I N T ERV I EW
MY FIRST LONDON HOME
OLIVIA VON HALLE
The fashion designer who has made a name in the luxury loungewear scene tells of her family life in London walking my boxer dog Bathtub along the canal from Angel to Little Venice in Maida Vale. It shows you a completely different side to the city, taking you on so many different parts of London, from Camden Locks – the home of punk – past some of the most expensive houses in London in Regent’s Park. It’s magical. Whether it’s the golden age of jazz or painterly prints by Manet, we find influences everywhere and then try to capture the ‘OvH essence’. I find the V&A and The Natural History Museum always so inspiring too. Walking down the street in London is always amazing. The street style lingers in my mind and continually refreshes my sense of what our collections can become. I’m also inspired by trailblazing women who have their own style and flair that holds up today. I first became interested in fashion when I was about 12. My mother has a pathological phobia of shops which meant I had to survive on hand-me-downs. By the time I was 18 I was a full-blown fashionista. My parents pressed me to do something academic and I studied at Leeds University before being kicked out. Thankfully, my professor helped me onto a fashion course at the Design School. I went from there to work as a trend forecaster for three years in Shanghai. I was living and working in Shanghai where my amazing local
22 The London Magazine
tailor would design silk pyjama sets to my silhouette, crafted in the finest Silk Road fabrics. Little by little my friends fell in love with the designs and kept asking for them, and from the kitchen table the brand was born. I moved back to London from Shanghai to launch the brand. Our first home in London was a Georgian townhouse in Angel. I love how quaint this part of London is, with its independent shops, hidden delis (Towpath Café is the dream) and old-school London pubs. One of my favourite pastimes when living there was
I currently live in Ladbroke Grove with my husband, Hugo and our three children, Heiro, Chaos and Trip, and our beloved Bathtub. I love it. We have spent the last two years renovating our house and having just finished, it finally feels like home. Renovating the house has been such a fun process and I’ve loved having a new creative outlet. The space is really playful with floor to ceiling colour blocked rooms in peach, pink and banana yellow with furniture collected over the years and art deco pieces sourced from The Talisman Gallery.
Ladbroke Grove has an incredible sense of community which I think stems from the Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello and Golborne Markets. Life plays out on the streets which gives it an amazing vibe and you get to know your neighbours. I also love the old world glamour of great British institutions such as Claridges and The Wolseley. In Chelsea, I’m spoiled for choice from the restaurant and food scene, and love the escapism of the retail in the area, including obviously our flagship store on Pavilion Road. We opened there in 2019 and it’s the cutest little coterie of chic stores. From our collection I adore the new Contessa slipper. They are a real labour of love and have been handcrafted by artisans in Tuscany. I have a really soft spot for the Contessa Romance, hand-stitched with pink feathers. For spring, pyjamas should be delightfully soft and luxuriously lightweight. Our sandwashed crêpe de Chine silk fabric is perfect for these months. We’ve just celebrated ten years of the brand, and Olivia Von Halle has become the largest brand within its category at Net-a-Porter. We have an A-list fan club of stars such as Oprah, Rihanna and Madonna. It’s been exciting developing the brand internationally and working on new initiatives such as sustainable practices across factories and new lines, and Pavilion Road is a focal point of our brand identity today. L oliviavonhalle.com
