Published in two volumes in 1934 and 1935 was Independent People—a novel by Icelandic author Halldór Laxness, which won a Nobel Prize. The book told the story of shepherd Guðbjartur Guðbjartsson (Bjartur) and his family, and recently served as inspiration for Jil Sander’s fall/winter 2017 menswear collection. The line drew from Independent People four main themes—disintegration, neo-brutalism, solid ground, and zen. Rather than running from the winter, Jil Sander is inviting it in, and celebrating in its disruptive and drab facets.
With colors borrowed from the Icelandic landscape, such as chalk grey from the water or the green-yellow of a geyser, we see parkas and heavy coats ready to battle the Nordic winter. Made of military cotton satin and heat-kept waterproof wool, coats and blousons connect by large strips of Velcro. Denim is seen in sage and straw, similar to the European country’s ground. We also saw a variety of fun prints, which took inspiration from glitch art—a type of pattern technique that creates a partial disintegration of an image.
Jil Sander Men’s Fall/Winter 2017.Courtesy of Jil Sander.
For the cap-off of this blistering winter, we are dreaming of the details in Iceland.
Jil Sander Men’s Fall/Winter 2017.Courtesy of Jil Sander.
Jil Sander Men’s Fall/Winter 2017.Courtesy of Jil Sander.
