Kristinn Sigridarson is a creative innovator, branding strategist, and design expert with more than 30 years of experience creating impactful collections for high-profile brands across multiple classifications and price points.
Kristinn knew from an early age, growing up in Iceland, that he wanted to be a designer — he just wasn't sure what kind.
\"I would sketch constantly, and it was always design-related — whether it was cars, houses, clothes, dinner plates, or light fixtures. I was always attracted to form.\"
He was 15 years old when he announced to his family that he planned to move to New York and become a fashion designer. They didn't believe him.
Before moving to New York, Kristinn pursued his other passion, music! He wrote his first song when he was 11 and just never stopped.
\"Having music in your head consistently is almost annoying, but I cannot help it. I fall asleep with music in my head and then wake up to it.\"
Kristinn played in several bands, played guitar, and was the main songwriter. His intensity showed up in his relentless drive to always get better. Rehearse, rehearse, and then rehearse some more was his mantra — at times annoying to his bandmates, who often wanted to go home when he wanted to keep going.
That same drive would serve him well later in the New York fashion world, where the work always came first. Throughout his career in fashion, he continued to write and record music as a secondary creative outlet and as a way to store away the songs in his head, so that they would stop haunting him.
After attending Parsons School of Design, Kristinn had the good fortune of working with Kay Unger, who constantly encouraged creativity and thinking outside the box. \"Whenever we had some crazy idea, she was always the first to say, 'Let's try it.'\"
That spirit has stayed with him throughout his career. \"Kay always felt that every idea was worth exploring — even the crazy ones.\"
In those early days, Kristinn had the opportunity to work with extraordinarily accomplished craftspeople who taught him how to make clothes, to appreciate the perfect fit and how to achieve it, and to value exacting attention to detail — qualities he still holds dear, even as the industry continues to evolve and the pace of fashion accelerates.
Kristinn was later recruited to join Casual Corner after the company was acquired by Italian eyewear maker Luxottica. The ambitious plan was to create what was then described as the American version of Max Mara. It was an exciting chapter, and Kristinn had the pleasure of working alongside an exceptional team of international professionals. \"I am a great believer that you can learn something from everyone. Although the 'Italian adventure,' as we called it, only lasted a year, it was a tremendous year of learning.\" When the design studio relocated from New York to Enfield, Connecticut, Kristinn chose to take a step back — consulting, gardening, and waiting for the right opportunity.
That opportunity arrived in the form of a call from Jacki Nemerov, then President and COO of Jones Apparel Group. The company wanted to reinvent their Rena Rowan line and transform it into a collection for the young contemporary career woman. Kristinn accepted the challenge despite some initial hesitation — this would be his first foray into a structured corporate environment, and he wasn't sure it would suit him. But the company's ethos won him over: no shortcuts, no compromises on product. He stayed for 11 years.