Icelandic fashion designer Steinunn Sigurðardóttir

2008-11-04
PRESSRELEASE
Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize 2008 awarded to
Icelandic fashion designer Steinunn Sigurðardóttir.
Steinunn Sigurðardóttir - the first fashion designer to receive the prize!
The prize-winner, Steinunn Sigurðardóttir, has chosen to show 25 outfits during her
exhibition at the Röhsska Museum. The exhibition will cover her three most recent
fashion collections, giving visitors the chance to familiarise themselves with her style.
Steinunns international appeal and strong roots in the natural and cultural heritage of
Iceland are clearly witnessed in her fashion designs, which take cues from Icelandic
national dress, volcanic lava, the sea and the moors. Her approach can equally be summed
up by the adjectives local and global. Steinunn Sigurðardóttirs strong international
standing and commitment to quality are emphasised in documentary films from recent
fashion shows that will be shown during the exhibition.
Justification for the award reads as follows:
Having worked for several well-known fashion houses, since 2000 Steinunn
Sigurðardóttir has run her own business from Reykjavik with great international success.
Her designs reflect her extensive experience, strong sense of fashion and keen attention to
quality. Her collections also bear witness to her impeccable detailing and understanding
of fabrics. Inspired by the Icelandic landscape, Steinunn Sigurðardóttir has given the
Nordic region a respect-worthy representative on the international fashion scene.
The jury consisted of Bodil Busk Laursen, the Danish Museum of Art and Design in
Copenhagen; head curator Widar Halén, the National Museum of Art, Architecture and
Design in Oslo; former museum director Jarno Peltonen, Helsinki; interior architect FHI
Stefan Snaebjörnsson, Reykjavik; Dr. Tomas Söderberg, Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg
Foundations, and Ted Hesselbom, director of the Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg.
Since 1994, the Röhsska Museum has awarded one of the largest prizes in the world SEK
1.000.000, for design and decorative art, the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Award,
donated by the Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg foundations.
The prize-giving ceremony takes place on Tuesday 4 November, starting at 4.30 pm.
The prize will be awarded by Pam Fredman, Vice Chancellor of the University of
Göteborg.
Exhibition opening: Wednesday 5 November at 12.00 pm, attended by Steinunn
Sigurðardóttir.
At 6.00 pm on the same day the prize-winner will give a lecture entitled STEiNUNN
personal style in an international environment.
The exhibition will run from 5 November 2008 until 22 February 2009.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Röhsska
• museet
• Museum
• Steinunn
• Sigurðardóttir
• Mikael
• Lammgård
• design
• museums
• mode
• fashion