Geir Ness: Man of Vision
By Crazy John Kerecz
Geir Ness is the designer and creator of Laila (pronounced Lila) the first international Norwegian fragrance. Born and raised in Norway, Geir takes an active role in all aspects of his product. While doing fragrance modeling, Geir was asked if there was or would ever be a fragrance from his homeland. This inspired Geir to create one.
Geir knew he had a winner and did whatever he had to do to raise the money to pursue his dream, he never gave up. At first, he produced only 1,000 bottles and got Laila into one store, sold out after one hour and put people on a waiting list. He knew that Laila was destined for success, and he has stayed focused with Laila and his other products ever since.
Recently I got to talk to Geir and learned first hand about Laila and some of his other ventures.
Crazy John: Can you tell us a little about your company and how you got started in the business?
Geir: Well what happened was I used to work for some of the biggest fragrance lines in Europe and people were always coming after me from where I was from and I would say Norway and they say to me don’t you have a fragrance in Norway and I found out we never have our own fragrance. So one day I say to myself, I am going to do some research and see what I can do with this myself and that is how I started with the idea of creating my own fragrance.
Crazy John: You told me earlier that your company is named after your mother.
Geir: What happened was when I was a little boy my mom would always take me up to the mountains of Norway in the spring and summer and I would remember the scent in the mountains there as such a fresh clean light scent so that’s what capturing in the fragrance. So, I went to the perfumer and he asked me to find ingredients that I like and I don’t know if you have ever been to Norway but anyway that’s been knows that it’s beautiful, its fresh, its clean and you see big mountains and fjords and that’s the feel I wanted in this fragrance.
Crazy John: I have never been there and experienced that. I tell you the second part of our interview we will have to do there. How does that sound?
Geir: Exactly. Especially in the summer time we have the midnight sun so its sun almost 24 hours.
Crazy John: It sounds beautiful.
Geir: It’s great bright beautiful sun through the night it is absolutely gorgeous and that’s what I wanted to capture in my fragrance. That feel of Norway fresh clean it’s essential all those elements inside a bottle. I worked on it for almost five years and every time we came up with a blend of the fragrance, I walk the street and asked people what they thought about the scent without telling them I was behind it and that way you get the honest truth of what people really think. What I did then was copied my mom’s signature without her knowing it and silk screened her name on the bottle and gave it to her as a surprise for mother’s day. So, Laila is very special to me.
Crazy John: That is very nice to name a fragrance after your mother. How long have you been doing this? How long have you had this company?
Geir: I have been doing this for 10 years, I have worked for other fragrance lines and was in fashion and did modeling. I have been in fashion for a long time for 17 years and what I learned about fashion and fragrances is when you create something you have to make it for most people. Some people like chicken but I want something that most people can be able to wear and after thousands of interviews I realized that so many people today are allergic/sensitive. I just wanted a fragrance most people are able to wear, so we used natural oil in the base of the fragrance instead of synthetic so most people allergic can wear fragrance. The same with fashion, when you create something for the first time to see a flitter or handbag something that is simple and clean most people like and from there you can go and be more crazy creative. I have created a lot of different things for other companies as well I wanted my company to be something very neat something that reflected Norway so when you wear it you feel that you are on top of those mountains and feel fresh and clean and light. That is the purpose of me creating the fragrance.
Crazy John: If people wanted to learn more about you and get some of your products you have some websites? Where do they go?
Geir: In Pennsylvania you can go to Nordstrom’s in King of Prussia has my fragrance and I have a website laila.com. I have lotion for dry skin, deodorant with no aluminum that goes on clear, fragrance, new shower gel coming out soon, have a men’s fragrance I named after myself Geir, shifting gear and go, and that one has Norway lavender and fresh citrus. Actually I have met several people from Pennsylvania and one woman I met a few months ago she found my fragrance and got married and she is going to have a girl and name after my fragrance because that is how she met her husband. A lot of stories on my website you can read.
Crazy John: That’s very nice. Actually people listen from all over the world. I get a lot of listeners from Russia and Germany it’s surprising when you do things on the internet where you get your listeners from.
Geir: My main office is in Oslo, Norway and they can actually just go to online laila.no and you can order my products and ship for free all over Europe.
Crazy John: You are in some of the better malls here in the United States?
Geir: We are sold at Nordstrom’s department stores and specialty boutiques and online at nordstrom.com. Also this week I have a book coming out called Letters from a son to his mother and that is how my mom inspired me when I was little. It’s like a little pocket book with pictures and inspiration to people to see what I did when I was little and how my mom inspired me so people can get something from it and that will be out this week.
Crazy John: That’s very nice. It should have been out a month earlier for Mothers day.
Geir: Oh yes but mothers day is all year round.
Crazy John: That’s true. I like that, if you don’t remember that your mother will remind you.
Geir: Exactly. It’s important to celebrate them every day.
Crazy John: We talked about you getting started. Where would you like to go in say five years where would you like the company to expand to? What new ideas are you involved in?
Geir: I am working on some more products. I will probably come up with a new fragrance next year which will be same feel but has also a little fresh spices to it so its more source of evening fragrance the ones I have now are both daytime. I am also working with helping people to stay in shape. My background is in health and fitness, so I am writing a book now on how I travel and what I do to stay fit and what I do when I am on the road. I travel throughout the year and people always ask me how I stay fit and what do you do. So, I am going to write about that now and that book should hopefully be out by either Christmas or spring next year. I do some television work where I show exercises you can do inside your own home if you don’t go to gym and to think about what you eat. I am not putting people on crazy diets just very simple things on how to exercise your brain and how to eat the right things and how to deal with depressions and things like that try to moderate people to stay focused and stay happy and eat the right things. You know just simple little things.
Crazy John: I am actually interviewing you right now sitting outside the gym I work out at. This year I cut out potatoes I think people eat way too many potatoes; I think its something you don’t always need.
Geir: It’s also the potatoes and what goes with it when you go to restaurant you have a baked potato and want to get it this time and you add butter, cream, whipped cream. Life is all about feeling good about yourself! Whatever that means for all of us for me if I feel good about myself it’s so much easier to care about other people. I had the fortune of working with handicap children and last year I worked with the cancer society in Europe and the United States and met a lot of people who lost someone or sick themselves it makes you appreciate things differently. Very important to first take care of yourself and then you can definitely be able to take care of other people. It’s very important to have in mind; you have to take care of yourself.
Crazy John: Are both books available through the website?
Geir: Yes, laila.com and will be eventually in more and more stores but right now because I have time to do PR I have been traveling so much in Europe and everywhere so that has been a little bit delayed. Hopefully I will be in Epcot doing a big promotion at the Norway Pavilion on June 4-7. After that I will be there in summer and fall again and then I will be traveling. Everything is on the list on website and best thing to do is go on website.
Crazy John: I recommend people go there continuously every day just in case something new comes up.
Geir: And if you have stories you can list, we have a guestbook and have a fun little fan club just everything you can go in there and stay current. I think it’s very important to see what you have because it’s important not to take things for granted. Just take a few minutes every day it’s all it takes. It doesn’t have to be anything just a phone call it doesn’t matter if you are mad at your mother just call and make it happen.
Crazy John: On your website does it also tell people your schedule?
Geir: Yes, the schedule is listed on there and when I am in Nordstrom’s in the United States if you click on the month that will be on there and when my book comes out. Everything will be listed on website.
Crazy John: Thanks for being with us and hopefully people will get to your website and check out the stuff you have and get out to the stores and try it out and buy some and if they can’t get to stores buy it through your website.
Geir: Absolutely yes and after seeing that schedule come visit me somewhere I am in Pennsylvania and other parts come and see me and say hi. I will get you some samples and we can have a little chat and have fun.
Crazy John: Sounds great. Hope to see you soon at one of your events.
Geir: I hope so, Thank you.
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