MEET THE BRAND: GIRL W/ KNIFE

Our collections are filled with beautiful products from niche brands, each with their own unique story. This week, we're introducing you to Elicia Castaldi, the creative director of Girl w/ Knife. Feminine, authentic, and unapologetically fierce, each of Elicia's products celebrates her love of fashion, travel, a good laugh and anything the color of rosé.

Below, Elicia shares the story behind Girl w/ Knife, how she spends her time outside of work, and how she comes up with the fragrances for her fabulous candles.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU LAUNCHED GIRL W/ KNIFE?
I've been an illustrator from the time I was young. After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a degree in illustration, I moved to New York City to pursue my dream of writing and illustrating children's books. Alongside my job as a fashion Art Director, I illustrated four kids books, with my most recent one that I authored and illustrated having come out in 2014. After that, I felt like I needed a bit of a creative reset. I decided to paint for the sake of painting, to recapture some of my joy that I had lost along the way. It wasn't too far after when I decided my paintings would make a fabulous product line, paired with my snarky sense of humor. That's when Girl w/ Knife was born.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR FIERCE, FEMININE PRODUCT LINES? WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR THE MOTIFS ON YOUR DESIGNS?
The inspiration for my products is myself, actually. After having spent so much time in the children's book world, I often got a sense that I was playing to the wrong audience, I wasn't fully being 'me'. Nothing about who I am is adorable, so I felt my talent as a writer was a bit underutilized in that genre. Fast forward to my body of 200+ products with themes such as Iconic Bitch, Eternally Fierce, and Femme Fatale, and motifs centered on high heels, being a badass, drinking, and the F word, I would say that my true inner voice is very much adult.

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE FRAGRANCES FOR YOUR FABULOUS CANDLES? THEY ARE SOME OF THE BEST SCENTS WE'VE EVER SNIFFED!
Thank you for the compliment! My candle fragrances are inspired by the scents that I encounter in my life and love the most. My debut candle scents were based on the plants on my property, Knife/House Palm Springs: orange blossom, pomelo, and rose. In summer of last year, I launched three more scents, which were inspired by some of the prints that I had created for various other products. Garden Mischief, for instance, is inspired by my white cat named Princess Vespa, and my childhood black cat named Ebony. It has a beautiful, fresh herb scent with citrus top notes. The print is also on a greeting card, throw pillows and gift wrap. My latest scents, which dropped in January, are Iconic Bitch - Essence of Night Blooms, and Simply Exquisite - Essence of Citrus Grove. They're quickly becoming bestsellers, and the accompanying Iconic Bitch greeting card is nominated for a prestigous Louie Award this year. It's an honor when my products resonate with people.

WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU?
A typical day for me depends on where I wake up. I live part-time in Los Angeles and part-time two hours east in Palm Springs, CA, where my business is located. Either place I wake up around 8am, hit the coffeemaker, eat breakfast and then relax on the couch to do an IG post for the day, and check emails in my pajamas. I’m in constant communication with my team. If I'm in Palm Springs, I'll head over to my very pink Girl w/ Knife warehouse/offices from 10am - 2pm. After that, I spend the remainder of the day working from home, doing anything from painting new concepts, tweaking my website, developing new product packaging, editing photos, or meeting with various manufacturers and sales reps. If I'm in Los Angeles, I might be on press at the printer, at my candle manufacturer, or spending time at the job site to my newest Knife/House concept home, which launches later this year. But more often than not, you can find me at my desk. Sometimes I feel like I'm chained to my desk, but I'm so passionate about what I do that it doesn't feel like work.

I KNOW THIS IS A HARD ONE! WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR VERY FAVORITE GIRL W/ KNIFE DESIGN OR PRODUCT?
You're correct, that is a tough one. I'm going to go with an OG classic for my shoe-loving heart, my Chasing Dreams gift wrap. It was part of my initial launch in 2018, and I just think all the legs in stilettos are so fun as a motif. It reminds me of the Rockettes. And of course, it is infused with my signature girl power. But I must mention that I'm pretty obsessed with my entire Iconic Bitch line. You're right, I could never choose!

WHAT ITEM FROM TRULY GIFTED WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE AS A GIFT? WHAT ITEM WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE AS A GIFT?
My favorite part of your website is that you can shop by color! With that said, I would love to give or receive those pink Hermes scarf pouches. They're so chic!

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME OUTSIDE OF WORK?
Outside of work, my husband and I love to be inspired by beautiful places. Whether we're out to dinner or traveling somewhere, we're forever buzzing with opinions about interior design, decor, color, architecture, and all the little details in a space. We don't always agree, but it's always a playful conversation. You're wrong! No, YOU'RE wrong! We pour these creative brainstorming sessions into the real estate development projects we do together. Often on the weekends I’m in some sort of creative process, whether it's looking through tile samples, going through design magazines for inspo, or measuring spaces. I also break away from work for some much needed laughter with friends — you have to let loose sometimes!