Culture and Living | Iceland Monitor | Mon 8 Dec 2014 | 13.11 GMT

Skulls and Halos in Hafnarfjörður

Designer and artist Harpa Einarsdóttir in her new shop, Baugar&Bein located in Hafnarfjörður. Photo/Harpa Einarsdóttir

Designer and artist Harpa Einarsdóttir has opened a new shop, Baugar&Bein in Hafnarfjörður. Einarsdóttir has abandoned her previous range, Ziska, and is now focusing on the new shop which sells items by select Icelandic designers.

"Ziska sold well but production has been a constant struggle dependant on investors and I had reached a place that I didn't belong in," explains Einarsdóttir. "Warm jumpers and woollen socks, that's me right now," she says cheekily but adds that Ziska might well come back to life at a later date. "Life is unpredictable. But sometimes you have to say goodbye to a part of yourself to be able to grow and accept new challenges."

The new shop, Baugar & Bein which translates to skulls and halos features the designs of various Icelandic designers, both those who are taking their first steps to those who are already well known. Artists can also apply to hang their work in the shop, free of charge.

The name of the shop is taken from a fashion show created by Einarsdóttir in 2010 named Skulls&Halos. "I've been focusing on balance in my work, the yin and the yang, black and white, day and night, she explains. "There has to be bad so that you know what is good and that explains the name."

Originally, Einarsdóttir was looking for an artists studio in Hafnarfjörður, a small town just outside Reykjavík but the idea for the shop came later and she hopes that working with young designers will also serve to inspire her own work. "Some of my artwork is in the shop and I have a new clothing line called Skulls&Halos which I'm hoping to bring into the shop soon," she says.

Amongst the artists and designers featured in the shop are her sister,photographer Gígja Einarsdóttir, designs by Eygló, Kyrja,Dýrka and Ási of Iceland, art by Sólveig Pálsdóttir and soaps and bath products with a mystical touch by Særún.