Den iransk-tyske designer, Leyla Piedayesh, er kvinden bag det succesfulde tøjmærke Lala Berlin, som siden dets grundlæggelse i 2004, blot har vokset sig større og større. I anledning af Lala Berlin butikkens 3 års jubilæum i København, mødte vi den inspirerende designer, og fik lov til at stille hende en række spørgsmål om Lala Berlin, dansk mode og hendes inspirations kilder.

Today we celebrate the 3-year anniversary for Lala Berlin´s presence in Copenhagen – how has Copenhagen treated you so far?

Very good, I really like the Danes – Such a beautiful people! We chose to explore Denmark, because it is close to Germany, but also because the Danish people are so open minded when it comes to fashion. Today I walked around in Copenhagen, and I saw these beautiful girls and boys – all of them were so well dressed!
 

What do you think of Danish fashion? How does it differ from German?

Considering the street wear, I would say that the Danes are much more into fashion in general. The Germans are also very fashionable, but in a different way, they are more likely to follow a style code.
 

Do you have a special woman in mind when you are designing?

Me, myself and I! Haha no…I always have the modern girl or woman in mind, when I am designing.

Your roots are from Iran and now you live in Berlin, how does that influence your designs?

My Iranian heritage always influences the collection, in terms of patterns and ethnic prints. In that matter, we really try to combine the orient with the west.

So you use your roots to find inspiration for your new collections?

Yes, most of the time we go back to the desert. Last summer for example, we worked a lot with the desert flowers.

What do you find especially interesting this season?

Well I am almost always dressed in my own clothes, and I am therefore not so good at looking left and right. But I am such a shoe addict, to be honest, so I really like the new heels and the new plateaus!

The Lala Berlin Cashmere scarf is a modern icon in Copenhagen. Why do you think it became so successful?

It is so cool, the Danes really grabbed it and took it in a whole different way.

Why it has become such an icon, is difficult to answer, but I guess that in the end of the day, the quality and the making is good – it is a piece that you can have for 10 years, or even longer, if you treat it in a nice way and wash it with care.
 

What are you most proud of?

My little daughter, she is so sweet!

Career wise, I am really proud of everything that we have accomplished with Lala Berlin in the last 10 years. In general though, when you are in the making, you don’t have time to be proud. You are in constant work, so you don’t have the time to sit down, and think about all the things you have done.

Whats next for Lala Berlin?

We just moved from our little sweet country boutique to a bigger and more modern store in Berlin. We simply just grew out of our little boutique, so this is a new and great step further for us.