La Femme Nikita: Heida Birgisdottir chats to HUCK
In the world of authentic rider-owned companies, clothing label Nikita deserves a standing ovation. Dripping in Icelandic cool, Nikita is the brainchild of Heida Birgisdottir, a wonder woman designer from Reykjavik with an addiction to sliding sideways. She surfs, she skates, she snowboards. And her killer range of girl’s clothing is steadily taking over the world.
HUCK caught up with Heida to find out how a chick took on the male-dominated world of boardsports fashion and came out on top.
What drove you to set up your own clothing brand?
It was not necessarily a very strategic decision, more the result of a series of events. I had been making my own clothes, and was working in a snow/skate shop that I partly owned. Girls kept asking me about the clothing I wore, if we were selling it in the shop. At first we didn't, but then I made a few extra pieces and the girls were crazy about it.
Were you always into fashion design? Or was riding more of an influence in starting up Nikita?
At first I was into fashion and design, but after I got into riding that became my priority. Then when I saw a way to mix the two together it was like milk and chocolate, they complemented each other.
Nikita’s style appeals to girls who want an option other than the pink, flowery designs that dominate surf and skate wear. What is your secret to always giving these girls what they want?
I think the secret to always giving these girls what they want is that I'm not trying to give any "target group" what they want when I design. I am mainly designing stuff that I want to wear myself.
How did you go about securing the talented riders that make up Team Nikita?
We met most of our team riders through snowboarding, and then we met new team riders through our current team riders. It was rather easy to create a team since we knew a lot of people, and some of the best girl snowboarders in the world were really interested in being a part of Team Nikita, they liked the style of it and knew that we would support them and the sport itself.
What part do the Nikita team riders play in the design of the clothes?
We don't meet to design the line together, they are busy snowboarding and I am busy designing, but we share a lot of ideas, not only on clothing and style but on many things, and fortunately they like what I design. When a team girl is interested in bringing input into the line I for sure listen.
What made you decide to bring out the men’s clothing line, Atikin?
Ever since we launched Nikita we have had a lot of guys writing to me to say that they think Nikita is the coolest girl’s stuff, that they love it for their girlfriend but that they would like to get some for themselves. Guys have simply been asking us from day one to make some guy’s stuff. The fact is that I've always designed some guy’s stuff on the side but we never launched it. Nikita is a priority and has kept us very busy. Now there are several guys working at Nikita and also in the shops that sell Nikita, and they have been asking and pushing me to launch the guys clothes. So in the end we put together a small line under the name Atikin and it's available Fall 2007 for the first time.
How do you think things have changed for professional female riders over the years, in snowboarding in particular? Do you think they get more support nowadays and the respect they deserve, thanks to brands like Nikita, or is there still a long way to go?
I think the riders definitely get respect and support, but whether it's enough is hard to tell. What is enough? I know that we at Nikita give our team riders all the support possible, but that we would still like to do more. I think this is often the case. The riders need and want support, but today it is also very competitive, and people have to be very determined to make a living out of riding. Respect to them!
Nikita as a business is a huge success. Can you give me a few details about how the company has grown over the years?
It is not as huge as people think. I'm not a millionaire, we work a lot and we are growing because people like our stuff, but Nikita is no empire. But for sure we sell much more now than six years ago when Nikita was only available in our own shop in Reykjavik, Iceland.
What do you think is Nikita’s secret? Why do you think it manages to appeal to girls in a way that most skate brands can’t?
I think it is because we weren't launched by any company that put together a line after doing market research. Nikita just grew out of the roots of the lifestyle of snowboarding, skating and surfing.
What have been the hardest things about starting an independent business?
Ouch, there have been many hard times. Financing the start, financing the growth, protecting our name from copycats, running a growing company in different countries. There have not been long holidays for the last few years for sure, but it's all worth it, we are having fun and doing what we wanted to do.
How would you sum up Nikita’s philosophy?
Our slogan has always been "For Girls Who Ride", meaning that Nikita creates stuff for girls who are active in life, who are on the go. I am a girl who rides myself. If and when I have time and money I spend it on clothing, shoes, music or hopefully - a heli trip in powder soon. This is Nikita's philosophy. Enjoy being alive.
As the company has grown, have you found it difficult to always stick to the philosophy that you started out with? Have you had to make any compromises to get to where you are?
No, the philosophy of Nikita as a company is so close to me and personal that it has not been difficult to stick to it. But for sure there sometimes have to be compromises in a company, we can't always do everything we want to do, but that's life.
What do you love most about what you do for a living?
That I design stuff that I want to wear myself the whole time. When we get a sample line or a shipment of new production it is like Christmas for me. I get a lot of new clothes the whole time, but also, when I go snowboarding or skating or travelling or even shopping, I can say that I am actually working! Add to this the simple fact that we now have super good people working at Nikita so we have a lot of fun at work.
How often do you ride, surf and skate? And where are your favourite spots?
Sometimes I ride tons and sometimes not for weeks, but one thing is for sure I never ride enough, I always want more! I used to snowboard, skate or surf pretty much every day but now I just go ‘as much as possible’ and don't count the days. My favourite spots? Hard question. For snow, Chamonix is a favourite for freeriding, although some of the best days I've had were in the backcountry of St. Anton in Austria. For surf, Sandvik in Iceland or Anglet in France. For skate, a medium-sized ramp. But if you want to do all three things in one day, the Snaefellsnes peninsula in Iceland is the place. That's where we have our Nikita Icelandic Park Project Camp every summer.
Any plans for the future?
Try to enjoy this life as much as possible!
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