Thursday 28 November 2013

Godiva Christmas Shopping Party!



"Deck the halls with boughs of holly tralalalalalalalala
Come to Godiva for our Christmas soiree tralala lalala la la la "

Mince pies, Christmas cookies, mulled wine and beers

Lots of lovely gift ideas from £5

15% discount on the night & gift wrapping.

Join us on Thursday 5th December, all welcome.

5pm-8pm 

We look forward to seeing you! 

 

Monday 25 November 2013

Godiva Giveaway! Worth £150!


We are feeling very generous in the run up to the festive season and are offering you the chance to win our biggest EVER prize package. 

WIN
Walnut Robin Brooch by Kirsty Fraser 
Pair of Jewel Earrings by Silk Purse Sow's Ear 
Porcelain Penguin Necklace by AndMary 
Pair of Striggings by Falke
And a Handmade Godiva leather Bag by Rebecca Jane

Altogether this prize is worth £150.00! 

To be in with chance to win you must
LIKE our Facebook page & SHARE this IMAGE  
Then leave a comment underneath letting us know what your favourite item is on the website 
 When you have done all this we will enter you into the prize draw.  


This is our biggest and best giveaway yet so make sure you are in it to win it, enter today on facebook

Winner to be announced Monday 9th December.


Monday 11 November 2013

Beauty In Simplicity,Grace & Mila, Paris

This summer we came across the chic and bold Parisian label Grace & Mila. Their work is so simple and feminine and appeals to the everyday wardrobe as well as an elegant evening outfit. 
Wit very beautifully thought out collections we are super pleased to have Grace & Mila in the showroom, a pieces of Parisian chic and we look forward to many seasons ahead! 
The knitwear has a mix of angora, cashmere and acrylic wool and the dresses collections are dainty 20's inspired to bold bodycon of the 90's, all at very affordable prices.
 
The label name was chosen its resonance with elegance and femininity and its inevitable correlation with Princess Grace Kelly while the first name Mila from Russian means " Loved by the people."  
They state their challenge is to provide collections in the zeitgeist and accessible to all. 

Grace & Mila is feminine, joyful, an ode to romance, poetry and small daily pleasures.  

We are currently stocking Grace & Mila in store & online




 

 

Aude Dress £45.00 


 

 


Christie Dress £40.00 

Friday 8 November 2013

Mid Season Top Picks & 20% Discount Code MIDSEASON

 

 

 

 
Porcelain Hand Painted Deer by AndMary £20.00  
Grey Day Dress by Stroppy Cat London £45.00  

 




 

 
 

 
 


 


This season has been a busy one in Godiva so far due to the continuous stream of new designers making their way into our showroom! 
Some so popular we haven't even had time to post online.  So we thought to briefly introduce some of them by picking out some of our top Mid Season best sellers. 
 We will be blogging about the individual newcomers over the next months in more details but do check them out on the online shop and of course in store as there so many more great Winter pieces by all of the designers. 
Do check out the main website under New Arrivals  
to see more from 
Drapers Finalists Bellfield,
 Topshop favourite Goldie London, 
Stylish & Affordable The Style London
Scottish accessory designers AndMary
and of course some great hand picked winter VINTAGE!

Use the discount code MIDSEASON at the checkout of online shop &
 get a massive 20% off entire order,
 offer ends Sunday 16th November!!! 

Don't miss out on this mid season offer, Christmas has come early. 






Friday 13 September 2013

Yoshi Leather Satchels

House Print Satchel £60.00
Brown real leather £50.00





 For years now I have been looking for a 70's saddle style satchel bag and was so pleased that years of hunting was rewarded when I found Yoshi Lichfield collection! Not only does their range come in excellent array of colours but they are all made from real leather and made in Britain! All at a very affordable price, coloured leather all £50 and the house print £60.00, resist the temptation to colour it in! 
These bags are an excellent investment, a timeless, well made classic hand bag with a modern twist. Here is a little background about the company & Brand. 
Yoshi was born from a fusion of Osaka inspired culture and a British penchant for quality and design. Behind the Yoshi brand is 40 years of experience in product design, manufacturing and more importantly hand crafting leather. 
All Yoshi products are crafted using the finest leather and unsurpassed production techniques with attention paid to every last feature, detail & stitch. 
In owning a Yoshi product you don't just become an owner of a beautiful leather product but you become part of history and the future of the Yoshi brand and a bag that will be in your life forever.

Now available online and in store! 

We love Yoshi! 



Wednesday 4 September 2013

Mosey & Lark - the ULTIMATE Scottish weather raincoats.




Say goodbye to dull black raincoats and beige macs, Mosey & Lark have hit Godiva! The brain child of designer Idah, the range of raincoats bring life and color to otherwise bleak and drizzly rainy days - perfect for our constantly interchangeable Edinburgh weather. The style of jacket, actually named EDINBURGH, comes in three different sizes with a belt attached, meaning that the jackets suit any body shape. Tried and tested by the Godiva gals ourselves, we can say that despite the soft hand feel of a Mosey and Lark jacket it is still very much waterproof, with water "beading" on the surface of the jacket thanks to it's durable water repelling coating. They are also super breathable, meaning that although you're nice and dry on the outside of the jacket you aren't sweating buckets on the inside. From autumn through to spring you can wear your raincoat over your everyday clothes without it making you hot under the collar.
At present the raincoats come in 6 eye catching designs and are available in store and online at Godiva Boutique.


And as you can see, we LOVE ours. 


Dayna wears: HQ Print Edinburgh All Weather Coat in Sapphire.
Fleur wears: HQ Print Edinburgh All Weather Coat in Marilyn.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Recycled Leather Bag by Godiva!

Hello lovely Godiva followers,  today is a very exciting day. It's the arrival of Godiva's very own leather bag designed by me.
A while back, super skilled bag designer Rebecca Jane approached me asking if I wanted to do a collaboration and design a bag for the shop that she would help create and hand make. I was very flattered and extremely excited I went to work straight away and with some help of Rebecca for the final product design we finally produced this simple, slightly 70's sandal-shape, everyday recycled leather bag, each one unique and one-off. To stamp it with even more of of a Godiva stamp each one has calico lining screenprinted with our Zebracorinicus and lady Godiva.
I love this new bag so much, I actually can't bare to sell them as want to keep them all!
Here are some pictures of design process, screen printing and some pictures of the bags now available in store. 
Each bag is handmade with recycled leather which is super soft and gives the bag a vintage look,  there is an inside zip pocket in the Zebracorn lining and popper fastening to close. These bags are hand made in Britain and due to them being recycled leather they are ethical too!

They are £89 each. 

I hope you love one as much as I do! 

Screen printing at Tessuti studio

Zebracornicus Screen





Lining in Red


Definitely one of my favourite colours, Recycled red leather is super soft.






Friday 19 July 2013

Designer Q & A: Emma O'Malley

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Emma approached Godiva early 2013 to see if we would accept her scarves into the showroom. We didn't hesitate! Her imaginative and skilled illustrations are so stylish and timeless. Not only this, but Emma's range is one of the most exclusive high end collections to sell in the showroom so far. They may have a higher price tag of £100 plus but they are well worth the investment.
Emma prints on high quality silk crepe and they are produced in Britain, supporting UK manufacturing and design. 
Her scarves have reach acclaim in the store and we are looking forward to a new delivery soon after a sell out in the first 6 months. 
These scarves are a fantastic gift and a long term investment to your accessory wardrobe. 

We asked Emma, who is currently in Paris to answer our blog Q & A, and her is what she had to say. 
 
Hello, I am …Emma O’Malley - a printed textile designer.

I design ………Currently a range of printed silk scarves.

When I am creating my typical day involves ………I tend to spend the first hour or two at the computer doing the not so creative things like e-mails, preparing orders, researching suppliers, maintaining the website and sorting my head out for the day. Then I get to do focus on the more creative aspects like drawing, painting or taking photographs. Then it’s usually back to the computer for the afternoon! All the imagery for my designs is hand drawn and then scanned into the computer where I put the designs together and can edit the scale and colour.

When I am not designing and creating I am………….I am currently based in Paris so I have been taking French lessons and spending time getting to grips with the city. The studio is pretty small and can get a bit claustrophobic so I try to get out and about as much as possible during the evenings and weekends. I enjoy visiting the flea markets and vintage boutiques, great places to go a get some inspiration

I get inspiration from ……………An idea usually comes to me when I’m daydreaming, just before I go to sleep or when I’m on a long train or flight. I get a little bit of an idea and let in snowball!
The idea for my current collection evolved after a trip to London. Originally the collection was going to be about the city and the architecture, but while I was sightseeing I saw a rhino costume in the V&A and it changed the direction of the collection completely.

Of course I also look towards trend forecasting reports and try and make my ideas fit in with the fashions, but I don’t like to rely on trends too much though and I use them mainly as a guide for colour. I suppose I work a bit backwards…I get an idea first and then try and find a trend that will accommodate it!

Being an independent designer is important to me because………………The freedom and flexibility that comes with being an independent designer is great, although obviously it can be difficult to stay motivated at times. I think the biggest perk is being able to design what I like and enjoy and not being restricted by anything. It’s always really rewarding to see my ideas develop into a finished product and then see it online or on a shop shelf.

I knew I wanted to be a designer when I was……………Actually it was fairly late on. I always knew I wanted to do something creative, but I didn’t know I wanted to be a designer until after I had finished a general Art and Design Foundation year at uni and sampled a bit of everything… I changed course a few times until I felt at home in printed textile design!

My greatest achievement so far is ………………………..It sounds silly but I think that my first sale meant a lot to me…it was such a nice feeling to see it boxed up and ready to go. I liked the thought that someone would be walking around wearing one of my designs.

I cannot live without………………Definitely my very patient Dad - he can fix anything and has a solution for everything.

My favourite thing I have ever bought or found is ………When I first stared I bought a pantone colour book and had a colour chart printed on to a length of silk which I use to choose and match my colours. Having them has saved me a huge amount of time on sampling and it’s a great way to communicate colours accurately to others. It’s also very pretty!



Lulu Scarf available online


Carnival Scarf 


Thursday 4 July 2013

Designer Q&A: Queenie Browne

-->Queenie Browne approached Godiva in May of this year to join the designer showroom and we are ever so pleased she did. Her hand made lavender bunnies and Scottie dogs are not only super cute and Scottish they also fill the shop with the lovely smell of lavender. The beautiful framed prints are really great and at a bargain price of around £35, the perfect home gift and the embroidered framed pictures are extra special. We really love Louise's work, it's feel is very honest and homely, stylish and of course Scottish. 

Framed Embroidered Bird

We asked Queenie Browne to complete our Q&A



Hello, I am …..Louise Jennifer Browne of QueenieBrowne

I design ………A range of home interiors and women’s accessories


When I am creating my typical day involves ………  I am a massive fan of vintage fabrics, embellishments and accessories which began when I spent 7 years working in a highly reputable vintage shop in Glasgow. I spend a lot of my time rummaging around the vast array of vintage/ charity shops in Glasgow (as well as the internet) to find some amazing vintage fabrics and clothes that I am able to cut and combine to create my home interior collection. I love the idea of being able to take an unloved item of clothing and rework it into a loved item again.

When it comes to the actual design process of my collections, this is a continued ongoing process that changes with every collection but follows the same initial path.

My starting point for every collection always begins with some quick 30 second sketches which then evolve and progress into my images that I use for my greeting cards and prints. The images are then simplified down using embroidery techniques to create the framed embroideries and brooches and the animal shapes are then redesigned and simplified again to create the shapes used for the lavender animals.

When I am not designing and creating I am…………. I like to get out and about as much as possible. I work from my own flat and it can, on occasion, get quite lonely. So I’ll get out, talk to as many people as possible, go and visit the galleries for inspiration and have a good old dance to some classic 50s girls bands.


I get inspiration from …………… As stated earlier, I am a massive fan of the 1950s and 60s. I love the nostalgia of the bright colourful prints of the 60s and I’ve always been obsessed with vintage tweeds and wools. I get excited when I find a really beautiful vintage fabric.

I am also lucky enough to be constantly surrounded by an amazingly talented group of artists and designers that I have met throughout the years and I am constantly in awe of the amazing work they create. I also still visit ‘The Glasgow School of Art’ to use their resources and as a  Masters graduate, it still eludes an incredible energy. It’s such a wonderful creative hub, full of intensely creative individuals. I still get goosebumps every time I visit.



Being an independent designer is important to me because……Being an independent designer is hard work, but it’s something I would never change.

Being in charge of your own working environment, schedule and work load takes a lot of determination but seeing your work being appreciated makes all the time and effort pay off.

Its hard work competing against the mass market but I think QueenieBrowne is successful in creating one-off, individual items that people buy and treasure because they know they are not mass produced and there is not another one exactly the same. I also love that I am in charge of my own designs and can change and tweak my collection in relation to current trends. With another recession looming, people are yet again aware of the importance of up cycling and handmade and I think my integration and love of vintage fabrics and embellishments incorporates, not only unique, beautiful fabrics but also highlights the importance of up cycling and not wasting.



I knew I wanted to be a designer when I was…………… I always wanting to have a career in the arts but was unsure what path to take. I studied art and illustration and then realized that I wanted to study Textiles at Art School. I specialized in embroidered textiles for fashion and Graduated from The Glasgow School of Art with my Masters in Embroidered Textiles for Fashion Construction.

Last summer however I decided to start my own Home Interiors label as I wanted to create beautiful, individual home accessories that were affordable and accessible to everyone and had an edge over the mass market.


My greatest achievement so far is ………Having the courage to go part time in my current job and allowing myself the time I needed to create my first QueenieBrowne collection that is now being stocked in 5 boutiques throughout Glasgow and Edinburgh. It gives you an amazing boost when you realize that people appreciate and believe in your work.


I cannot live without………The amazing support of my family and friends for this past year. If it wasn’t for my parents support and encouragement, I would not have had the courage to go part time in my job and make QueenieBrowne a growing success.  




My favourite thing I have ever bought or found is ……… I am an avid 1950s collector and I recently bought an amazing 1950s writing bureau for only £30. It’s great for holding all my vintage embellishments, embroidery threads and sewing accessories and I love how it’s turned my living room into an 1950s time warp.

I’m finally in the decade where I feel most comfortable.



Lavender Bunny - Vintage Cotton Fabric

Lavender Scottie Dog - Tartan

Lavender Bunny - Vintage Tweed

Lavender Scottie Dog - Wool



Selection of Lavender Scottie Dogs

Framed Applique Fox

Framed Embroidered Bird