15 things we loved at DesignMarch 2022, Iceland's weird and wonderful creative expo

Idiosyncratic Icelandic talent tends to stand out on the world stage, from high-ranking Eurovision entrants to futurist designers. This was certainly true at the recent DesignMarch (HönnunarMars), Iceland’s annual festival dedicated to innovative design with a distinctly Nordic slant. Combining elements of fashion, product, furniture, material, and experiential exhibits, the week-long event was akin to a mini Fashion Week, TedTalk, Art Basel, Salon de Mobile, and Maison & Objet fair all mixed into one.

With over 100 exhibitions and 250 events, Vogue Scandinavia made the Reykjavik rounds to seek out the most singular works on display. Here’s what caught our eye.

Björk-approved designer Hildur Yeoman teamed up with leading contemporary artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir (aka Shoplifter) for a fashion show-turned dance party, with music by campy cover band Bjartar Sveiflur. Housed inside Höfuðstöðin, Shoplifter’s brand new museum space, the artist’s Chromo Sapiens installation (a cave covered in fluorescent synthetic and natural hair) was a fantastical backdrop for Yeoman’s trippy printed collection, known as 'In Bloom!' “I was inspired by the brighter times ahead,” says Yeoman. “We are ready to seek out new adventures in the sun, by the ocean or at wild summer parties.”

Ragna Ragnarsdóttir’s experimented with elemental forms for a series of modular shelves, cubist tables that appear to colour-morph from different vantage points, and an angular wall sconce that played with form and light.

Iris Agustsdottir and Freyja Arnadottir’s new company ID Reykjavik released a line of furniture and light fixtures combining Icelandic lava from the Hafnarfjörður area with wood, leather, and steel.

Heritage outerwear label 66° North celebrated their recent B-Corp certification by turning to emerging talents for three collaborations centered on sustainability. ​​Valdís Steinarsdóttir used a two-dimensional mold to shape a natural liquid material into a jelly-like bio-textile resembling vinyl rainwear. 66° North also teamed up with Arnar Ingi Viðarsson and Valdís Steinarsdóttir to create a chair made from the brand’s own damaged and non-repairable puffer coats. And Studio Flétta’s Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir experimented with textile offcuts from 66°North production by melting, sewing, and weaving them into new textiles.

Designer Sól Hansdóttir showed her debut collection after graduation from Central Saint Martins, where she was awarded the L’Oréal Creative Award. Entitled 'Urgent Experiments on Reality', it was a multi-layered take on twisted tailoring using found materials. “I was running around Reykjavík borrowing garments that felt real to me,” Hansdóttir says, who then cut pieces into spirally strings which were then knotted together. Icelandic wools were also layered together in off-kilter order.

Unisex clothing and accessory house Svart By Svart teamed up with French artist Minuit on a capsule of pieces made from fishing equipment such as cords, nets, and ropes otherwise destined for a landfill. “The ocean is where I feel unity with the planet, nature and existence,” says artist and designer Marko Svart. Entitled 'Flækja', it caught the eye of celebrity stylist Edda Gudmundsdottir.

Sigzon Hats showed their new assortment of handmade millinery that’s equal parts cowboy and viking-worthy, by self-taught menswear designer Sigurður Ernir Þórisson.

Gæla's long-haired Icelandic lamb fur body bags were full of cartoonish character and designed to be cuddled and combed.

Noted London-based product designer Theodora Alfredsdottir's collection of sleek bent (and unbreakable) mirrors were cleverly crafted from laser-cut silver and gold-toned stainless steel, then finished by hand for a high-shine reflection.

Björn Steinar’s new Plastplan furniture concept explored the potential of recycled plastic. The results? A candy-like collection of sweet stools, tables, and chairs.

Studio Hanna Whitehead exhibited Spin, a collection of colorful and complex ceramics, wood, and wool works. “These are the ideas that you put in a drawer and always intend to give yourself time for,” Whitehead says of her interwoven clay vessels and candelabras.

Design house Fólk Reykjavik commissioned Ólína Rögnudóttir to create a series of blocky brutalist candleholders, a hygge household essential.

Venerable Nordic decor store Epal chose several up and coming creators to display their works, including ARKITÝPA, a furniture concept by Ástríður Birna Árnadóttir and Karitas Möller that transforms upcycled salvage from local stone yards into Bauhaus-style side tables.

Studio Allsber’s charming handmade ceramics were equal parts wabi sabi and Alice in Wonderland tea party. Most pieces were inscribed with droll Icelandic phrases on love and life.

Fischersund, the fragrance apothecary from Sigur Rós frontman Jonsí, converted their lower level into Faux Fauna, an experiential exhibit of fictional flora, soundscapes, and scents that blurred the boundaries between natural and supernatural.