FAR AWAY, BETWEEN THE NORWEGIAN SEA and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland, lie the Faroe Islands. A place of dramatic cliffs and glistening fjords, the Faroe Islands are a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Comprised of 18 small islands with a population of nearly 50,000 people, it is a nation of its own with its own culture and language, a place of startling fresh air and intensely green grass, a place where the sheep far outnumber the people . . .
It is here, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, that knitwear company, Guðrun & Guðrun, is based. Specializing in hand-knit items that come from old Faroese handicraft traditions, Guðrun & Guðrun was founded in 1999 by two women, fashion designer, Gudrun Ludvig, and project maker, Gudrun Rógvadóttir. The islands play an important part in the pair’s design process, for “The isolation of their home is closely linked to the creative process behind the designs, with delicate and feminine pieces created using traditional Faroese knitting techniques and yarn unique to the Faroe Islands.” The hand-knitted collections are made in the homes of knitters on the Faroe Islands and in Jordan and Peru as part of the company’s women’s empowerment projects.
“Hand-knits are organic. They have their own life. As a designer, you can begin a knitwear piece with an idea, but the material will often surprise and seduce you, and you’ll end up with something quite different than what you first imagined.”
Meanwhile, about 320 kilometres (200 miles) away, the work of Guðrun & Guðrun has found their way to the cobblestone streets of the city and we are obsessed. A PINK mohair coat that has easily become a cosy favourite this winter is completely at home here, despite its beginnings in such a remote place. According to the designer, “It’s good to come to Europe for input and inspiration, but it’s crucial to come back home to the silence and not be disturbed by the hectic life of fashion.”
And as with everything that comes out of the Faroe Islands, “… if you look closely, you can see the dark winter nights, the dizzy hike along a mountain path, the tiny arctic flower and the curiosity about what hides over the next stonewall … [telling] stories about the tiny country in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.”
Aside from the wispy and romantic knits, we love that the company supports women’s empowerment projects around the world; a group of Danish women from a charity organisation produce scarfs and hats for which all salary received is donated in full to various projects, including sending funds to a maternity clinic in Somalia, an Unicef girls educational programme in Africa, as well as aiding the WFP’s work with famine in the Horn of Africa. The latest donation was given to a volunteer school project in Gambia, enabling girls to attend secondary school.
Guðrun & Guðrun have often been credited with playing a major part in the renaissance of knitwear, elevating the comfy sweater to runway status. Other factors that play a part in this current love affair with knitwear is the longing for all things authentic and handmade [the very same we have seen with leather goods], as well as the inherent character and timeless charm of a hand-knitted jumper. In the words of the designers, “A jumper is very visible. It has personality. Hand knits are intelligent pieces of clothing and only get more gorgeous with age as they change character, evolve and grow old with their owner.”
“Our vision is to make a difference. Which is very simple and yet very ambitious. We want to make clothes that meet the standards of conscious consumers that do care about each other, the environment, our common natural resources and that yet want to be stylish…” —Guðrun & Guðrun
“When our customers, mostly busy urban people, buy our knitwear, they also buy the idea of peace and harmony. When buying a jersey that you know has been produced spending much time and using many thoughts, you also buy the idea of having much time, like in the good old days, when you were sitting in front of the fire knitting your own clothes.” —Gudrun Rógvadóttir, owner, Gudrun & Gudrun
“We want to prove that knit is not only cosy and heavy but can also be light and feminine. The timelessness of the pieces is important too. Very often the sweaters will become a part of you, like a piece of furniture you love or a perfume you always come back to using.”
Shop: Guðrun & Guðrun | facebook | instagram | twitter | tumblr
Featured in this article : the Jana mohair sweater & the Herta alpaca sweater
Other favourites : Jennhild / Jóna / Lena / Hansa
Images: all photography, Roséline by P.F.M. for This Is Glamorous with the exception of the Faroe Islands images: 1 / 2 / 3 // quotes & information from Kreanord & Flux Magazine // Belgrave Crescent satchel
This article is in collaboration with Guðrun & Guðrun
