My name

HVIDE – is the new name for my company. After having had the name Gyllings Hat & Kostymmakeri for many years, it felt good to change to a shorter name.

Hvide is for me associated with my childhood and the families of my parents – both are from Jutland. As a child, I first saw the genealogy map on my mother’s side where it is apparent that we are descended from the noble family of Hvide. As a child, I took more notice of the fact that I was just a relative few generations apart from my relatives who lived around year 1000. It made a big impression on me – the sense of history was noticed. And I clearly wished that I knew what these people did for a living. For me it gives another dimension when you can imagine how people have lived and worked.

What I do know about my ancestors — is that there were many craftsmen and small business owners. My grandfather had a large haberdashery shop in Skjern on the West coast of Denmark – a shop that I unfortunately have never seen because my grandfather sold it before I was born. But both my grandfather and grandmother inspired me even as a child – grandfather discovered I liked to draw as a child and gave me often assignments. He would for instance tell me to copy drawings and objects which have been a good training for me.

My grandfather was himself a talented watercolor painter. My grandmother’s flair for clothes, quality in clothing and color compositions was something I kept noticing and was inspired by when we were visiting them. My father – who was the youngest son of lighthouse keeper in Blåvand – worked in classical music as administrator throughout his professional life, but was himself a very artistic person and kept on with the oil painting for many years with numerous exhibitions both in Denmark and abroad.