Gigi wears a beige nightshirt dress from RAIL - £150
At 22, young London designer Gigi Ettedgui, is the itinerant free spirit balancing time between university and assisting the creative director of Universe Femme at Hermes Paris. GIGI RECENTLY LAUNCHED CLOTHING LINE RAIL. She is photographed by Lucy Henshall at the Rail Pop Store in Edinburgh wearing her own creations.
Gigi wears a red dressing gown from RAIL - £145
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO GIVE US A SHORT-HAND VERSION OF ONE OF YOUR WILDEST EXPERIENCES?
Possibly the twelve-hour ferry journey I took with my business partners, Hugo and Ariadne, to the Shetland Islands to source our knitwear for Rail. Twelve hours in the North Sea in gale force winds, rather wild. Especially when faced with the inevitability of the return journey twelve hours later.DREAM JOB?
One which feels like play.
Gigi wears beige captain's jacket - £250 with dungarees - £220. Both from RAIL
HOW DO YOU BALANCE STUDENT LIFE IN EDINBURGH, WITH WORKING IN PARIS FOR HERMES?
I don’t think I do! A lot of the time, I feel as if I am trying to do too many things at once. But I think it’s the variety that keeps me happy. I wouldn’t change anything. I feel very lucky to be able to combine my dream job in Paris with my university experience. Schoolwork has taken a step back this term, especially with the launch of Rail. But university for me has always been a lot more than academia. I love my friends and I love my work, so the sleep deprivation and travel is worth it.DO YOU HAVE A MOTTO/ SOME PERSONAL RULES THAT YOU LIVE BY?
I think Woody Allen’s ‘Showing up is 80 percent of life’ is a pretty good start.
Gigi wears beige captain's jacket - £250 with dungarees - £220. Both from RAIL
WHEN, IN TERMS OF WORK, DO YOU FEEL MOST FULFILLED?
Always at the beginning. I hate leaving places and I hate endings. I find that ending any project, along with the feeling of exhaustion and pride comes a sort of creative comedown. That’s why I always make sure I have another project in sight to focus on. Either that, or a really good holiday.
Gigi wears beige dungarees from RAIL - £220
YOU RECENTLY RELEASED YOUR FIRST COLLECTION OF CLOTHING, RAIL, WITH TWO OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST HURDLE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME, AND WHAT WAS THE MOST REWARDING PART?
In a way, that’s quite a difficult distinction to make. As I find that it’s normally the biggest hurdles from which you reap the greatest rewards. It has been a wonderful experience and a massive learning curve. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work with such talented partners, and even luckier that they happen to be my best friends.
Gigi wears a Blue serge suit from RAIL - sample piece
DO YOU EVER DOUBT YOURSELF?
All the time. But I think that’s what drives me to keep on working.
Gigi wears beige captain's jacket - £250 with dungarees - £220. Both from RAIL
Gigi wears a red dressing gown from RAIL- £145
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I’ve been very lucky to be surrounded by people that inspire me throughout my life. My parents in particular for their style, vision and tenacity. The mentors I have been lucky to have, whether Jean Touitou at APC, who gave me my first job or my boss at Hermes, Bali Barret. I think it’s beauty that inspires me, whether it’s a Richard Serra painting, Jacques de Bascher or walking through a flea-market in Paris.
Gigi wears beige dungarees from RAIL - £220
Film by James Roberts.
All clothes by RAIL.
Photographed by Lucy Henshall
Kid is Gigi Ettedgui
