Charlotte Lynggaard, designer and creative director of Ole Lynggaard, talks to MiNDFOOD STYLE about the renowned Danish jewellery house’s strong family heritage and what’s next for the brand.
With a father who founded one of Denmark’s most notable jewellery houses, it seemed a natural evolution for Ole Lynggaard’s daughter Charlotte to take the helm as creative director for her family’s brand. “I can safely say that I am on the right shelf,” says Lynggaard, who joined the family business more than 30 years ago.
“Growing up in the industry and with a family in jewellery naturally sparks a certain passion and interest.” But it wasn’t straight into jewellery design for Lynggaard, who has garnered a reputation as one of Copenhagen’s most stylish women. “At a family-run brand, everyone must help out in any way they can,” she explains. Her brother swept floors and acted as the company driver while Lynggaard had a slightly more glamorous introduction to the business in the 1980s. “I was the convenient choice for house model. It was great fun, and it taught me a lot about the importance of branding and of adding commercial value to your products.”
However, after a stint of globetrotting, Lynggaard realised in the late 80s that she wanted to join her father’s firm. “I asked him to take me on as an apprentice and our partnership grew from there.” Today, as designer and creative director, she oversees every visual touchpoint for the jewellery house. From working with her in-house advertising agency to perfecting the packaging and visual merchandising, there’s very little that Lynggaard isn’t involved in. “This work is very fulfilling for me, yet also extremely time-consuming for a perfectionist,” she admits.
Fortunately, Lynggaard has her family on call at all times – six, including her husband, work in the business. “It’s both a challenge and an advantage,” she says. “We are very lucky in the fact that we trust each other and respect each other’s talents.” To maintain balance they make a conscious effort to leave work behind when they go home for the day. “It is so important that it doesn’t consume every aspect of our family life. I love working with my family.
It really is amazing to be able to share a great passion with the people you love and admire most.” Remarkably at the age of 82, Ole Lynggaard is still amazing the family and their loyal clientele with new collections and designs. “My father is an amazing designer and living proof that there is no expiration date on true creativity.” Although creativity and talent for jewellery design runs in the family, Lynggaard says the father-daughter duo have their own traits.
“He is usually drawn to fauna design whereas I am smitten with everything flora,” she points out. “In the early days of our partnership, it was a little difficult to wear my father’s and my designs at the same time. But over time our expressions have somehow become much more compatible, and now it looks completely natural to wear our designs together.”
The creative strand of DNA is passed on. Sofia, Charlotte’s eldest daughter, is undertaking her goldsmith’s apprenticeship in the Ole Lynggaard workshop. “She has been completely obsessed with drawing and working with her hands since she was a little girl,” Lynggaard says. “I have no expectation for her to follow in my footsteps, and she’s taking the time she needs to explore various creative outlets and endeavours that are interesting to her. But of course we would love our family brand to move forward with the next generation.”
When it comes to designing jewellery, Lynggaard says she only creates Ole Lynggaard pieces that she would wear herself. “I am lucky to be inspired by the smallest things – a texture, a colour, even a smell. “Nature has always been my biggest source of inspiration,” she explains. “I can spend hours in the forest and on the beach outside my home, and I love observing swaying branches and exploring textures and colours of forest flora.”
Surprisingly, Lynggaard doesn’t wear different pieces every day. “But I do change a lot; I love to dress up and to experiment every day.” So how does one find the jewellery of their dreams? “I think the most important thing is actually not a particular style of jewellery, but to find a brand representing quality and craftsmanship you can rely on,” she says. Once you’ve found that brand, Lynggaard says it is a matter of following your heart. “There is a French saying that you should not discuss colours and taste because they are both subject to very personal opinions,” she explains. “Some people like diamonds, some like rare stones of unique hues, some only like precious metals.”
