Why We Love....66North

Who is 66North?

66North was founded in 1926 as a matter of survival for Icelandic fishermen and soon thereafter Icelandic search and rescue teams. Quality, durability, performance, and necessity are 66North's enduring values due to the near-mythical challenges of the unpredictable Icelandic climate and because, as a small nation, their customers have always been our friends, family, and neighbors. 66North's clothes reflect the sometimes-hostile nature throughout Iceland and the promise of protection for the Icelandic community.

How we discovered 66North.

We first visited Iceland in 2013 where we discovered how amazing the island country is along with their signature clothier, 66North. Subsequent trips always led to us stocking up on 66North and when we started Aktiv in 2018 we reached out to 66North right away. They were not interested....and they continued to to show no interest until the Fall of 2021 when they agreed to meet in Copenhagen. As we were to learn at that meeting, 66North had a disastrous experience with an American retailer and it soured them to our market. Nate met with them for about an hour and assured them that not only did we love their products, we respected how they conduct business. For example, 66North has been carbon neutral since 2019, which in the clothing business is unheard of. We brought 66North into the shop for the 2022 Fall season and it was an immediate hit. 

Why we love them.

66North runs their business the right way and their clothes are built for the long haul. Denver, our home base, has a strong connection to Iceland due to the direct flight that goes to Reykjavik most of the year on Icelandair. We get many visitors into the shop that come to gear up for their trip to Iceland. Check out our favorites from Iceland on our 66North page!