Fashion Design
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Freedom & nostalgia

Milla Snorrason

Fashion designer Hilda Gunnarsdóttir has created womenswear since 2012 under the label Milla Snorrason. Nothing is out of bounds for Hilda when it comes to fashion design — from wool sweaters to elegant silk dresses.


Author: Ásta Andrésdóttir / Photographs: Saga Sig

For me it’s important that women feel relaxed and move freely in my garments. It’s entirely possible to look sharp in an unhampered and effortless way”, says Hilda. These days the label’s new knitwear line is catching on. The figures that decorate the thick, warm wool sweaters are adapted from oil paintings by the half-Icelandic artist Sara Gillies. Hilda also uses the figures in a pattern for cotton jersey dresses and leggings. “I wanted to design knitwear from Icelandic wool with an Icelandic knitting manufacturer because it’s important to me to take advantage of opportunities for local production, not only to do my part to support local manufacturers but also for environmental reasons. I developed the product in collaboration with the Varma mills and it turned out brilliantly,” says Hilda. The sweaters sold well through outlets like Kraum in downtown Reykjavík, Baugar og bein in Hafnarfjörður and Laugavegur’s Kiosk, where Hilda is a co-owner…

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…She subsequently launched her label Milla Snorrason and began designing her first collection, which was shown at the Reykjavik Fashion Festival (RFF) in 2012. She named the label after her great grandmother’s sister. “Milla was a dazzling woman with a strong sense of style, and she sewed a lot herself. I have a few pieces of hers, including a dress that’s one of my favourites,” Hilda explains, adding that the name Milla suits the label because she draws much inspiration from the past, such as poring over old family albums. She’s especially drawn to the period between 1920-1950. “I choose natural materials like wool, silk and cotton. I’m fascinated that the era’s fashion was so influenced by the spirit of the times, by personal circumstances, by politics, and they weren’t much for garish colours and synthetics. Women didn’t have huge wardrobes, but what they did have was high quality and they had respect for those garments. Both making the clothes and owning the clothes demanded resourcefulness and hard work. Women from this time were gaining independence and becoming more active participants in society, which is reflected in the fashion. There’s something lovely about the respect people had for their worldly possessions, and I think we’re rediscovering, slowly and steadily, the merit in that kind of lifestyle. At least, I want to align myself with that vision by building up my label and trying to create fewer but finer garments.”…

Read the full article in the first issue of HA magazine

Ljósmynd/photograp: Saga Sig

Ljósmynd/photograp: Saga Sig

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