTERNS OF ICELAND
Rachel Mercer speaks with Margrét Oddný Leópoldsdóttir, the one-woman designer of the brand
Gola & Glóra, about the inspiration she takes from her heritage and the environment
in creating beautiful and useful products for the home.
as the words from a famous fisher-
men’s song, ‘Sértu velkominn heim,’
or ‘May You be Welcome Home.’
“When you’re traveling and com-
ing back home, you need some-
thing to carry your belongings. I
thought it was interesting to put
that together with the song,”
Margrét explains.
Gola & Glóra was born
out of Margrét’s back-
ground as a graphic
and textile artist. She
designs and produc-
es nearly everything
herself, sourcing her
materials locally as
much as possible.
Her brand has a
policy of sus-
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.
tainability and environmental responsi-
bility. “I’m not a big company, so I can’t
be responsible in every way, but every
small step counts,” says Margrét. To that
end she uses eco-friendly printing and
recyclable materials, and tries to drive as
little as possible in the process of work-
ing. “My things are very well made so
that they will last. The biggest problem
with our consumption is that we buy
cheap things that break down, and then
we have to buy new ones. I want my
things to last for decades,” she says.
In addition to creating her products,
Margrét offers workshops in graphic and
textile design. The name of her company
encapsulates the environmental ethos
behind her work as well as her vision of
sharing it. Gola is a light breeze and glóra
means glimmer. “Glóra is the teaching
part and Gola refers to the nature ele-
ment,” she says. *
Reindeer lichen-shaped trivets.
Hand-sewn travel bag with fishermen hat design.