The wool sweater, necessity, luxury and Icelandic national pride

Ásdís Ósk Jóelsdóttir, Assistant Lecturer in textile education.

The Icelandic wool sweater is considered to be Iceland's most prominent and visible heritage, and despite a relatively young age it has a colourful history. This is revealed in Ásdís Jóelsdóttir's research report, but she is an Assistant Lecturer in textile education. The report is called "The origin, design and development of the Icelandic wool sweater"  („Uppruni, hönnun og þróun lopapeysunnar“) and this is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the Icelandic wool sweater. "It was important to record the history and development of the wool sweater as it has become of great value for the country and is a model for various designs," says Ásdís. 

Many factors and people play roles in the origin, design and development of the wool sweater; dating back to the turn of the twentieth century when factory made, non-spun wool had become an important source of income for Icelandic homes and and women began to fast knit work sweaters for fishermen. 

The craft has its own history and sociological factors had an impact on the development of the sweater as well. The wool sweater gradually began to develop, from being a life saver to be worn in  extremely cold weather to becoming a popular souvenir in the forties and fifties, and an important export in the seventies and eighties.  The role of the Icelandic sweater is diverse "in the twenties and thirties the warm Icelandic sweater with patterns was an important for those wealthy enough to do outdoor sports. With changes in society in connection with work and free time more and more people had the means and opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. The sweaters knitted using traditional patterns became a luxury for skiing and skating trips in the forties and fifties," Ásdís explains and adds: "The Icelandic sweater had by then become a souvenir, clothing for outdoor activities, work garment for men, school sweater and couture. We still today keep all those roles." 

The origin, design and development of the Icelandic sweater is, according to the report, also an important part of Icelandic textile history. The Icelandic sweater is, furthermore, a part of the history of men and women who with their intellectual property created the basis for one of the most important Icelandic exports of all times. The Icelandic sweater is thus an important part of the technical revolution, Icelandic export and design, giving grounds for this most visible national pride in Iceland. "If we had not been able to utilise the wool, turning it into a useful product, we would be in a bad place," says Ásdís.