Fakelore or invented traditions are cultural practices that are perceived as arising from people in the distant past but are actually very recent. Such is the case with the national icon for Icelandic cultural identity, the Souvenir Lopapeysa Sweater. Actually a Danish product, it is more a souvenir of their sovereignty from Denmark.

The sweaters are heavily marketed to tourists as the must have souvenir. They are part of a commercial strategy to brand the Icelandic identity. They represent the transition from the fishing economy to the tourism economy. Funny since Icelanders hate tourists and pride themselves on their insular nature. But consumerism prevails; especially since the financial collapse of 2008. These jumpers are fantastic for the climate since they are not spun and provide maximum insulation.

So I thought it would be great to give the psuedo-tradition what it loathes most: a collaboration between New York City and Reykjavik. An artist cultural exchange. My favorite piece of street graffiti in Reykjavik states Brooklyn Fuckwits Beware you are in Assymmetrical Haircut Heaven Now! Using the most lovely color palette I had seen on the streets, I added the superman logo in the yoke as a nod to Americana in cherry red. This was my collaboration with the Handknitting Association of Iceland.

Iceland has become a vacation destination and tourists now inundate the blue lagoon and the sweaters are being mass produced in China.