How big is sustainable fashion in Iceland? You might be surprised to find out. We also nearly called this Episode: The Secret Lives Of Sweaters. Listen and you will see why.

In this fascinating, surprising conversation about funny jumpers and changing the world, we meet Ýr Jóhannsdóttir - a textile designer, artist/activist upcycler from Reykjavik.

With her label Ýrúrarí (and her huge Instagram following) she is making a name for herself using creativity and humour to challenge fashion's unsustainable ways. 

People want to have fun with fashion, she says, and if we can use that to get a serious message across, that's a powerful thing. Also up for discussion: Iceland's craft and wool tradition, appreciating the local, resourcefulness, tool libraries and the future of fashion as sharing. 

Discover Ýrúrarí here.

NOTES

ICELAND dealt with thousands of earthquakes for a few weeks before a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula exploded on March 19, 2021. Crazy stories here and here. Everyone’s safe tho. Phew.

SWEATER SAUCE (Peysa með öllu) saw Ýrúrarí and Iceland’s Red Cross collaborate for the 2020 DesignMarch festival. Here is the video of the show.

Ýr Jóhannsdóttir is currently in residency at the Museum of Design and Applied Art until the end of May. Find out more about her exhibition here.

Iceland produces 20 KILOGRAMS OF TEXTILE WASTE every year. In comparison, Australia produces 23 kilograms per year and North America produces 28 kilograms per year.

Wool has been incredibly important to the history of Iceland, with sweaters being favoured by fisherman and farmers in the notoriously chilly Icelandic weather. Most of Iceland’s wool is being sent to China to be processed. Read more about the struggling Icelandic knitting community here.