A week ago I was complaining about the lack of sun. My body already needed its good doses of vitamin D. And as if I had performed a ritual to the gods, they heard my prayers. In recent days we have had an spectacular weather. More of that, coming soon. For now, as a goodbye to the cold weather and to all my winter clothes, I have decided to dedicate a segment in this blog to my much-loved sweater. Since 2015 it has accompanied me, the year I visited Iceland for the first time, A.'s family presented it to me. The sweater, as tradition dictates, is handmade, by A's great-aunt. Since then, every winter, my sweater is with me.
Lopapeysa
Lopi in Icelandic means wool and peysa is a sweater, lopapeysa is the name by which the typical Icelandic wool sweater is known (in case you were curious). This sweater is characterised not only by being made of wool, but the material comes from Icelandic sheep, that have a particular wool, which is resistant to the climate of the region, especially wind and water. Originally, the sweater was knitted jersey style, but today there are versions with buttons, zippers and hoods. I took on the task of looking for information about the history of the sweater a while ago, since there is some controversy surrounding the origin of this, which I learned when studying Icelandic on my own.
Ancestral tradition?
Well, here is the gossip. It turns out that there are two versions about the origin of this garment, in my opinion quite suspicious. The first (which is the most accepted) is the one that says that the inspiration for the design of the prints comes from a Nordic tradition, and therefore, it is difficult to establish when it started to become popular in Iceland. However, in this same direction, it is suggested that the Norwegians were inspired by the prints of the Greenlanders to make their own sweaters, this, they say, by a dispute between Norway and Denmark for the territory of Greenland. Sweden and Norway have their traditional sweater styles, which may have influenced the more traditional lopapeysa design.
But I am more interested in the second version, not only because it is the least accepted, but also because it seems quite peculiar to me that, in all the places where I looked for the information, none was available. It is said that this sweater was first made by Auður Laxness, writer and craftswoman, who was also the wife of the writer Halldór Laxness. Doesn't that name sound familiar to you? Nothing more and nothing less than the Nobel Prize laureate in Literature. Auður, who received honours for her contribution to Icelandic culture, in some interview proclaimed herself as the creator of the lopapeysa, and not only that, but her design was inspired by a book that Halldór gave her about the Inca culture. Connoisseurs and scholars disagree with this version (and in general, no specific origin is attributed to it) but Auður's contribution in the design of the sweater is said to be in the circular print over the shoulder. Another version says that the print that Auður retook was the original version, after visiting Greenland.
Whatever it is, today, these traditional sweaters are not only worn as a symbol of national identity, they are also the perfect souvenir for those who want to have the best garment to cover themselves from the terrible cold. They are quite expensive, but their craftsmanship, for the most part, is still handmade. They exist in different colours, different designs and brands.
So, as Miranda Presley would say:
"(...) it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”
That's all!
Fuentes
- Nykänen, L. (2016) Lopapeysa: The significance of patterns in the Icelandic sweater. Bachelor's thesis, Iceland. Department of Design and Architecture, Icelandic Academy of the Arts.
- https://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2019/03/05/ask-a-textile-historian-what-is-the-story-of-the-icelandic-sweater/
- https://craftsmanship.net/blog/iconic-icelandic-wool-sweater-invented-cultural-statement/
- http://www.contributoria.com/issue/2014-11/5415ae6fa81b1b662800007b.html