2011 Nordic Fashion Biennale Readies for September 30 Opening at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle

SEATTLE, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordic fashion, design and culture will be showcased in Seattle on September 30 when the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle and the Nordic House, Reykjavik, in partnership with Iceland Naturally, officially open the 2011 Nordic Fashion Biennale. This international celebration of Nordic style is open to the public and will run through November 13. Anchoring the Nordic Fashion Biennale is the exhibition Looking Back to Find our Future featuring cutting-edge, contemporary Nordic fashion and jewelry from Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

New York-based Icelandic visual artist and fashion designer Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (aka Shoplifter) was selected to curate the exhibition. The vision is one which blurs past and present while highlighting the cultural influences and deep roots that inspire many modern Nordic pieces.

"The Nordic Fashion Biennale is a platform where we offer a celebration and an insight into the Nordic spirit, the marriage of creativity with practicality in fashion, and the surprisingly beautiful results," said Shoplifter. "People can experience our global similarities and differences and create their own connections between the past and modern reality."

The Nordic Fashion Biennale 2011 kicks off September 30 with the NFB 2011 Fashion Summit, a series of interactive presentations led by industry trendsetters. The symposium will feature 14 prominent speakers including Yvan Mispelaere, Creative Designer for Diane Von Furstenberg.

"If the fashion industry is controlled by the establishment, the creativity slowly fades away," said Mundi Vondi, Icelandic artist, designer and participant in the Fashion Summit. "Before we know it, all fashion shows start blurring together. What better way to get an infusion of fresh ideas and a rush of creativity, than by spending two days with designers and artists from all over the world?"

According to New York-based stylist and designer Edda Gudmundsdottir who is co-curating the Summit, "Our speakers come from the complete spectrum of the fashion industry—from a mom and pop operation to a multibillion dollar company. They represent enormous variety both in business models and in creativity, addressing all aspects of modern fashion business from the artisan to the global business leader. With the summit, we show multiple levels of operations and approaches to fashion, discussing topics such as sustainability, slow fashion and how it relates to the global aspect of multi-cultural consumerism."

The 2011 Nordic Fashion Biennale is being produced in part due to the generous support from numerous partners including Iceland Naturally, Icelandair Cargo, Icelandic USA, Inc., Volvo, Marel, Trilogy International Partners, Scan|Design Foundation by Inger & Jens Bruun, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Artsfund, 4Culture, and the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

For more information on the designers and artists participating in the 2011 Nordic Fashion Biennale, a full schedule of events and ticket information visit www.nordicfashionbiennale.com.

SOURCE Nordic Heritage Museum