Co-founder and former CEO of Moda Operandi, Áslaug Magnúsdóttir launches Katla, a sustainably minded and eco-friendly fashion and lifestyle brand that puts the planet first. Here, she discusses the brand and its goals for the future.
Katla is the name of a very powerful and active volcano in my home country of Iceland. The area of the Katla Geopark is stunning and includes glaciers, ice caves, blacksand beaches, and beautiful rock formations. The brand draws inspiration from Icelandic nature and is built around being environmentally friendly, so I felt it was appropriate to name it after such a powerful and beautiful force of nature.
When I designed the Katla brand and business model, I decided to make it as holistically sustainable as possible. This includes using environmentally friendly fabrics, manufacturing on-demand to minimise waste, offering a resale/recycle programme for Katla clothing that is no longer being used, and even putting a unique tracking number on every garment so that customers can learn about who made their items and where the fabrics came from. There are so many ways to incorporate sustainable initiatives within a fashion company, and we want to be at the forefront of that.
The Katla woman is someone who appreciates beautiful fashion but also wants to have a positive impact on the world around her. She has a busy life and loves to have clothing that easily transitions from day into evening and is just as comfortable as it is beautiful.
My vision when I started Moda was to give women around the world access to the most beautiful runway fashion. This time, with Katla, I also want to give women around the world access to beautiful fashion, but fashion that has a sustainable, positive impact on the environment.
With respect to my wardrobe, I am more and more focused on looking for pieces that have a timeless essence. An important pillar for shopping sustainably is to seek high quality design, fabrics and craftsmanship that make you want to wear that piece again and again. I seek to embrace this slow-fashion mentality when designing my wardrobe. When it comes to my home, my style is quite contemporary and minimalistic. Again, I look for pieces that will stand the test of time. I like bringing in fun and colour through a mix of unique artwork and antique pieces. Available at katla.com
