DesignMarch has reached its halfway point and if you haven’t had the oppurtunity to enjoy the festival yet – not to worry, you have the rest of the weekend to take in some wonderful exhibits of diverse design.
Yesterday had a lot of openings, like the night before, as well as a few truly unique one-time-only events.
Not to mention the highly anticipated Reykjavík Fashion Festival which also opened last night with runway shows from SIGGA MAIJA and JÖR.

A festival like DesignMarch has a certain endearment to it – awakening a feeling of community in the people who participate in it. Conversations ignite and friendships spark between the unlikeliest of pairs that suddenly find themselves having something in common; an appreciation for art and creativity.

We never considered the option of missing out on the remarkable ambiance even though the weather hasn’t been the best in the past few days – when is it ever not rainy and windy in the middle of the North Atlantic?

With our wool scarves, mittens and our best winter coats, out we went to enjoy the festival. Here are our favourites from yesterday…

Icelandic fashion textile designer Anita Hirlekar had an exhibit of her MA collection from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. The line, which was originally inspired by the backside of  a piece of embroidery, was premiered at London Fashion Week in fall 2014. The textiles in every piece are stitched by hand – mixing wool, cotton, acrylic and sequins –  and she plays with unconventional colour combinations to create completely unique pieces.
She made a few pieces especially for DesignMarch which are for sale at the exhibit at Kraum.

Ljóskápur is a new line from Utanum which is also exhibited at Kraum. Designer Eva Vilhjálmsdóttir emphasises the quality of Icelandic wool and its legacy in Icelandic culture in this new line where each piece is produced in a way that’s environmentally friendly.

Not to forget – as much as March is about design, it’s also about moustaches! The company VIKINGR made these products for beard care which are made from completely natural Icelandic ingredients. The products, which can be sampled at Kraum, are made from a very simple philosophy, “What would a Viking use?”

Mýrin, in Geirsgata, had an exhibition of products from designer Þóra Finnsdóttir. The unique combination of shapes and texture along with the more eccentric pieces, like animal heads, made for a bizarre and wonderful collection.

Mýrin also hosted the exhibit “Adornments” – a combined showing of jewellery designs by four different designers, OrriFinn, STAKA, Hring Eftir Hring and Twin Within.

“Colour Stories” is an exhibit by photographer Tekla Evelina Severin also known as @teklan. She explores the concept of “insta moments” with some very vibrant photographs.

“Priceless” by As We Grow is an especially creative exhibit at Mýrin. Made exclusively for DesignMarch, the exhibit features 10 woollen children’s sweaters that have each been re-made by an artist. It makes for an exceptionally fun display as the artists are so incredibly diverse – a painter, an illustrator, a set designer and even the daughter of one of the company’s co-founder’s just to name a few.

Farmers Market invited DesignMarch guests to a truly one-of-a-kind event – a “sveitaball” or country dance! The event had an authentic old-school Icelandic vibe with live music, barbecued lamb and beer and was held at their store at Hólmaslóð so guests could have a look at the company’s wonderful productss as well.

Our last event of the evening was without a doubt the most surprising and in such a wonderful way.
Overlap was an installation at Sundhöll Reykjavíkur, indoor swimming pool, by three different designers, Unnur Valdís Kristjánsdóttir, Siggi Eggerts and Eygló Margrét Lárusdóttir. The atmosphere was very strange yet serene as the artists invited guests to experience “a journey of playfully light weightlessness”.

DesignMarch Iceland 2015 is only halfway through – today is packed with events and we will continue to keep you up to date on instagram @nordicstylemag and on twitter: https://twitter.com/nordicstylemag

Photos by Ellen Inga