Fashionable Icelandic Austerity

It’s time for us to make another confession. It’s easy to see that lifeiscarbon® falls in love a lot but what’s more difficult to work out is exactly what it is that causes it. We have to admit that we often can’t work it out ourselves. At times it can be the product itself, at other times it's the story behind the brand, sometimes it's the company’s website or, as is often the case, it’s a combination of things far less tangible.

Such is the case with our newest love, the Icelandic fashion label and boutique, Spaksmannsspjarir; we simply can’t decide what we love most about them. We love their clothing of course but we’ve also fallen for their wonderfully austere and minimalist store in Reykjavik and the excellent photography they consistently use to showcase their collections.

Founded back in 1993 by the designer duo Björg and Vala, Spaksmannsspjarir (which means Wise Men's Clothing) make highly individualistic clothing for women that manages to combine elements of classical men’s tailoring, feminine cuts, nostalgic shapes and highly modern materials.

For us, Spaksmannsspjarir have not only reflected the dramatic nature of the Icelandic landscape in their designs but have also somehow captured the history of the country and it’s people, despite the modern looks of their range. Perhaps that’s why we love the incongruousness of wise men’s clothing for women.

Spaksmannsspjarir ehf
Bankastræti 11
101 Reykjavík

Weekdays: 11-18
Saturdays: 11-16

Spaksmannsspjarir

Comments

[The Aesthetic Elevator]

Smashing photograph there, great blog!

[Douglass Turner]

Nick,
From my stay in Iceland what amazed me most was the degree to which Icelanders ignore all conventions. In fashion. In music (thus Bjork, Sigur Ros, and many others you've never heard). In everything. This is primarily due to the relentless isolation of the place. People just invent stuff and go with it. What a delicious antidote to the relentless self consciousness of the States and elsewhere in the world.

The key insight here is every Icelander deep down yearns to be a king. Remember, Halldór Laxness titled his book "Independent People". Independent from the rest of the work, yes. But more importantly, independent from fellow Icelanders as well.

One last thing that folks need to know about Icelanders. They have little or no need for validation from the outside world. This is one reason Bjork and all the other less well known Icelandic artists have such a powerful, disorienting impact when they are "discovered". They are on an entirely different wavelength than your typical fame craving artist.

Sorry for the lengthy, slightly OT riff. I just saw that landscape and had to get it out of my system.

Cheers,
Doug