Lena Hoschek Comes to London

ANTO: We are very excited to hear about the Lena Hoschek pop-up store opening in Shoreditch on 16th November. Why London?

Lena: I fell in love with London when I lived there in 2003 while I was gaining work experience at Vivienne Westwood´s studio for 8 months. Now my brother lives in London, so for me not only the pop-up store is a good reason to go there more often.

ANTO: Can you tell us more about your new "Dollhouse" collection?

Lena: Under the slogan “Girls just wanna have fun!” and with a decent pinch of hedonism, the Dollhouse designs are primarily intended to be fun and signal both strength and sex appeal. I took my inspiration from the glamorous, glittering pin-ups and showgirls of the 50s, the shimmering disco era of the 70s as well as the romantic kitsch & trash of the 80s and 90s. Women like Jane Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, Blondie, Courtney Love & Peggy Bundy have been my style icons for this collection.

Snuggly fur fabric in neon colours or in soft bubble-gum pink has been turned into warm winter coats, the leopard print pattern has been dipped in candy colours and glitter was used everywhere it simply seemed to fit. Furthermore many of the wide-swinging dresses and skirts - made from cotton, jersey and lamé - are adorned with sweet polka dots, little hearts and lipstick prints.

Another highlight of the Autumn / Winter Collection 2017-18 is a cooperation between our label and Walt Disney. So you´ll find also many dresses, skirts and tops featuring Mickey and his friends.

ANTO: You left Austria to work at Vivienne Westwood in your early twenties. How did you feel about swapping Schnitzel for Fish n Chips?

Lena: Well, I am originally from Styria and we have more Backhendl than Schnitzel. It´s so funny that every country´s national food is fried. That seems to be popular with everyone. I do actually like Fish n Chips very much. I especially love the vinegar topping. When I was 14 I was spending some time in London during summer school and everybody told me that English food tastes horrible. I can not agree with that. I think England is one of the most advanced countries regarding organic food.

ANTO: Where is your favourite place in Austria that Brits might not know about?

Lena: As a tourist it doesn´t have to be necessarily Salzburg or Vienna - Graz is always well worth a trip. I can warmly recommend Styria, actually the south. Especially if you rent a car in Graz and go to the surroundings on the country side. It´s an amazing experience to visit the vineyards in the south of Styria.

Lena Hoschek invites you to be amongst the first to shop and celebrate at her London pop-up store. Get to know the Autumn / Winter "Dollhouse" collection and meet Lena herselt at the opening party on Thursday 16th Nobember 2017, 5pm - 9pm. Find full details here.