Speaker Profile

Sissal Kristiansen owns a brand that incarnates her passion for storytelling and represents a responsible approach to the fashion industry. The knitwear brand has existed since 2012, and from the outset, sustainability has been a crucial part of Shisa Brand. Today, it is the only Faroese brand to use locally sourced yarn predominantly. With a heartfelt love for knitting and protecting the environment, Sissal’s designs are a clash of deep-rooted Faroese culture and modern innovation. The Faroese have a long history of hand-knitting, and it is very common for girls to learn how to hand-knit at an early age, and she was no exception.

“What drives me is the history of the Faroe Islands, our knitting culture and heritage. It’s wool as a marker of creativity, inner values and convictions and the fact that with just yarn and knitting needles, you can create a narrative and make a statement - whether it's about the Faroe Islands or linking foreign aesthetics and homegrown culture together”.

In 2021, Sissal initiated The Wool Islands, a project dedicated to celebrating wool and knitting in the Faroe Islands and as a way to identify a responsible future for sheep farming in her native country. The project aims to provide a greater appreciation of local sheep and their wool and an improved understanding of the historical and cultural significance while spurring increased innovation throughout the value chain.