Sexy Design For The Times: Meet The Duo That Is Hydra Opia

By Annabel Blue

“You want to be able to push yourself past those moments where the design or idea hasn't hit the mark. Be kind to yourself, because not everything you do is going to work. You're forever evolving as a person and creative. Change, fails and criticism should be welcomed. I’m always inspired when things go off-course.” – Karla Laidlaw 

Hydra Opia is the brainchild of Melbourne-based duo Karla Laidlaw and Olympia Christou. The two began manifesting the brand in the mid months of 2021, followed by their successful launch in 2022 which sold out of their preliminary capsule of hand-crafted corsets and kilts within hours. 

The two had been working in fashion for years but it wasn’t until they met one fateful evening at an art show that their potential was realised. “Karla and I met at a friend’s exhibition opening and pretty much instantly started sharing ideas. Initially, I wanted to make corsets using repurposed denim as I’m really inspired by denim culture since watching both of my parents run their own denim labels. The next week we started collaborating and ended up with a four-piece capsule” Olympia says. For Karla, it was a matter of serendipity. “I have always been a firm believer in taking every opportunity that comes your way, you never know where it will lead. Thankfully what started out as a one-off collaboration on a corset turned into Hydra Opia.”

Their main focus rests in sustainability and idiosyncrasies born of upcycling. Their goal is to “reimagine unloved garments and textiles and create a completely new silhouette from when it was sourced” Olympia says. “Our pieces are essentially one-offs which is special for the buyer and contribute to the circular fashion economy.” 

Sometimes when upcycling garments, the outcome can “miss the mark” as Karla put it. She elaborates, “But Olympia and I have been able to push our personal aesthetic into the brand.” This collision of influences led to the profundity of their signature pieces, namely the Hydra Corsets and Serpent Kilt Skirts, all made with upcycled, deadstock materials heiling from old leather couches and tartan fabrics. “Sometimes being constricted to using existing panel lines, colours or seams can push your creativity in ways that it usually wouldn’t have gone when starting out with just fabric and a pattern.”

AB: A lot of your materials are derived from second-hand and recycled products… even couch leather, how does this process work? 

OC: It’s hard to know which designs work until you have the materials to play with so we spend a lot of our time sourcing before sampling. We like to use garments that are partly damaged, kilts, in particular, tend to end up in the back of a wardrobe collecting dust and holes. Working around their imperfections helps to produce less waste and increase their longevity. even the scraps are kept aside for future use. 

KL: All summer we were sourcing and picking up couches from all over the city, literally throwing them onto a ute and stripping the leather out on the streets until the sun was setting. The kilts had more of the same audience of people who had worn their traditional kilts to important events and was time to pass them on. It was important to us to make sure that every part possible of the kilts was used and the garment wasn't going to waste at all.

Olympia and Karla both had different angles in fashion to bring to the table. Karla elaborates, “I have my own streetwear label Karlaidlaw [that was] established in 2019. I’ve always been exploring different ways of making things, every collection I will push myself in the direction of a new skill set. I love to make the designs come to life through dying fabrications, so Hydra Opia has been an extension of my creativity into the upcycling world.” 

For Olympia, fashion runs in the blood. Her mother has run her own successful design label, and her father had a longevous career in fashion too – it seemed an organic progression for Olympia, not to mention her successful and ongoing career as a model. “This is my first leap into running a label” she says. “Prior to this I was working in London for a few years in the modelling industry and never had time for creative endeavours. I always experimented with making my own clothing since watching both parents run their own prolific labels through the 90s and 2000s. I spent so much time in their fittings and was completely gripped by the whole design process, fits, fabrication and production. Going behind the scenes with some of my favourite designers is what inspired me to get started.”

AB: How would you describe Hydra Opia?

OC: Pirate Punk/Femme-Fatale, balanced with unisex pieces to make it versatile and something worth loving again. 

AB: Where are you stocking at the moment? 

OC: Online at karlaidlaw.com and in Karlaidlaw new retail space in Melbourne. We are working on our line sheet for international stockists at the moment and will hopefully be displayed in some new locations soon.

AB: What makes a successful business, would you say? 

KL: What I have learnt personally from this, and what I think makes Hydra so special is that our designs don’t stop after the second/third sample. In fact, each piece that we put out has been sampled and tweaked numerous times to the point where we never look back and ask ourselves if we should change any part of the design. With that confidence in the garment; the consumer can feel it, we feel it, and it creates a solid brand. Of course there are other points to success in business which is organisation and communication and of course; there’s a little luck involved.  

OC: Drive, ambition, and hard work.

It’s not always smooth sailing. Starting a company and collaborative team takes patience, communication and impenetrable drive and dedication. “Running two brands has been challenging in many ways, pushing me to be much more on top of how I run my days” says Karla. “Communication is key. We always give space for each other’s schedules and offer support when things become busy. At the moment we are working between London and Melbourne.”

For the year ahead, Olympia and Karla have big plans. Karla has recently opened the doors to her new eponymous shop in North Melbourne that has been in the works for a year, and Olympia is connecting with potential brand clients and stockists across Europe.

To bring it in, I asked the ladies what motivated their creative thought and focus. “Inspiration motivates creative thought wherever you find it,” Olympia answers. “It could be in art, film, music or a weird dream. My focus is motivated by desire to see the outcome. It’s a long process to make a garment, you often reach roadblocks but it’s the satisfaction of seeing it come to life that drives me.”

For Karla, “I think confidence and perhaps a touch of arrogance about yourself is important when creating. You want to be able to push yourself past those moments where the design or idea hasn't hit the mark. To be kind to yourself, because not everything you do is going to work. You're forever evolving as a person and creative. Change, faliure and criticism should be welcomed. I’m always inspired when things go off-course.”

“As long as you still carry that confidence within.” Karla adds, “getting outside your comfort zone whatever that may be is so important, that's where the best ideas are.” 

Photography Gadir rajab @gadirrajab 

Styling Olympia Christou and Karla Laidlaw @o_christ @karlaidlaw

Hair and Makeup Rose Letho @woesletho

Hair extensions Madison Finn @madisonbymadison

Video Lucian clifforth @lucian_0

All looks by Hydra Opia

View the full collection at karlaidlaw.com/collections/hydra-opia