Norse Mythology tells a legend about the goddess Idun. She protects and distributes apples to the gods and goddesses giving them eternal youth and beauty. Rejuvenating their spirit and mind. Idun herself is strong, beautiful, and even a bit obscure. Not a lot is known about Idun or written about her, even though she arguably possessed the most important role in the mythological realm - maintaining their immortality.Our mission at Idun from day one has and will continue to be as such:
Idun’s intention is to build a community of women on a journey to define their own sense of style through discovery and reinvention. By sharing timeless pieces we love along with objects from new and interesting designers, ours is a measured effort to inspire and empower women to wear what they find here with confidence.
None of us will remain forever youthful. Why would you want to. Aging is natural. With it comes wisdom, understanding, and generosity. The most important attribute that age brings is hopefully a deeper knowledge in who we are and the ability to accept and truly relish in that. Knowing who you are, the great and the maybe not so great brings a deep sense of contentment. You are content with who you are. That doesn’t mean you can’t work on areas that you maybe want to, it means you have foresight to even recognize those areas- or more importantly you are able to discern if they are areas you need to specifically work on or rather grow into.
What the goddess Idun brings to the table, which really resonated with me, was rejuvenation. All of us will need to be rejuvenated at some point. Some of us more than others, but there will most likely be a time when we don’t feel quite like ourselves. We need a reset. It’s not that we need to look younger or more beautiful. On the contrary, what we need is to feel alive! What a different pursuit! To me that brings freedom-the goal isn’t youthfulness, it’s vitality.
The purpose of Idun is to build a place that encompasses rejuvenation and vitality-from the physical space, to the people you encounter working, and finally to the pieces that are carried in the actual brick-and-mortar. Our intention is to bring you a breath of fresh air or maybe even bring you somewhere a little uncomfortable, that means you are experiencing something new! Clothing is notorious for being superfluous. It’s unnecessary and it’s something just for you which means it’s selfish. It’s not something for your home or your family. The remarkable thing about a piece of clothing is its ability to a.) share with the world who you are and b.) when you put something on that you love and feel really great in, it shows through your body language. How we dress is highly expressive. It’s our first introduction to those around us. Some of us don’t want to be noticed and want to meld into the world around us, some of us want to stand out, some of us want to wear a “uniform” everyday for the ease of it- and that very uniform, I would argue, becomes a part of who you are. When we put that piece of clothing on that “feels like me” our confidence in who we are is elevated purely because we feel more like ourselves. It’s not that it’s masking something. That’s a false security. What I’m talking about is something almost innate. Isn’t that why we all strive to appear effortless? When we actually listen to ourselves it is effortless. We know what we love and feel great in. We know when we are in a rut and need rejuvenation and need to push it or experiment.
That is the purpose of Idun: to help you find the pieces that make you feel like yourself, or to help you recognize a part of you that needed a reset. It’s about knowing who you are, enjoying who you are and recognizing when you need a dose of vitality.
Written by Dahlia Brue
Artwork by Rachel Schultz