Fashion: Inspired by ghostly tales and superstition

Designer Harpa Einarsdóttir will be jetting off to Cannes to …

Designer Harpa Einarsdóttir will be jetting off to Cannes to toast with the Hilton sisters later this month. Photo/ Eygló Margrét Lárusdóttir

Anna Margrét Björnsson

mbl.is
Anna Margrét Björnsson

Icelandic designer Harpa Einarsdóttir has just completed the design of a stunning new collection for her new label MYRKA, to be presented at a showcase event at the upcoming Cannes film festival. 

So what exactly is MYRKA? 

In the winter of 2014 I started doing research on ecologically sound production of clothing and textiles and read everything I could find on the subject. I was researching new textiles with unique capabilities for outdoor wear and became fascinated by wool production. I wanted to produce a new textile made from natural materials and the idea was to make clothes that you could wear anywhere, from a night out at the theatre to a mountain hike. When I was working on the project the name MYRKA came into my head. When I was young I was fascinated with an Icelandic ghost tale called the Deacon of Myrká (dark river) and my first MYRKA collection is inspired by Icelandic folktales and superstition. 

When did you start the label?

I lost my previous label, Ziska, to the hands of investors who then abandoned the label in 2014. That was a really tough time for me, I'd been working on Ziska for six years and tried unsuccessfully to get the label back. After I gave up on Ziska I set up a boutique called Baugar og Bein in Hafnarfjörður which was a fantastic experience. Over the last few months I concentrated my efforts on MYRKA and have put up a crowdfunding page on Karolina Fund for the project.  What makes MYRKA unique is first and foremost the fact that part of the collection will always be produced in a small quantity, with every single piece being unique, like artwork, each piece is numbered and labelled. The customer will therefore be able to look their piece up on our homepage to see how it was produced and to learn about the production process from idea to finish, and even see footage of the designer at work. This makes the product more valuable and more personal. Obviously these pieces are not mass-produced and are therefore more valuable, as well as counteracting the negative developments of the clothing and textile industries. 

Tell us about the MYRKA show at the Cannes Film Festival?

I've been getting a great reception from international media, including an upcoming article in The Huffington Post and the new MYRKA collection should be out in the autumn.  I'm going to Paris soon to buy material and then I'm off to Cannes to present my collection through Beverly Hills Haute Couture who set up shows around the Oscars and Cannes. I will  basically be living in a villa for a few days, drinking cocktails, be interviewed by CNN and make a toast with the Hilton sisters. It's too funny to be true and so completely removed from my own reality here in Iceland.

Check out the MYRKA crowdfunding page HERE for further information. 

One of the unique pieces in the MYRKA collection.

One of the unique pieces in the MYRKA collection.

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