Within the art world, Iceland is attracting more and more attention as a crucible of creative energy. This also applies to Icelandic fashion and design, which presents itself as quite extraordinary and special.

To a considerable extent, the uniqueness of current Icelandic fashion and object design is a consequence of the country’s geography: Iceland is situated between Europe and America, making it open to influences from both sides of the Atlantic. The isolated geographical location, however, enables Icelandic designers to cultivate their own independent style.
It is nature with its nuances of colour and its variety of surface tectonics which, along with tradition and modern life, gives Icelandic designers their paramount source of inspiration for their designs. The shadings of white, violet, green, brown and grey in the fashion creations can be found in the changing light of the Icelandic highlands. Borders and extravagant collars of tulle are reminiscent of crystal snow and glacial crevices, materials seem like they have been washed in the sea, dried on the coast, stretched and twined. In the woven fabrics the viewer sometimes believes to discern the structures of lichens and porous lava rock.

Design objects like an armchair giving one the feeling of sitting in a mossy hollow, chromed cow horns as clothes hooks or a wool blanket showing the structure of the island are examples of the presence of the Icelandic landscape.

The objects and outfits on view in this exhibit – arranged in an exhibition architecture with backlit landscape panoramas – not only attest to the creative finesse and virtuosity of the craftsmanship, but above all to the great abundance of artistic inspiration, aesthetic sensitivity and innovative creative energy. They are also evidence that traditional craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology – history and the present day – must not be contradictory.

The designers exhibiting here first showed their works in Germany at the festival ISLANDBILDER 2005 in the Museum of Applied Art, Cologne. Out of this a fashion exhibition evolved which was then presented in Thjodmennigarhus/The Culture House (National Centre of Cultural Heritage) in Reykjavik in 2006.

Spanning a cultural bridge between Cologne, Reykjavik and Berlin, the exhibition “Icelandic Fashion & Design – inspired by nature”, with the latest fashion and design creations, is now on view at the Felleshus/Pan Nordic Building in Berlin.
Participating designers:

STEiNUNN (Steinunn Sigurdardóttir), Spaksmannsspjarir, ásta créative clothes (Ásta Gudmundsdóttir), jbj design (Jóna Björg Jónsdóttir) und Thorbjörg Valdimarsdóttir, Odinn Design (Ódinn Bolli Björgvinsson), Gudrun Lilja Gunnlaugsdóttir, Sigridur Sigurjonsdóttir, Tinna Gunnarsdóttir, Dögg Design (Dögg Gudmundsdóttir) und Vik Prjonsdóttir (Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, Egill Kalevi Karlsson, Gudfinna Mjöll Magnúsdóttir, Hrafnkell Birgisson, Thurídur Rós Sigurthórsdóttir und Víkurprjón)

Curator: Matthias Wagner K, Berlin

Press and PR: Embassy of  the Republic of Iceland, Berlin & Vera Firmbach, Köln

Organisers: Embassy of the Republic of Iceland -  Berlin, The Culture House - Reykjavík, Matthias Wagner K, Sabine Schirdewahn

Press contact:

Vera Firmbach

Phone: +49(0)221.7327970

E-mail: verafirmbach@gmx.net