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ALT Fashion – London & Loulou by Amber Parkin
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Recently I travelled around the UK with www.altalbion.co.nz, sniffing out all that is culturally cool about England, Scotland and Wales. One of the most exciting things I encountered was the emerging fashion community in London – a personal, expressive approach to design.

 

Loulou Androlia is part of this new wave of young avant-garde London designers putting their stamp on the fashion world. She is the genius behind Lou Lou Loves You, a range of beautiful luxury lingerie and dashing accessories. I caught up with Loulou on her thoughts regarding inspiration, London, people watching and collaborations.

 

On inspiration…

I always say this but the one thing that inspires me the most is thinking about my favourite friends who are working so hard at what they love, because it makes me get out of a rut and work on what I love.

 

Current inspirations…

 

These are many and hugely varied: Nebulae, Japanese cat food commercials, pillow fights, old wallpaper, dessert, sexual innuendos, heart shaped anything, Greek mythology, bedroom dance parties, talking animals, flower arrangements, Madmen, animals in space, the English seaside, mint and pink, Neverland, pier games and junk shops.

 

 

On what’s in her handbag…

 

I own about 30 bags so it's never the same one, but I do favour the giant sized ones as I carry all sorts of 'essentials' around with me, otherwise known as stuff I probably don't need. This is a Hello Kitty bag bought from eBay.

 

Then there’s my wallet, makeup bag, red moleskin year planner, keys, oyster card, Blackberry, book, water, digital camera (I obsessively document my life), iPod, disposable camera (I am using one camera a month for this year) and a notepad/sketchpad - of course!

 

On her favourite new designers…

Beckerman and Peter Pilotto – whom I've loved since the amazing Galaxy print dress from last season.

 

My new British fashion crush is Hannah Marshall, her dresses are so cool and the lines are incredible and I love them too because they remind me of ravens.

 

Also my dear friend Lucy's brand Rani Jones. They are a new line (in their first season) and are high fashion with an eco approach... but no hemp in sight!

 

On the London “look”…

 

The absolute best thing about London is that you can wear anything you like, this is what I think makes the city the most fashionable in the world, there are no boundaries and people don't feel nervous about making a statement.

 

I also love how each part of London has its own unique style, North, South, East and West and everything in between. The current trends from H&M and Topshop overshadow much of the London look but if you look closer then all over the place there are people mixing together their own styles.

 

There is a huge DIY fashion moment happening too, people are realising that it's not so hard to be unique. Of course Vintage is huge here too, with stores like Beyond Retro and Absolute Vintage ruling East London but then there are also loads of independent vintage boutiques cropping up everywhere.

 

To sum up London, anything and everything goes.

 

On bows, headwear and visions of Greek goddesses…

I've been into bows forever and I don't see why they ever need to go out of style! I know I'm still going to be wearing them when I'm 80, but as for everyone else I think they are going to stick around for at least another year!

 

As for the next big accessory thing, I think head wear is pretty massive right now, doesn't have to be a bow, as seen on the Autumn/Winter catwalks you can literally tie anything on your head and it’s ok.

 

I'm personally planning to get overly floral with my headwear this spring, making myself some giant flowers to string together, and why not have real leaves? I'm growing my hair even longer too... I have Greek goddess visions - watch this space.

 

On people watching…

I am a massive people watcher; you cannot escape my spying eyes anywhere. To me it doesn't really matter where I am though as long as I have a cup of tea or a drink then I will happily sit anyplace.

Good tips for people watching in London? Along the Southbank because of the Tate, the BFI and the tourist spots, you have all types of people in your viewpoint and it's really cute. At Seven Dials in Covent Garden, the perch in the middle of the roundabout is always a good hangout.

 

Beyond here then I'm even happier because people watching away from home is even better. New York City is the perfect playground for me (mainly because I love American boys).

 

On what’s up next for Lou Lou Loves You…

 

I've been working on collaboration with DavidDavid for the past couple of months; I made three pairs of knickers to go with their AW09/10 collection. We have called it 'Loulou Loves DavidDavid' and so I think summer will be busy (hopefully) making knickers for the stockists! It’s so exciting.

For Loulou Loves You I have so much to work on and will be adding lingerie items added to each of the lines and a whole heap of new accessories.

 

Above all I hope that in my very near future there is a wonderful intern to assist me so that I have time to do all the new designing that I want to!

 

Thanks Loulou! You can find her adorable pieces online at louloulovesyou.co.uk and at selected boutiques.

List of related links:

Lou Lou Loves You - http://www.louloulovesyou.co.uk
Peter Pilotto - http://www.peterpilotto.com
Hannah Marshall - http://www.hannahmarshall.com
Rani Jones - http://www.ranijones.com
DavidDavid - http://www.daviddavid.co.uk