Hot steam emerges from a variety of dark holes in the ground. Their depth is uncertain. The floor is active. It is a challenge for many plants to create a habitat in the lava fields. Mosses and delicate upholstery plants nestle close to the surface in the form of small tuffs. They are tenacious specimens, modest in terms of nutrient content and persistent enough to face the extreme weather conditions.
Rothöll’s collection
Saffron-yellow cod leather and the mountain avens
The idea for Rothöll was born in the Icelandic landscape. This island just below the Arctic Circle is our resource. It inspires us. We celebrate this relationship by exposing relationships and demonstrating dependencies. We draw together yellow tones in different areas. The picturesque yellow of the cod leather attracts us. It activates our tired eyes like a sun after a long, dark winter.
Mountain avens (Dryas octopetala)
Iceland's national flower
The mountain avens thrives in the subarctic climate. As a pioneer plant, it can easily colonize landscapes of lime rubble and scree. Similar to the lupine, it grows on such poor soil through the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-binding bacteria and with the help of ectomycorrhiza, a root symbiosis with bacteria. The mountain avens grows into floor-covering mats. Fine clay and sand particles accumulate between the leaves, which provide a home for the germination of new plants. With its strong taproot reaching deep into the subsoil, the mountain avens draws up water and stabilizes the loose subsoil. The mountain avens blooms in Iceland from May to June. It only metabolizes in the arctic summer, which only lasts a few weeks. In order to capture maximum heat and light, the plant always turns its large flowers to follow the movement of the sun.
Saffron-yellow cod leather
Cod (Gadus morhua)
Cod leather is a combination of soft and rough. Like the structure, the color distribution does not vary in any recognizable pattern. A basic tone is determined by many shades that overlap individually. Despite the wildness, the surface expresses something delicate through the very small scale pockets.
Cod has always been caught off the coast of Iceland. It still comprises the largest part of Icelandic sea fish exports. Cod is praised by gourmets around the world for its fine taste. Icelandic “salt fish” is a delicacy in Portugal and Spain.
The Icelandic tannery is in close cooperation with the local fisheries. The raw material for our cod leather comes from fisheries on the north coast of Iceland. The cod skins are preserved with the help of mineral tanning. With saffron yellow cod leather, the tannery leaves the natural pigmentation in the fish skin. As a result, the many differently structured skin areas take on the color to different degrees. This creates the almost painterly expression of cod leather.
Merken