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Geir Ness is the designer
and creator of Laila (pronounced Lila). Born and raised in
Norway, Geir takes an extremely
active role in the promotion of this first international Norwegian fragrance.
After doing some fragrance modeling, Geir was asked if there would ever be a
fragrance from his homeland. This inspired Geir to create one.
As a little
boy, Geir’s mother would take him up into the mountains of
Norway
where they would pick beautiful wildflowers. Even as a child, he was so
taken by the beauty of that experience. Years
later, in school, Geir needed some extra money, so he worked weekends
promoting perfumes. Although he
always had an appreciation for fragrance, he knew nothing about the
industry. Barely able to speak English, people would ask where he was
from followed
by the question of why
Norway/Scandinavia
never produced a perfume. Geir’s research began.
 In
time, Geir found a perfumer who advised him to begin his search by
finding ingredients he liked. Of course, Norwegian wildflowers were the
first thing that came to mind. He
remembered that wonderful childhood experience
when he would go to the mountains. He gathered flowers and herbs
and brought them to the perfumer to create an oil that captured their
true scent.
Geir
feels that the consumer’s opinion is the best way to help create a
successful product. So, he
went to the streets to ask people what they thought of the fragrance,
wrote down their comments, went back to the perfumer, made appropriate
changes and spent years perfecting the final result.
After adding a touch of watermelon to the formula, the response
was sensational. Laila was
described as fresh, clean and crisp. Laila was now….perfect!!!
 Although
many people discouraged Geir from pursuing his dream, he never gave up.
He borrowed money from a friend, maxed out his credit card and produced
only 1,000 bottles. At first, he got Laila into one store, sold out
after one hour and put people on a waiting list.
He knew he had a winner and did whatever he had to do to raise
more money. He sold his clothes at garage sales, sat in TV audiences to
make $20 a day, odd jobs here and there.
Little by little it started to pay off.
He was so sure that Laila was destined for success, he stayed
focused on his goal.
Laila
got it’s name because this fragrance means so much to Geir.
He copied his Mom’s signature without her knowing it, had it
silk screened on the bottle and surprised her with it on
Mother’s Day. The little
boy who went with his mom to the mountains years ago, was now able to
thank her for her love and inspiration.
Laila
is the true essence of Norway, beauty, freshness and woman.
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Join the Geir Ness Fan Club!
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