Designer Sofia Lynggaard Normann's deep-sea treasures

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With her Young Fish and Under the Sea collections, young designer Sofia Lyngaard Normann is bringing her own story to the jewellery world of Ole Lynggaard. In this interview, she reveals where she draws her inspiration from and why she transformed an octopus into a ring.

With her eyes sparkling as much as the collection, Sofia Lynggaard Normann is talking about her first works. Enthusiastic, personable and refreshing, she presents her brand-new masterpieces and gives exciting insights into the story behind Young Fish and Under the Sea. She talked to moments about new beginnings, beach vibes and favourite animals.

Young Fish and Under the Sea are the names of your first jewellery collections. What inspired you to choose these titles?

In 2016, I spent a year in Australia with a host family and got to know the sea from a completely new perspective. We have the sea in Denmark too, but it’s different. In Australia, I also got my diving licence and experienced the underwater world in a completely new way. When you are under water, you are completely focused, you concentrate only on your breath and notice every detail. The fish, the organic patterns on the sandy bottom, the corals. All of this fascinated me and I tried to incorporate all these details into my collections. Playfully, with a lot of joy. This is how the first drawings of Young Fish came about.

What is the meaning behind the design of Young Fish?

Every piece of jewellery is there to tell the wearer’s own story. For me, Young Fish tells my own story. The large eyes, the organic shape, the floating pearl. All this represents my time in Australia and also the awakening of my own inspiration, my own story. I grew up with the great legacy of Ole Lynggaard, and the opinions of my mother and grandfather mean a lot to me. So, of course, I wanted to continue the journey of the family business, even though I didn’t have to. So I went to a prestigious school for two years where I learnt design with hard materials. During that time, however, I lost my muse for drawing, which is my real passion and what inspires my creativity. So I left that school and studied graphic design in London. That was a liberating experience for me.

And that’s where the first designs came from?

Exactly. First, I developed the shapes in wax. I love working with wax or clay to see and feel the design process. I showed these first drafts to my mother, Charlotte Lynggaard, and she gave me the opportunity to work with the goldsmiths in our atelier and to bring this vision to life. I am very grateful for this opportunity! And step by step, the other pieces of jewellery in the Under the Sea collection were created. It was really fun to design this collection. It took five years, we worked on every detail and I am really happy with the result. It is a collection that can be easily combined.

You have already designed fashion with your mother Charlotte Lynggaard for the big Ole Lynggaard anniversary. What influence does she have on your work?

My mother is a great inspiration to me! She gives me a lot of freedom and I can learn so much from her. We designed dresses together for the big anniversary, which was wonderful. I also presented the motifs of the Under the Sea collection on fabrics there. This work has been a great source of joy to me for a long time.

One of your masterpieces is a ring in the shape of an octopus. What’s the story behind that?

Octopuses are my favourite animals! They are simply unique in their form and also in their behaviour. I love the film My Octopus Teacher, in which a nature filmmaker becomes friends with an octopus. Just wonderful! So I was particularly pleased to create this double ring. It is a one-of-a-kind piece and truly special.

What are your dreams for the future?

I hope that I can continue to design without pressure and with a lot of joy and creativity. And I hope to inspire many people with my work. A lady bought Young Fish to celebrate her step into self-employment. Moments like that touch me and make me extremely happy.

Thank you for the interview!