New in at Godiva this fortnight

The weeks seem to fly by so quickly at Godiva and I'm here already with another update on all the new things that have hit the shop floor!

 Queenie Brown badger face, £9; Queenie Brown fox face, £9.

Naromode Koi tee, £40; Naromode Duck tee, £40; Naromode Bee tee, £40.

Queenie Browne and Runaway Fox are keeping us well-stocked in woodland animals. Queenie Browne's adorable lavender-scented fox and badger faces are always greeted with smiles, and I can't get enough of Runaway Fox's quirky 'Animal-Friendly Taxidermy' jewellery collection either. We've also had a new delivery of super-soft tees from Naromode, too: the Bee, Duck and Koi are flying (or swimming!) out fast!

Rowanjoy's been busy in her studio below the shop making so many lovely new things for us. How amazing is this cape?! It's been gracing our shop window all week, and never fails to bring a smile to my face!

There are also Rowanjoy's tartan dresses in the universally-flattering 'Jessie' style, and bold and beautiful skirts in two different styles, using some of her most popular fabrics! Which is your favourite?

5 Ways to Wear a Naromode Scarf

We're huge fans of Scottish design duo Naromode here at Godiva (check our Q&A with Anna and Iain to find out more about the brand!), especially their beautiful illustrated scarves. We've noticed that our customers often ask for advice on how to tie or how to style Naromode scarves, so we thought we'd pull together five different ways you can wear one. That's one for each day of the work week! Don't forget to leave us a wee comment if you have any other tips!

1. Neck Bow

Instead of just draping your scarf around your neck, tie it into a loose bow and slide it round to the side: instant Parisian chic! Naromode Moth scarf, £50.

2. Hair Bow

Add instant vintage-style glamour and a pop of colour to any outfit by adding a hair bow: tuck in the ends of the bow for a neater look. Naromode Duck scarf, £50.

3. Hippy headscarf

I call this one the 'Hippy Headscarf' because it reminds me of those images of carefree girls having fun at Woodstock! Simply tie the scarf at the nape of your neck, beneath your hair, and let the loose end of the scarf trail over your shoulder. You could even plait it through your hair if it's long enough! Naromode Fly scarf, £50.

4. The Turban

 
I've seen a few glamorous ladies rocking a turban over the past couple of months, and I was amazed to find out how simple it is to do! Fold your scarf into a triangle, and drape the middle corner over your forehead. Bring the two longer corners over onto the top of your head, and twist them around each other. Bring them back down and tie them in a knot at the nape of your neck. Finally, tuck the corner over your forehead into the twist at the top of your head. It's super easy after a couple of goes, you could try it out on a friend until you get the hang of it - or a glamorous assistant like ours!

5. The Half-Turban

I called this one the 'Half-turban', because it's essentially a cross between wearing a headband and a turban. Roll the scarf up, then place the middle at the nape of your neck and bring the two sides up to the top of your head. Twist them around each other, like you would to make a turban, them bring them back to the nape of your neck and tie into a knot. Easy! Naromode Apples scarf, £50.

Win £250 by shopping #IndieGrassmarket!

Throughout July we're joining up with all the other independent businesses in the Greater Grassmarket area in celebration of Independent Retailer Month!

Independent Retailer Month is a campaign that aims to get more people to shop at local independent businesses; they say that for every £1 spent in local businesses, around 50-70p finds its way back into the local economy. But for the same £1 spent out of town or online, only 5p goes back to the local economy!

The Greater Grassmarket area is full of brilliant businesses (including Godiva!), so hopefully we can count on your support throughout Independent Retailer Month. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning that £250 shopping spree is tweet with the hashtag #IndieGrassmarket and the name of the local business whenever you shop locally on the Greater Grassmarket during July. Visit the Greater Grassmarket website for full terms and conditions.

But why should you shop locally?

We can't speak for everyone, but here at Godiva we're passionate about the local and independent designers that we stock. They've all been handpicked and selected to be part of our store for a reason: whether they're local designers we love to support, new designers with innovative products, or because they use Fairtrade and responsibly-sourced materials. We can tell you why and where our designers made their products, what their inspirations were and how they made them. We can give you personalised advice, whether you're looking for something for yourself or a friend.

And most importantly, buying locally doesn't just support those individual shops: it also supports the independent designers and makers that many of us stock. It allows them to grow their businesses and continue doing what they love - and what they're good at!

In case you need even more motivation, here's a selection of items you could purchase from Godiva if you won that coveted £250:

Emma O'Malley scarf, £125; Jenny Deans earrings, £37.50

And Mary necklace, £25; Rowanjoy top, £39.50

 Naromode tee, £40; Mosey & Lark raincoat, £128

So get shopping, get tweeting, and good luck!

Designer Q & A - Naromode

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The Glasgow duo Anna and Iain behind the label Naromode have taken the time to answer our designer Q & A. Please do take the time to read the Q & A for a little more insight to one of the most successful Scottish labels to launch in the last year.

 Naromode has taking the independent fashion market by storm with their beautiful whimsical narrative fashion creations which sold out within the first week at Godiva.
Their success is well deserved and long may it continue for this extremely talented duo.

We are currently stocking their first collection of tees and scarves based on the Fairytales Grimms which for me is both beautiful and macabre. We really love this label and we're looking forward to the launch tomorrow of their lookbook of their next collection, Snow White.

Hello, we are:

Anna & Iain, the duo behind Naromode, the illustrative fashion brand.

We design:

We create printed womesnwear clothing, designing all our printed fabrics, producing wearable garments with simple silhouettes. Our focus is on our textile creations.

When we are creating, our typical day involves:

A typical day when creating,  involves reading A Brothers Grimm tale, researching and picking our key parts of the story to design, sketch & illustrate our way through the story, recreating the story onto fabric for digital printing.

When we are not designing and creating, we are:

Working really hard to push Naromode as far as we can. 

We get inspiration from:

We find inspiration from our books, the stories by The Brothers Grimm give us a fantastic source of inspiration. Inspiration is all around and everyone feeds of each other, a lot has been done over and over and its great to be inspired by different talented designers.

 Being independent designers is important to us because:

It is important to us because we get to have complete control designing our own prints, create our own collections, always being original and innovative.

We knew we wanted to be designers when:

After a few internships and being able to create textile designs for different brands we knew we could do it ourselves.

Our greatest achievement so far is:

Our greatest achievement includes being stocked in stores like ‘Godiva Boutique’ in Edinburgh and ‘Kirsteen Stewart’s’ Store in Orkney, which are great platforms to introduce Naromode to more consumers around the UK.

We cannot live without:

Our social networking feeds, keeping everyone up to date with what we get up too.

Our favourite things we have ever bought or found are:

Our vintage Brothers Grimm original tales book collection. 

we currently have all thes following designs in stock 

                                                      Screenprinted fairtrade cotton tees 

                                                            Silk screen printed scarves