Iceland: the Home of Bjork, Volcanoes and Fashion
Some nations are instantaneously associated with certain characteristics, whether that’s the temperature, an animal, sport or a geographical feature. For example, Australia is frequently tagged with consisting of sports-mad people, koalas and Sydney Harbour; while France is associated with the Eiffel Tower, Paris and wine. Other nations, however, are a little harder to describe with some people only able to name the capital city, (if anything), let alone a characteristic.
Iceland is just one of those countries. Hidden away at the very top of Europe between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, it’s often forgotten about because it isn’t connected to mainland Europe but it certainly shouldn’t be underestimated in terms of what it has to offer tourists and the rest of the world. People who may have spent time travelling around Europe and America during 2010 may have become well accustomed with Iceland, particularly those who may have had their flights affected. Yes, that famous ash cloud that grounded flights across the continent came from a volcano in Iceland – Eyjafjallajökull to be precise – but don’t worry, not all of Iceland is full of volcanoes that cause chaos to commuters and tourists.
The Icelandic fashion industry, for instance, is currently thriving with designers creating clothes that are now on sale across the world. Both high street and online retailers are experiencing demand for styles that are far higher than ever before with the fashion-conscious among us all looking for the latest looks from Reykjavik as well as Paris, London, New York and Milan.
Despite being a nation of just over 320,000 people, Icelandic fashion is moving up the pecking order with European and American fashion lovers desperate to get their hands on the latest lines from designers that include Helga Solrun, who is now based in Los Angeles, and Kali, a multi-talented designer who is also a singer and songwriter with the band Steed Lord who created a fashion sensation when she recently got married in a $40 dress from eBay!
One of Iceland’s most famous (an eccentric) exports, Bjork, has given the country a bit of a reputation for being random and a little bit on the crazy side, (it must be all of that volcanic air); but the truth is that Iceland is simply creating a unique sense of style that is different to what you might see on the European or American catwalks, but just as popular. The bright colours are being adopted across the continent and the almost gothic looks opted by some designers mean that Icelandic fashion caters to all senses of style.
The names listed in this article might not be as big in the fashion world as the likes of Armani or Versace, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be in time. It’s worth bearing in mind that Iceland has only been an independent country since breaking from Danish rule in 1944 and they’ve come a long way in such a short space of time. Today, as mentioned, Icelandic designers are moving to places such as the US to reach out to a new audience and to develop as fashion designers so that, in time, Reykjavik Fashion Festival can be as big as Paris or New York.
