Birthdays are a bit strange. At the start of your life, they’re incredibly exciting. Then somewhere in the middle, you’d rather forget they were ever happening. And finally, towards the end, they seem to get very exciting once again. Getting to 100 years old is a mental achievement — and our mates at 66°North are very, very nearly there.
The brand has officially turned 99 this year – just one shy of the big triple digits – but thanks to their namesake, this one actually feels even more special than 100. We’ve been hoping all year that for this milestone they’d do the obvious thing and flip the 66 on its head. But as it turns out, they were way ahead of us…
When Hans Kristjánsson originally founded 66°North in 1926, he probably wasn’t all that worried about getting to 99 years so he could flip the logo upside down. His mind was occupied with more pressing matters, like whether his new jacket was going to keep him alive while fishing for his dinner in -20°C temperatures. 66North was founded out of a matter of life or death, and this no-expense-spared attitude to producing outerwear is still at the heart of everything they do.
So, to celebrate 99 years of keeping Iceland warm, dry and stylish, the brand has introduced the 99-Year Capsule, a celebratory collection marking nearly a century of braving wind, rain, sleet, and volcanic ash.
The capsule features two of their biggest hitters – the Snæfell and the Vatnajökull jackets – reworked as limited-edition anniversary pieces. And when we say limited, we mean really limited: just 99 pieces of each. Not modern day, limited – more like blink, and the only time you’ll see these jackets again is down an eBay rabbithole in 15 years’ time, limited.
Alongside the outerwear, come some elevated everyday bits – hoodies and tees that do the whole technical but casual thing expertly well. Whether you’re layering up to go catch a king salmon off a Westfjords coastline or just popping down to Iceland to get a pack of fish fingers, these’ll do the job nicely.
The campaign imagery has been shot in Reykjavík by Anna Maggy, a proper Icelandic photographer with an eye for the kind of rugged romance that makes you want to grow a beard and move into a cabin. Real people, real weather, and real clothes made for real environments.
99 years ago, making clothing wasn’t about performance fabrics and fashion collabs — it was about not dying. And that spirit hasn’t gone anywhere. Nearly a century on, and 66°North is still making outerwear like someone’s life might depend on it. Which, in Iceland, it definitely does.
So here’s to 99 years of doing outerwear properly. One more to go before the big moment, but honestly, this one feels pretty special already.
To shop the 99 Year Capsule, visit 66north.com
