Iceland wants us to take a hike

A partnership between M&C Saatchi Group and SS+K has produced a campaign for Visit Iceland which aims to help pandemic-weary travellers get off the couch, out of their sweatpants and back out experiencing the wonders that Iceland has to offer.

In a previous campaign, M&C Saatchi Group partnered with Promote Iceland to encourage people to scream out their lockdown frustrations in their Looks Like You Need to Let it Out campaign, but this time they're encouraging people to upcycle their lockdown sweatpants into hiking boots.

After more than a year stuck in a series of lockdowns, Iceland wants to reawaken your senses with an Icelandic adventure. The first 100 visitors to book a slot at the Sweatpant Boots pop-up shop in Reykjavik and turn up with a valid plane ticket showing their arrival in Iceland from June 24th onwards will have their old, tired sweatpants transformed by hand, by Icelandic designer Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, into a pair of bespoke hiking boots, with any remaining fabric becoming the bag in which to carry them home.

The campaign launches with a 90 second music video [above], directed by Gundy Rós Þórhallsdóttir through Skot Productions, featuring an exclusive song performed by Icelandic artist Cell 7. "Iceland is everything we’ve been craving in the past year," said Camila Gurgel, Senior Creative at M&C Saatchi London. "And sweatpants are a symbol of the sameness and boredom of lockdown life - all the things we want to leave behind when we can travel again. So, we found a way to celebrate this breakout moment by turning sweatpants into the ultimate symbol of exploration and discovery: hiking boots. The campaign is a simple and fun way to invite people to finally come to this wonderful country and enjoy their much-missed freedom."

For those that can’t make it to Iceland just yet, the country has created a bespoke website that invites everyone to virtually try-on a pair of Sweatpant Boots and see what adventures await them in each of the seven regions of the country.