66°North

66°NORTH is an Icelandic clothing manufacturer, specialising in outdoor wear. Though widely popular in Iceland for many years, the company's products have recently begun receiving international attention after beginning exports to the United States in 2004. The company is owned by the international filmmaker Sigurjón Sighvatsson.

66°NORTH was founded in 1926 by Hans Kristjansson as a means of making clothing to shield fishermen from the Icelandic elements. It was named after the latitudinal line of the Arctic Circle which touches the northernmost part of Iceland, the island of Grímsey. By the 1960s, the company had begun to produce a range of worker-themed casual wear, aiming to design clothes that were both attractive and comfortable in cold climates. The brand subsequently became one of the most popular in Iceland; it was once dubbed by the "Wall Street Journal" as "practically Iceland's national clothier." In recent years, however, it has begun to face increasing competition in this home market.

66°NORTH remained little-known outside of Iceland until 2004, when it expanded overseas, selling distribution rights in the United States and other countries. Its distributors used its Icelandic origins as a marketing ploy in an attempt to break into the competitive outdoor garments industry. It is currently being sold in a range of department stores, as well as a handful of chain stores, including Urban Outfitters, with prices ranging from US$250 to $US450.

External links

* [http://www.66north.com 66°NORTH - Outdoor clothing from Iceland]