Patterns, hoodies, silky fabrics. The fall collection from lala Berlin comforts us through bad weather and cold temperatures. Leyla Piedayesh packs this joy of fashion into all the clothes and bags from her label lala Berlin, which won’t get lost in the crowd on a walk through the forest or a stroll through the city.
FACES: You often show your collections for lala Berlin during Fashion Week in Copenhagen. What does the city have that others don’t?
Leyla Piedayesh: First and foremost, the city offers an international platform. In addition, the Scandinavian market offers great growth potential for lala Berlin, which are two decisive reasons for our label. For me, Copenhagen has a unique charisma. That makes the city my second home, so to speak. I was able to make many new friends. I am also a big fan of the modern Danish way of life and the way a small nation treats itself and its environment in a conscious, open and cheerful way. That’s why I always feel very comfortable and think that a Scandinavian heart beats inside me.
F: What is better in Berlin than anywhere else?
Leyla Piedayesh: You still feel a certain freedom here, which in other big cities can be perceived as restrictive due to social pressure. However, there is a tendency for less and less space and room to do justice to this free space. As a result, I am grateful for daily life and awareness – and for the time we have here now.
F: You have Iranian roots. What is typically Iranian about you, and where does the Berlin touch shine through?
Leyla Piedayesh: My roots are anchored in Iran, which is largely associated with an emotional level that is accompanied by an oriental minor key. The wisdom of this old culture is in the genes and mixes with the newly conditioned, very matter-of-fact, hard-working and open culture of the German world, and that also makes me a Berliner who can never “shut her mouth”, regardless of whether the other person wants to hear it or not. (laughs)
F: What is your favorite place in Berlin?
Leyla Piedayesh: My home.
F: What makes your apartment a home?
Leyla Piedayesh: My family makes my apartment a home.
F: Which Berlin slang word is your favorite?
Leyla Piedayesh: “All’s well.”
F: Where else would you like to travel to?
Leyla Piedayesh: Through my
work, I have the feeling that I have already seen a lot. These days, I don’t really feel the need to go out and see new things, but rather to get to know what I know better. Here, the nearby is often the better choice, which of course also benefits the environment.
F: You came to Germany yourself when you were nine years old. What support would you have liked back then, and where is there still room for improvement today?
Leyla Piedayesh: First and foremost, I miss the differentiation and individualization. There are different reasons for fleeing or immigrating, some come from a war zone, others from a different political background, some just want to immigrate out of love for a new country. You can’t put all immigrants or even refugees on the same pedestal and set the same expectations for all these people. They forget their past and that their greatest wish is to return to their homeland. What is the best way to prepare people emotionally for the new and integrate them so that they are also taken into account? Empathy is everything! You have to catch people, support them and offer help.
F: One shirt in your collection bore the inscription “I’m an immigrant”. May or Does fashion have to be political?
Leyla Piedayesh: Fashion can be political, but it doesn’t have to be. It can provide a platform to stimulate thought and make a difference. Sometimes I also like to provoke people with my fashion and draw attention to political debates.
F: What is fashion?
Leyla Piedayesh: Fashion is more than just clothes. Fashion is a form of individual expression.
F: How do you define the fashion industry, and what annoys you about it?
Leyla Piedayesh: Creatives and business people coexist in the fashion industry. It is a constant compromise between aesthetic visions and commercial success. This makes it quite a challenge. The fast pace, the unbelievably quick rhythm of the collections annoys me to no end. The masses of clothes that are produced. Consumption. I long for reduction to the essentials.
F: What do you say to people who claim that working in fashion is superficial?
Leyla Piedayesh: Not much. I do not justify my work. Either you understand the complexity and depth of this field or you don’t.
F: How much Leyla is in lala Berlin?
Leyla Piedayesh: There is a lot of Leyla in lala Berlin. Perhaps not always at first glance, but each collection is always very personal. For example, the collection for fall/winter 2020 “OFF THE GROUND”, which we showed in Copenhagen at the end of January, is my most personal to date. I have reflected a lot on what has happened so far and incorporated inspirations and prints that mean a lot to me, such as the falcon, back into the collection. The whole development process has therefore felt like a kind of interim conclusion to over 15 years of lala Berlin.
F: Is sustainable thinking just a trend or a hype?
Leyla Piedayesh : When I started out many years ago, that was a basic idea – slowing down and sustainability. That was also one of the reasons why I took up knitting needles, in order to consciously tie in with old values and give lasting value to the idea of self-made things in which you invest love and time. Because you have a different view of something that has been created through effort. I don’t think it’s just a trend, because they are wisely going away again. I think it’s much more a matter of attitude – a mindset – the quiet thoughts become loud voices that you can now hear and feel.
F: How do you understand sustainable action?
Leyla Piedayesh: For me, sustainable action means action whose effects have a long-term impact and ensure corresponding changes. For example, products that consume too much water during production should be eliminated from the collection in the long term. To reduce our collection size and range to a minimum and not to listen to the creative ego, to aim for only 24 looks instead of 65 looks, not to implement all ideas during development and to consider them carefully before launching them. Always pointing out, even within the team, what it’s all about and encouraging everyone to think three times. Paying attention to overproduction during production and storing less than too much that cannot be used afterwards. to use residual goods such as fabrics and yarns elsewhere or to give them to others for further processing.
F: How do you live sustainability?
Leyla Piedayesh: I am a relatively modest person myself and hardly buy any clothes. (laughs) That’s very easy for me, of course. That’s very easy to say if you have a fashion company and can help yourself from the archive. I also try to consciously consume everything else in life and ask myself whether I really need it. If I do invest in a pair of shoes, I naturally pay attention to the quality and prefer to buy one pair for many years than ten with a short lifespan. We take the same approach when designing our collections. Instead of a large collection with 60 looks, we prefer to make one with 20.
F: What do you do when you’re not inspired?
Leyla Piedayesh: Letting go. Spending time at home with family and friends – or alone. And take a deep breath.
F: What moment changed everything?
Leyla Piedayesh: There have been some decisive moments in my personal and professional life. The birth of my daughter probably changed the most in both of our “lives”.
F: What are you like as a boss?
Leyla Piedayesh: Just like as a mother – direct, loving and sometimes too impatient. (laughs)
F: What are you addicted to?
Leyla Piedayesh: After the idea of constant improvement, but that is probably a common occupational disease as a designer.
F: What are you fighting for?
Leyla Piedayesh: For inner peace, self-love and healing for our general world condition. If everyone treats themselves well, they will treat others well too. That’s a world I want to live in.
F: What would you never give up?
Leyla Piedayesh: My ideology and the belief that together we can improve the world’s ills. I don’t want to give up on leaving my daughter the best possible living space, even if we all only make a tiny contribution.
F: If you were a bag, which model would you be and why?
Leyla Piedayesh: I would be a “Muriel” – one of our bestsellers: a bag so big and versatile that it fits my whole life.
F: Who else are you dying to meet, and who are you shooting for the moon?
Leyla Piedayesh: I would like to meet Greta Thunberg. And I would love to send all the ignorant and egotistical people in the world to the moon.
F: What do you think about too much, and what should you think about more?
Leyla Piedayesh: I think about developments in our society. Changes in values that make me wonder. Meditation has helped me to get negative thoughts under control. Instead of brooding, I prefer to think about how I can make a positive contribution to society through my work.
Q: Why is our society failing?
Leyla Piedayesh: The lack of cohesion, vision and selflessness.
F: What do you cook for guests and which dish do you cook for yourself?
Leyla Piedayesh: My favorite thing to cook for guests is traditional Persian food that my mom taught me. I always prepare very healthy, mostly Ayurvedic dishes for myself.
F: What adventure do you dream of?
Leyla Piedayesh: I dream of moving to a desert island with all my loved ones.
F: How old would you be if you didn’t know your age?
Leyla Piedayesh: Of course there are days when I’m so full of energy that I feel like I’m 25 again. I’m turning 50 this year and I’m looking forward to it. I find this discussion about getting older, especially in the fashion industry, unnecessary. I think it’s important to be open about it. We live in an age where 50 today is no longer like 50 in the past.
F: What do you treat yourself to?
Leyla Piedayesh: A short break with my family in nature. That is the greatest gift for me.
