66°North AW25 / Autumn Winter 2025 at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Icelandic outerwear brand 66°North mark their milestone 99-year anniversary with Copenhagen Fashion Week debut.
January 2025 – Icelandic B-Corp outerwear brand 66°North announces its debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week for the upcoming AW25 season. The brand will celebrate their landmark 99-year anniversary with “867,815,464 Hours”; an immersive exhibition symbolising the total hours since the company’s founding. The concept is inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000-Hour Rule” which illustrates the dedication required to achieve mastery. 66°North have been perfecting their craft since the brand’s inception in 1926, where they were originally creating clothing for fishermen in the Westfjords of Iceland. As they approach their centenary, 66°North pride themselves as the experts in creating multipurpose, made-to-last pieces. Their inaugural showing at Copenhagen Fashion Week comes at an opportune time, as they also celebrate 10 years since the opening of their first international store in Copenhagen.
The exhibition will pay homage to the brand’s legacy and will delve into three unique sections—past, present, and future. Overall illustrating 66°North’s unique journey as a heritage Icelandic brand, now viewed under a global microscope with a flagship store on Regent Street, London and a global wholesale distribution in stores such as END Clothing, Harrods, and Browns Fashion.
“When Mr. Hans Kristjánsson founded the company in 1926, his mission was to protect Icelandic fishermen from the elements. Now, 99 years later, our promise is still to protect our customers from the weather, no matter if it is a snowstorm in Iceland or a rainy day in the city. Our 99th year is a warm up before the brand officially becomes a centenarian. With 99 being 66 upside-down, we are turning every stone in our history to search for pieces we made in the past. Whether it is a Search and Rescue Team outfit, or a winter coat made for the British soldiers during the occupation of Iceland in 1940. The exhibition in Copenhagen is our first step in celebrating a century-long journey that embraces handicraft, timelessness, and long-lasting purpose-led styles relevant to the world of today as for the future.” notes Helgi Óskarsson, CEO, 66°North
For the first time in the brand’s history, they will exhibit a glance into their iconic archive collection. Illustrating how the brand began saving lives of Icelandic fishermen and soon after dressing other industries such as the Search and Rescue team. Moving into the 1930’s where people started to use its protective outerwear for everyday life, the archive will illustrate this natural transition into creating everyday performance-wear with uncompromised detail to quality, functionality and timeless Icelandic design. Highlights include the Olympic kit made for the Icelandic team in 1998, a one-and-only ‘Tindur Suit’ created for the first Icelander to climb the north side of Everest in 2013, as well as the original Fisherman’s coat where everything began for 66°North.
The exhibition will also offer an educational insight into 66°North’s circularity efforts, which have been ingrained in the company from the very beginning. They have always offered a repair service, and the Icelandic values of making use of every scrap are ingrained in the company culture with their partnerships and collaborations frequently incorporating the repurposing of unwanted offcuts or recycled materials, such as their recent collaboration with London next-gen designer Charlie Constantinou. 66°North own their own production with two factories, meaning they have been able to develop and retain serious ‘know-how’, the exhibition in Copenhagen will give attendees an understanding as to how the brand is able to uphold these ‘made to last’ Values.
Looking to the present day, the exhibition will also offer a glimpse of the brand’s craftsmanship and smart technology through a sensory experience. Focusing on light and sound, the exhibition will put a spotlight on the artistry behind the creation of the brands hero styles and offer visitors a unique perspective on the brand’s garments. A cascading Icelandic waterfall installation will be the visual focal point, symbolising the powerful 99-year brand moment.
In true 66°North inclusive style, the exhibition will be open to the public throughout the day via a sign up on 66north.com. The exception will be an exclusive live presentation of the upcoming 66°North AW25 / Autumn Winter 2025 which will be presented to media and the industry for the first time. The new collection is focused on creating products that endure and evolve, as the natural landscapes shift with the seasons. Rooted in the brand’s circular philosophy, the AW25 collection is made to last for generations and contains many of their ‘hero’ carryover products which are revived season-after-season; with the new concept speaking to the constant transformation of both the natural world and the 66°North brand.
The experience will conclude with a 66°North gift shop where tickets serve as raffle entries, and guests will have the opportunity to engage in interactive elements such as ‘win a trip to Iceland’ and unique giveaways.
About 66°North, A certified B Corporation, 66°North is an Icelandic outerwear company creating multipurpose, made to last pieces, since 1926. Iceland has a spirit of people living an extraordinary, everyday life connected to nature and meeting impossible challenges with optimism, joy, and humour. 66°North brings the power and beauty of the North to the world through their products. This means clothes that make life and activity possible where there would otherwise be none, and business practices that conserve and protect the North at a time when our glaciers, weather, and natural landscape are under dramatic threat from climate change. 66°North is a carbon-neutral business that practises a holistic approach to circularity. For more information, visit 66north.com.
All images 66°North AW25 / Autumn Winter 2025 by the brand / Copenhagen Fashion Week.