Lounge Lover

Timelessly chic with a naughty twinkle. Since 2011, we’ve looked forward to bedtime with Olivia von Halle’s opulent loungewear. We met the founder and creator to find out what makes her tick and how she turned a keen eye for detail into a global brand

- Amy Sessions

Having launched in 2011, you’ve now been dressing us in the ultimate off-duty indulgence for several years. What was the eureka moment when you realised this was the path you should go down, and how did you start?

In 2010, I was living in Shanghai and working as a trend forecaster. I had an incredible tailor there who made me the most heavenly pair of silk pyjamas to my design. I literally lived in them – I would change into them after nights out with friends for G&Ts and afterparties, and I even walked the dog in them. Before I knew it, I had friends queuing up for me to make them a pair too. It was the slowest eureka moment, but I eventually realised that there was nothing else like them available at the time. I set up Olivia von Halle and moved back to London in 2011 to launch the brand.

How did your time in Shanghai influence the design aesthetic for Olivia von Halle?

I’ve always drawn huge inspiration from Shanghai and its time as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ in the hedonistic days of the 1920s, when thrillseekers flocked there from all over the world for the wild nightlife. Characters such as Victor Sassoon were legendary for their impeccable taste and love of partying. He designed the Peace Hotel on the Bund, a building I’ve always loved. We were lucky enough to shoot our Autumn/Winter 2013 campaign there – it’s the most incredible location and I believe that to this day we’re the only brand that's been allowed to shoot there!

Who were the first people to support you in the early days, and how was their support key?