The Icelandic designer Sigrún Unnarsdóttir, who studied at Kolding Design School in Denmark, showcased her collection twice during Copenhagen Fashion Week. Firstly as part of her degree show, but then again she was picked to showcase at 'Designer's Nest' the Scandinavian competition for new design talent. She combined bright colours with pure materials such as reindeer leather and oilskin, in a sharp collection for men and women and was the graduate show's opening collection. 

Dazed Digital: Where does your inspiration come from for this collection? 
Sigrún Unnarsdóttir: My collection, 'Belong Together', is in inspired by objects and people who belong to each other in one way or another. It all started with me being homesick and missing my boyfriend, friends and family back in Iceland. I started looking (sometimes too much) at cute old couples on the street and people wearing matching outfits. That expanded into taking pictures of everything from puzzle pieces, twins and childrens' mittens that are stuck together with a string.

DD:What education and work background do you have? 

Sigrún Unnarsdóttir: I just finished my Masters degree from Kolding School of Design, wow - five years in Jutland! During my studies I had three really different internships, one at the Danish designer Bibi GHOST where I made an unisex collection. The two other companies are small Icelandic designers called Emami and Ásta creative clothes. A big part of my final collection are shoes which I made in cooperation with Ecco.

That was a huge experience, being able to work with such a big company and use their facilities. For the last five years I have also been a board member of Lunga art festival, which is held on the east coast of Iceland. It's a huge festival of art workshops, music and exhibitions. We have had great teachers for the last years for our workshops, Henrik Vibskov to name one.

DD: Tell me about the fabrics used and where you imaging it being used? 
Sigrún Unnarsdóttir: The materials within each couple are in contrast to each other. The women have brighter colours and lighter fabrics, and the men have more matt colours and heavier fabrics. The materials I used in the collection are for exampel oilskin, 100% wool, 100% cotton, wool-jersey and reindeer leather. The reindeer leather is used throughout the collection and comes from my region in Iceland. I made the material myself in the orange woman raincoat by coating 100% cotton with glue and folie. I wanted to get the used raincoat appearance.

DD: What are your future plans?
Sigrún Unnarsdóttir: I just moved back to Iceland and I really want to find something to do there. I would love to make a music video! I think the atmosphere towards design in Iceland is really refreshing, and I want to enjoy the Icelandic harsh climate and reunited with my loved ones...

Photo by Jacob Tjellesen