Last weekend, the Icelandic fashion design brand Gydja Collection released its first perfume in Debenhams, Iceland. The ‘EFJ Eyjafjallajokull by Gydja’ perfume has a unique twist to it, as it is not only named after the Iceland volcano that erupted earlier this year, it is also made with water extracted from the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.
The Gydja Collection perfume is now available in stores across Iceland including Debenhams, and various independent fashion boutiques in downtown Reykjavik. The Debenhams launch was a great success and consequently, Gydja Collection has received a lot of media attention both domestically and internationally.
IceNews went to catch up with Icelandic fashion designer and owner of Gydja Collection, Sigrun Lila Gudjonsdottir to see how she was getting on with her new found fame.
IceNews: When did you decide you wanted to become a fashion designer?
Sigrun Lilja: I have always been interested in creating and designing since I was a child. I was constantly drawing, painting and making things, but I never saw design as a job opportunity. I think this was because the only influences I had here in Iceland were fashion designers that owned small independent boutiques and that wasn’t the way I wanted to go. I did study texture design in high school but after that I decided I should do something more business wise and I started working for my parents’ company. Then around Christmas 2005, I was travelling in Egypt and I visited a small shop that sold hand produced leather items. I got talking with the owner of the shop and I asked if he could make a leather handbag that I had designed. He said it would be no problem and three days later, I had the final product in my hands, my design. This really excited me. I took it back to Iceland and everywhere I went I got a great reaction from people so I thought OK, maybe I should do something with this. At that point I decided I was going to get a producer to make a whole line of accessories I had designed, it took two years to find a good producer but come 2007/8 I had finished a full line of accessories and established my web shop.
IceNews: Who do you design for?
Sigrun Lilja: My products really represent who I am, and I really like everything that glows and that is eye catching; bold, brave colours. So I am making stuff for fashionable women who like to stand out and like to be seen. However, I don’t think about specific shapes or colours when I am designing, I just make things that I think are beautiful, that I would like to wear and that I think other people would like to wear. I am just designing items that I think will sell.
IceNews: Are there any celebrities wearing your designs?
Sigrun Lilja: Yes, we have had Paris Hilton wearing our designs, the Icelandic actress Anita Breim, she has been wearing a lot of our items. We have also had two celebrities place a mass order from us recently but I can’t disclose their names at this point in time – but we have had some really great reactions from celebrities. We also have a contract with Kylie Minogue, she is going to wear our clothes when she goes on tour.
IceNews: Does Icelandic culture and Iceland directly influence your work and designs?
Sigrun Lilja: Absolutely, Iceland inspires me in everyway, I am a big fan of the Icelandic nature. The town I live in is situated in a lava field and I walk my dogs there everyday, this is mostly where I get my inspiration from. There is so much character in the Icelandic nature and there is definitely a power that surrounds us here and I really can’t find that anywhere else. This is why I decided to make our newly released perfume from the amazing Eyjafjallajokull because I wanted to be able to give women a piece of this power that surrounds us. I think it is definitely very much a spiritual thing and it is very energetic.
IceNews: I know you have been getting a lot of attention abroad, especially in the UK, can you tell me anymore about that?
Sigrun Lilja: When we started to tell people about the perfume here in Iceland, we decided that we would start marketing it abroad in early 2011, but when it got into the news in Iceland, foreign media picked up on this and started writing about it. After that, we got phone calls from various global media giants such as Associated Press, BBC, The Times and additionally many major fashion outlets that were really interested in the perfume. So from that we have received a lot of attention from abroad, and now I taking interviews with foreign media almost everyday. We are really happy and surprised because it shows that people are really interested in our products.
IceNews: What does the future hold for Gydja Collection?
Sigrun Lilja: My ambition is that Gydja will one day be a big global brand, so it is my goal to make this happen. This is what I believe in and what I will work hard for. I know it takes time but I am ready for all the work that needs to be done to make it happen.
For further information regarding Gydja Collection, EFJ perfume and Sigrun Lilja, visit www.gydja.is