There are outdoor brands with history, and then there are brands whose history is inseparable from the landscape that created them. For 66°North, that landscape is Iceland: a place where wind, rain and cold are not occasional inconveniences, but part of everyday life. In 2026, the Icelandic outdoor brand celebrates 100 years of making clothing for those conditions.

The 66°North Autumn Winter 2026 collection, Layers of Everyday Life, marks the centenary by looking back without becoming trapped in the past. Familiar ideas from fishing workwear, mountaineering and Icelandic daily life return through modern fabrics, relaxed silhouettes and an adaptable layering system. At its centre are two names worth remembering: Dyngja, now one of the brand’s defining outerwear families, and the Trawler Collection, a direct link to the maritime story with which 66°North began.

Keeping Iceland warm since 1926

66°North began in 1926 when Hans Kristjánsson started producing protective clothing for fishermen in Suðureyri, a small village in Iceland’s remote Westfjords. The brief was brutally simple: clothing had to keep working when the North Atlantic weather did its worst. Good design was not decoration. It was protection, reliability and, at times, survival.

That sense of purpose still gives 66°North clothing its character. Technical performance remains central, but the brand has grown far beyond specialist fishing equipment. Its jackets, fleeces and base layers are now part of everyday Icelandic culture, worn by people moving between the city, coast and mountains without needing a complete change of wardrobe.

Icelanders sometimes use the word ‘ulpa’ for the trusted outer layer they reach for whatever the weather. It suggests something more personal than a coat: the dependable piece that lives by the door, gathers stories and becomes better known with every winter. It is an idea that runs through the 66°North 100 Years collection and explains why durability matters to the brand on both a practical and emotional level.

100 years, told through 100 people

For its centenary, 66°North photographed 100 people born across the century since 1926, each wearing a personal 66°North garment. Fishermen and farmers appear alongside doctors, musicians, athletes and children, creating a living timeline of modern Iceland.

The portraits make the anniversary feel less like a corporate milestone and more like a national story. Some pieces are relatively new; others have been worn for years and carry the marks of real use. Together they show how technical clothing can become part of ordinary life when it is designed for the place people actually live.

Layers of Everyday Life: the 66°North AW26 collection

The Autumn Winter 2026 campaign develops that idea through ‘Layers of Everyday Life’. Different routines encounter different versions of the same weather, but the solution begins with a considered system: a base layer to regulate temperature, a breathable mid-layer to hold warmth and an outer shell to manage wind and rain.

This is Scandinavian layering in its most useful form. Merino pieces from the Básar range sit comfortably next to the skin, managing moisture and helping the body adjust as effort levels change. The Grettir Zip Neck uses Polartec Power Grid for efficient warmth during more active days, while pieces such as the Tindur Shearling Jacket and Hrannar Zip Neck provide warm, breathable mid-layers with enough visual character to be worn on their own.

At the outer edge of the system, the Hornstrandir GORE-TEX Pro is built for demanding conditions, while the Snæfell Shell Jacket offers versatile, breathable weather protection for a much broader range of days. The Ljósufjöll Insulated Jacket adds lightweight synthetic warmth without the bulk of a heavy winter coat. Each has a clear role, but none is confined to a single activity. That versatility is what allows 66°North outerwear to move so naturally from open ground to everyday city life.

The Trawler Collection: maritime heritage made modern

The 66°North Trawler Collection is the centenary story at its most direct. Inspired by the fishing nets that have shaped Iceland’s coastal communities for generations, it turns maritime texture and working detail into a distinctive modern collection. The range includes the Dyngja Shell Jacket, matching Dyngja Shell Trousers and the Trawler tote bag.

The Trawler design does not simply place an archival reference onto a contemporary garment. It reconnects the collection with the people 66°North was founded to protect. The result feels graphic and expressive, yet the thinking underneath remains thoroughly functional: who is the piece for, why does it exist and what must it withstand?

The 66°North Dyngja: an icon in more than one form

Dyngja has become one of the most recognisable names in the modern 66°North range. The Dyngja Down story grew from a bestselling early-2000s coat and has since been reworked across jacket, coat and bomber silhouettes, combining substantial insulation with the oversized proportions that have helped 66°North find an audience well beyond traditional outdoor clothing.

For AW26, the Dyngja Shell shows another side of the family. First introduced in Autumn Winter 2025, this archive-referenced waterproof jacket returns as an everyday shell with a clean, relaxed shape. In its Trawler interpretation, the Dyngja Shell Jacket brings the collection’s fishing-net motif to one of the brand’s most wearable outer layers. It is technical enough for poor weather, distinctive enough for the city and rooted unmistakably in Icelandic design.

That balance is a large part of the Dyngja appeal. It never disguises its outdoor purpose, but neither does it look like equipment that should be packed away as soon as the walk ends. For anyone searching for 66°North in the UK, Dyngja is an ideal introduction to the brand’s ability to combine protection, proportion and personality.

Built for life: durability as a design principle

A 100-year anniversary inevitably invites questions about what will last for the next 100. For 66°North, the answer begins with making products that deserve to stay in use. The company is B Corp certified, offers a warranty against defects and operates a repair service that reflects a long-standing belief in maintaining garments rather than treating them as disposable.

This approach is more convincing because durability is not presented as an optional extra. It has been part of the design brief since Hans Kristjánsson first made clothing for Icelandic fishermen. Materials and construction must serve the conditions, while repair and care extend the useful life of the finished piece. The most sustainable jacket is not simply the one with the best list of materials; it is the one you value, maintain and continue to wear.

Shop 66°North in the UK at Nordic Outdoor

A century after its foundation, 66°North remains faithful to the question that shaped its earliest work: what does clothing need to do for the person wearing it? The answers have evolved, but the purpose has not. AW26 brings together waterproof shells, insulating layers, merino base layers and archive-inspired designs that feel as relevant to a wet British winter as they do to life in Iceland.

Explore our latest 66°North collection at Nordic Outdoor, including new-season Dyngja and Trawler styles, and discover Icelandic outerwear designed for real weather and everyday life. Shop online in the UK or visit us in store to see the collection in person.