66ºNorth to open UK flagship this autumn

Icelandic B Corp outerwear brand 66ºNorth has announced it is opening its first UK flagship on Regent Street in London. Slated to open in the second week of September, the 3,500-square-foot store will mark 66ºNorth's first outside of Iceland and Denmark and will showcase its technical outerwear, apparel and accessories for men and women.

66ºNorth chief executive, Helgi Oskarsson, said in a statement: ''We are thrilled about the opening of our new London flagship. London is an amazing city: beyond its culture and heritage, it’s home to some of the best and most influential fashion retail in the world. We opened our first store outside of Iceland seven years ago in Copenhagen. Ever since then, we’ve been waiting for the right moment to open a London store. Now, we are ready.

“We chose the site on 100 Regent Street and 33A Glasshouse Street for two reasons. First, it’s one of the busiest shopping streets in all of London. Locals and tourists alike come here to be inspired, and the retail experience we’re building will contribute to that. Second, the space at this particular address was capable of fitting our vision.”

The London flagship will also house the brand’s showroom and a space for community gatherings and workshops on the lower floor.

66ºNorth is expanding its retail footprint to the UK with a London flagship on Regent Street

Oskarsson added: “66°North was founded in 1926 to protect Icelandic fishermen from the challenges of the Arctic Circle. Ever since then, we’ve made quality products that withstand the elements, all in the name of promoting a life lived in harmony with nature. The best way to present the brand and tell its sustainability story is to showcase the quality and durability of the product in our own stores.

“We have been selling through retail partners in the UK and our own website 66north.com for several years, but the most rewarding part of opening any store is introducing new customers to 66°North in an authentic and immersive way. Our London flagship will enable that.”

Berlin-based architects, Gonzalez Haase, have been appointed to bring 66ºNorth’s Icelandic DNA to life through a design concept that showcases the “interplay between Iceland as a constant and static island, with the myriad shades of grey found in the forever changing weather for which it is renowned”. The design will use mainly earth-based, natural colours on the shop floor and feature walls clad in natural British clay.

Kira Sciberras, architect/project manager at Gonzalez Haase, added: “The existing floor plan is already quite complex on its own with no straight walls and all different kinds of columns, reminiscent of a forest. The grey clay walls are monumental and simple, they can be higher and lower depending on their position carefully allowing or obstructing fields of view. They create different perspectives and atmospheres.”