A closer look at Louisa Djebbar

JULJA Women campaign has kicked off well, with a set of amazing women. Every Wednesday we reveal them to you individually. Here is a close look at our first campaign woman Louisa Djebbar.

This 20-year-old Finnish Algerian beauty and fashion geek is currently working as a sales adviser at ZARA. Louisa´s wardrobe is always up to date with the latest and trendiest clothing. She is also a fashion blogger who loves sharing her clothing and styling ideas, which she does pretty well.  Besides her love for fashion Louisa is also a very ambitious and hardworking. Her latest goal is to get into University next fall to study Economic and Business Administration. JULJA wishes Louisa all the best. The fashion world can definitely use more of business oriented  people.

You can follow Louisa on her blog here .

JULJA on the road

Yesterday we had a road trip day once again. We drove from Turku to Helsinki to meet designers duo Marjo Kuusinen and  Piia Keto from KAKSITVÅ. We contacted them a few weeks ago and asked if they wanted to be our mentors and guide us with the manufacturing of our first collection.

Our meeting went really well and we got some really useful advice for the future. Piia and Marjo were really helpful and easy to talk to, so we're really thankful that they agreed to meet us. They also invited us to the premiere of their KAKSITVÅ documentary and the fashion video of S/S 2013 collection called Pura Vida next Friday (19th April) at Andorra, Helsinki. If you're interested in seeing the documentary or the fashion video, we heard that there are few places left for the 18.00 show. Check out KAKSITVÅ Facebook page if you want to be there also!

JULJA Women: Louisa

Here are first pictures of JULJA Women campaign that we told you a while ago. The beauty in these pictures is Louisa Djebbar from Turku.

JULJA Women

A few weeks ago we decided to start a campaign called JULJA Women. The idea is to dress women of different age and background in JULJA clothing. JULJA Women campaign's aim is to showcase the elegance, diversity and easiness of JULJA clothing that can be worn at different occasions, at different times. This campaign's aim is also to spark interest in the upcoming launch of JULJA Fall/Winter collection.

The campaign will be featured in different parts. Here is a sneak peek of the first JULJA Women photoshoot in Turku with Louisa Djebbar, Elsa Wambui, Anthea Harms and Olivia Amupala. Niko Peltoniemi from Shalasaska was helping us with this photoshoot. Find out more about Shalasaska from here!

Stay tuned for the complete coverage of JULJA Women part 1 in photos. 

Clothing swap party

Last Saturday we had a clothing swap party where we introduced JULJA and the first collection to our friends. The evening was great. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Earth hour.

JULJA makes headlines

It's been quite a  rush these past few weeks. With multiple tasks to complete, meetings after meetings and other regular things that come when starting a new company have kept us busy, so at the moment  boredom definitely isn't a factor. Despite all of this, we are happy to say that the hard work has paid off. JULJA made headlines by appearing in the Varsinais-Suomen Yrittäjä (Entrepreneurship paper), Aamuset (Local newspaper) and Kaarina-lehti (Local newspaper). 

Yesterday we also found out that JULJA won the best web presence title for University JA Companies in Finland. We are so happy! In addition to diplomas, we received a 100 € gift card to the Verkkokauppa.com.

"Judges appreciated the stunning visual identity of the company and also the great use of different social media sites to attract attention to the company and the brand. Updating activity and likes in Facebook are telling the story of a well planned web branding and commitment to the JA Company’s future as a real enterprise."

Unfortunately those articles and press releases that we told you about, are available only in Finnish, so here's a summary in English for our non-Finnish readers: 

Young entrepreneurship, friendship and fashion from Turku, to the world.

“We are very ambitious. When we have set our minds to do something, we give it our all. We are all passionate about fashion, so this is a great way to combine work and a hobby”, describes Inka Kiuru, the company's marketing manager.

JULJA is a new womenswear clothing label designed by Nora Peltoniemi. JULJA clothing is flattering, flirtatious, easy to wear and of high quality. JULJA woman is outgoing, strong, independent, loves her body and is not afraid to show it. The company will launch its first ready-to-wear Fall/Winter collection this spring.

JULJA was established in the fall of 2012 at the Young Entrepreneurship course, where business economics student Johanna Hakala, cultural management student Inka Kiuru, as well as clothing design student Nora Peltoniemi participated. Their common interests in fashion and entrepreneurship as well as their different studies, that compliment each other have played a big role in the establishment of JULJA.

Besides their common interest, these three girls also have a history of a long friendship. Inka, Nora and Johanna became acquainted many years back, so starting JULJA together was only another milestone to their friendship.

The designer behind JULJA

Nora Juljaana Peltoniemi is a 21-year old, second year student at the Turku University of Applied Sciences, completing her BSc in design. Nora is an ambitious young woman, who always knew she wanted to be a designer. As cliché as this might sound, it’s true. She started making clothes for her friends in Primary school as Christmas presents.

Nora’s designs are a reflection of her passion for fashion. With the launch of JULJA´s first Fall/Winter collection only a few months away, this designer is only getting started and not even the sky is the limit. Here is an exclusive interview with Nora, the designer behind JULJA. 

How would you describe your own style?

I love second hand shopping and shopping in general. So I'd call my style a mixture of old and new. 

Favorite designer who inspires you?

The R/H designers from Finland, because they've been able to establish themselves very well in such a short time. That inspires me to do the same.                  

What inspires you to sketch and design?

I usually just start drawing and that’s it. I don’t necessarily need inspiration.

How do you choose colors for your garments? 

I try to choose colors according to the seasons, but I really wanted to bring bright orange colors into the F/W 2013 collection. My aim is to choose colors for the clothes in a way that they compliment the body. 

Any fashion shows you’d love to be featured in?

Any Mercerdes-Benz fashion week. 

Do you have any style icons?

Super Model Cara Delevigne and Leigh Lezark, as well as my idol, Marilyn Monroe. 

Do you have any favorite fashion magazines?

Costume and Elle from Finnish fashion magazines. Costume, because it's new and fresh. Elle on the other hand has a lot of interesting articles. Internationally, Vogue for its amazing pictures. 

If you could dress anyone, who would it be? 

As Nora, I would love to dress Lady Gaga. Her style is everything between earth and sky and I'd love to design something that not even Lady Gaga would expect! Pippa Middleton I would love to dress as a designer for JULJA. Pippa would look absolutely fabulous in JULJA and her ass would look perfect in our clothing (laughs). 

(Sketches by Nora)