Today we’d like to introduce you to Lea Nyland.
Lea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been creating and altering garments for as long as I remember. Everyone would constantly tell me that I was going to become a fashion designer. So much so that in my teenage years, I completely distanced myself from creating anything because I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me what to do and what to become. At 19, I suddenly had the urge to bring designing back into my life and I set up my small bedroom in a shared flat with sewing machines, cutting table and mannequins. From that day on, I decided that this was going to be a path. At 22, I got accepted into to the BA Honors of Art with Fashion Design as my main focus at IED, Istituto Europeo Di Design in Barcelona. I graduated in 2015 and have since then been working mainly doing womenswear for brands including SSIC AND PAUL, Zara and most recently Ferrah based here in Dallas.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, I don’t think anything in life will be a smooth road. There will always be challenges along the way to teach you a thing or two. I think my biggest challenge has been to financially support my dream. I do not come from a background of wealth so in order to put myself through, I worked 3 jobs every summer in Norway just to pay tuition. It was hard because it meant 3 months straight with 15 hours work days, 7 days a week. But when you have the eye on your prize it becomes worth it and it taught me great work ethic and persistence.
The fashion industry is highly competitive and greatly saturated with plenty of talent so breaking though the noise is tough. You have to be extremely proactive and network your ass off, if you want any chance of someone giving you a shot.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ferrah – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Ferrah is a women’s eco luxury fashion brand.
Our name FERRAH stems from the Arabic root ر ح (f-r-h) and is the basis for all words related to joy, glee, merriment & happiness. It’s a name. A state of being. An emotion. We design clothes and make fashion with FERRAH in mind.
What I am most prod of with Ferrah is that we are a contemporary fashion brand with a sustainable consciousness incorporated into our brand strategy, our main focus being to minimize waste. We do this by reworking our pattern and cutting techniques so that the waste material is as minimal as possible. After that we use that scrap fabric to create new textiles and to make accessories, utilizing close to 100% of all our materials. Furthermore, we use natural dyes such as indigo dye that has anti microbial properties and helps the fabric clean itself which eventually means that each garment has a longer life cycle before it eventually gets thrown out. Our construction methods paired with our high quality materials such as silks, cashmeres, 100% cottons also means that a Ferrah style will last you longer then your average garment and that plays into our design process where we aim to create pieces that are contemporary but timeless at the same time.
What really sets us apart is that my partner Lela Orr and I are from such different places in the world, me being from Denmark but schooled in Barcelona, Spain and Lela growing up in Texas but schooled at Parsons in New York. Our polarized backgrounds create an interesting dynamic and aesthetic that you dont’ see a lot if in the Dallas area.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I really appreciate about Dallas and the surrounding areas is that the city is in such rapid growth right now which creates a lot of opportunity and especially in the fashion scene, where I see a lot of start ups blossoming with some very interesting point of views.
What I like the least, being from Denmark where our total population is the population of Dallas, is that the city can seem a little intimidating and without knowing the right people you can easily get lost in maintaining your focus.
Contact Info:
- Website: ferrah.co
- Email: design@ferrah.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferrahofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ferrahofficial/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/lea_nyland/
Image Credit:
Marshall David, Haley Halter, Mikayla Harmon, Kalli Keith (all with Kim Dawson Agency), Jessica Henry, Lacey Salas, Lela Orr, Lea Nyland
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
