THE GIRL GONE WILD
Nature · Fashion · Travel · 23 Countries · 12 Months
Born and raised in New York City. Buyer. Designer. Consultant. And then — something shifted. She left it all behind to find what was true, and hasn't stopped moving since.
"I was not on the right path — and sometimes, if you are lucky, certain situations reveal themselves and you are forced to see how you are unhappy and what needs to change."
Born and raised in New York City, Emilie Ghilaga built a glittering career in fashion — The Gem Place in Jaipur, Moda Operandi, Edie Parker, Hayward — and then watched it all collapse into itself. Beautifully.
It is about intuition and strength. In May 2017, she set off for 12 months across 23 countries, keeping detailed journals of every adventure — personal itineraries, photos, notes on where to stay, eat, explore, shop, and what to do on the roads less travelled.
The result is The Girl Gone Wild — part travel guide, part life philosophy, part love letter to the world for the woman who is finally ready to see it properly.
"Nature is my greatest inspiration — if you follow nature in any form you can see patterns of perfection and patterns of chaos, and how to move through both is invaluable guidance to life."Emilie Ghilaga
Your greatest inspirations or influences?
I have two.
Nature is my greatest inspiration — if you follow nature in any form you can see patterns of perfection and patterns of chaos, and how to move through both forms is invaluable guidance to life.
My second are people who are earnest and eager to help others while simultaneously being unabashedly themselves. If you find someone entitled, they are often ingenuine.
What are some of the highlights since you became "The Girl Gone Wild"?
- 01 Skellig Michael — off the coast of Ireland
- 02 Eating in Hanoi, Vietnam
- 03 Moving to Costa Rica and building her dream home in Nosara
How much of your travel is carefully planned or spontaneous — and how do you find those hidden artisanal gems?
It is a bit of both. The genesis of each trip involves a lot of Google searches and 50 open tabs — which is exactly why I started The Girl Gone Wild, because who wants 50 tabs open on their computer? I had to consolidate my findings.
Was it hard to leave your dream job?
I left my dream job to move onto my next dream job. Sometimes it just happens like that.
What do you most love about your free-spirited lifestyle so far?
That I am sitting at a surf club by the Pacific Ocean writing this article because it has become my new office in Costa Rica. That I do not know what will happen next, but my values have changed drastically. What I felt I needed in my life — or had to hold onto — I do not now. I let it go.
I look and feel younger than ever, and simultaneously my mind and heart feel older and wiser.
Ise Shima
A fishing village in Japan where a clan of all-female divers — called Ama — have dived for pearls and shellfish since the 1960s. They are considered the mermaids of Japan.
The Mikimoto pearl museum is close by. Unfortunately, their craft is slowly dying out as their daughters do not wish to follow in their mothers' footsteps. This is the issue with many artisans the world over.
Commercial fishing is further depleting their supply. Emilie wants to document this before it is gone.
For over a thousand years, the Ama — meaning "women of the sea" — have free-dived to extraordinary depths without equipment. Their way of life is fading. Their story deserves to be told.
Favourite Creatives
"I look and feel younger than ever, and simultaneously my mind and heart feel older and wiser."
— Emilie Ghilaga, writing from a surf club on the Pacific Ocean, Costa RicaAll photos: Daisy Johnson Photography
