IN CONVERSATION WITH LOLA CLARK
London-born fashion and beauty creator Lola Clark has developed a distinctive presence at the intersection of digital culture, luxury fashion and art. A familiar face on the front rows of houses including Gucci, Stella McCartney, Simone Rocha and Coach, she has collaborated with brands spanning Miu Miu, Prada Beauty, YSL Beauty and Swarovski. But her relationship with the creative world began long before social media. As a teenager, she became a muse to her late godfather, legendary British artist David Hockney, who painted her portrait, an experience that continues to inform her relationship with image, beauty and being seen. Today, moving between Fashion Week, beauty, art and an evolving digital landscape, Lola represents a distinctly London approach to modern influence: instinctive, eclectic and deeply personal.
hat, jacket, trousers EMPORIO ARMANI
shoes JIMMY CHOO
You were born and raised in London. How has the city shaped your taste and the way you approach fashion?Being raised in London is such a privilege. You’re exposed to so many different cultures, people and ways of dressing from such a young age it almost feels like a fashion cheat code because you’re never really put into a box. I remember even at primary school, on own-clothes days, noticing how everyone expressed themselves differently through what they wore. I think that’s when I first understood that clothes can evoke a feeling and give you a real sense of confidence.
Growing up in West London also meant that Portobello and its markets were a huge part of my childhood. My grandma Celia Birtwell would always take my sisters and I to markets and car boot sales because she loved hunting for unusual, one-of-a-kind things. I inherited that from her. Even when I was little, I’d find an accessory I loved and become completely attached to it. When I was about six, I had this metal-studded snapback that I wore everywhere, and it almost became my signature.
I think I’ve carried that into my adult life. I still love finding something unique that feels personal to me, rather than just following what’s trending. London has made me open-minded with fashion and confident mixing things together. Vintage with new, feminine with something unexpected. For me, it’s always been more about the feeling and character of a piece than simply what’s fashionable.
What was it like being painted by David Hockney as a teenager, particularly at an age when you’re still discovering your own identity?
Honestly, when I was a kid, I didn’t think about it that much. We’d go to his busy exhibitions or visit his studio, and because I was so young, it all just seemed completely normal. It wasn’t until we started studying David in art class that it really clicked. I remember thinking it was quite strange to be learning about someone who, to me, was just David. That was when I realised, “Oh, he is a massive deal,” and how ridiculously lucky I was to have grown up with him in my life.
I’ve been painted throughout my whole life, but it had been a while since I was, and he invited me to Normandy, which came at quite an important age. As a teenage girl, you can become so consumed by how you look, with so much self-consciousness and pressure around your appearance. But being painted through David’s eyes was completely different. He wasn’t just painting what you looked like, he somehow captured your character. It felt much less about vanity and much more about truly seeing your personality, your energy and the things that made you you. I think that shaped me more than I realised. It taught me quite early that your appearance is only one small part of how someone sees you, and that your character is so much more important. I’ve carried that with me into adulthood. David made me realise that looking, really looking at someone is a form of care.
dress GCDS
shoes MAISON MARGIELA X H&M
Today, so much of your work involves creating and controlling your own image. Is there an interesting contrast between being someone else’s muse and becoming the author of how you’re seen?
There definitely is, although I think I’m still fascinated by being on both sides of the camera. I grew up being quite used to other people interpreting me through their eyes, and I think that taught me there can be something beautiful about giving up that control and seeing how somebody else perceives you. At the same time, I’m naturally quite controlling when it comes to imagery. Whenever I’m shooting with someone, I’m always trying to see what’s happening behind the camera while I’m posing, which obviously isn’t particularly easy. I want to know about the lighting, the angle, what they’re seeing. I find the whole process fascinating.
When I shoot by myself, I have complete freedom. I can move things around, change the lighting, take a million pictures and decide exactly what version of myself I want to put out into the world. Social media has made us all much more aware of how we can construct our own image.
I suppose being a muse taught me the beauty of being seen through someone else’s eyes, while creating my own imagery has taught me the power of deciding how I want to be seen. I really like having both. Sometimes the most interesting image is the one you didn’t completely control.
You’ve developed relationships with houses including Gucci, Miu Miu, Coach and ysl Beauty. What makes a brand collaboration feel genuinely aligned with you rather than simply transactional?
There must be a genuine reason for me to be excited about it. I’ve always been quite instinctive with fashion, so I would never want to wear or promote something just because there’s a logo or money attached to it.
People can tell when something doesn’t feel like you. If I already love a brand, its world or the product itself, then it feels completely natural. I’m not trying to convince anyone to like something, I’m just sharing something I genuinely would have chosen anyway.
The best collaborations don’t really feel like collaborations at all. They feel like two creative worlds naturally overlapping, where you’re still able to bring your own personality and point of view to the brand. Of course, not every collaboration works like that, and I think learning when to say no is just as important as knowing when to say yes.
jacket and trousers ISABEL MARANT
shoes ALAÏA
Social media moves incredibly quickly, while great personal style often develops slowly. How do you resist the pressure to constantly chase trends?
I think it would be dishonest to say I don’t follow trends at all. I’m on social media every day and I know trends get views. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, “This is going to perform well,” rather than, “I actually love this,” and you can feel the difference. The algorithm has a lot of opinions for something that doesn’t have a face. But I’ve always been far more infatuated with fashion as a world than with whatever happens to be trending that week. I love the glamour of it, the history, old runway shows, vintage pieces, the characters and different eras of fashion. I’m much more excited by the idea of discovering something extraordinary from twenty or fifty years ago and giving it a completely new life.
My mum really taught me that trends have a very short memory. I genuinely don’t think she’s thrown anything away since she was about fifteen. Our wardrobes are completely chaotic pieces from every decade, old dresses, strange accessories, things that have disappeared and become fashionable again three times over. We’re probably the best people you could invite to a themed party. That’s made me realise how cyclical fashion is. Something can be declared completely over and a year later, everyone wants it again. So rather than chasing every trend, I like looking at what I already have, pulling references from different eras and making whatever is happening now feel like my own.
You’ve worked extensively across both fashion and beauty. Do you approach beauty as an extension of an outfit, or as its own form of creative expression?
I think beauty can absolutely be its own form of creative expression, but what really fascinates me is its ability to completely transform the character of fashion. I always think about Pat McGrath’s work with Galliano. Those shows simply wouldn’t have been the same without her makeup. The clothes created this incredible world, but the faces completed the fantasy. It wasn’t just “beauty,” it was character, theatre and storytelling.
I think that’s probably why I’ve always loved experimenting with makeup, especially around Halloween and fashion month. My family has always loved dressing up and going slightly overboard, so I’ve grown up loving that sense of transformation and glamour. At the same time, I’m incredibly loyal to the products I love. On a normal day, I’ll use my MAC Costa Riche eye pencil as lip liner and be perfectly happy. For me, beauty can be the final piece that pulls an entire look together, but I don’t think it always needs to match the clothes. Sometimes a clash or something slightly unexpected is what gives the look its character. That’s when it becomes exciting.
dress OSSIE CLARK and CELIA BIRTWELL
From the BFAs to Fashion Week and film festivals, you’ve experienced fashion in very different cultural spaces. Where do you feel most creatively inspired?
Honestly, sometimes I must get away from fashion to feel inspired by fashion. I can get completely swallowed by Pinterest and suddenly realise I’ve been looking at this very concentrated version of humanity where everyone is perfectly dressed, everyone lives somewhere beautiful, and everyone’s hair is perfect. I have a fringe, that’s definitely not my reality day to day.
I find real life much more inspiring. Sitting in a café and watching how people dress, how they move, what they carry and how clothes sit on their bodies. Everyone can make clothes look fabulous in a photograph, but how something makes you feel when you’re wearing it is completely different.
My grandad, Ossie Clark, had this incredible ability to make women feel ridiculously elegant in his clothes, and I think that idea has always stayed with me.
With events like the BFAs, Fashion Week or film festivals, the looks are never really my vision alone. My mum, my sister Tilly, my close friend Benji and I are basically the stylists. We have a group chat where we’re constantly bouncing around references, emotions, characters and different worlds we want to create. I’ve hired stylists before, but I’ve found they don’t always understand that my goal isn’t simply to look perfect.
My 2024 BFAs look was a bridal dress, but I wanted to embody this sort of ice queen. If you’ve ever walked that carpet, you know how freezing it really is, so it felt quite fitting. I want to embody a character and hopefully make someone feel something when they see the look. For us, the conversation is never just, “What dress should I wear?” It’s, “Who do we want to be tonight?”
’m also constantly inspired by art and photography books, museums and music. Taschen is a favourite. What I’m listening to can completely change what I want to wear. If I’m listening to soul, I’ll probably end up hunting for vintage slips or playing dress-up at Turner Vintage on Portobello or Rellik.
Inspiration comes in waves. Sometimes I want to consume everything, and other times I need to stop looking altogether. I think that’s when the best ideas usually come, when I’m not actively searching for them. They come from seeing someone on the street, hearing a song, finding an old photograph or discovering something completely unrelated to fashion.
hat, jacket, dress MIU MIU
tights LOS ANGELES APPAREL
shoes JIMMY CHOO
Is there an area beyond content creation, design, art, creative direction or something completely unexpected, that you’d like to explore next?
I’m really interested in what happens around the camera, not just in front of it. Whenever I’m working with other people, I naturally want to be involved in the creative decisions on styling, location, framing, lighting and, more than anything, the feeling of the final image. Creative direction is definitely something I’d love to explore much further.
My sister Tilly and I are really collaborate. She’s studying at Central Saint Martins, and has been working in fashion for as long as I’ve been building my world on social media. She has a much more design led perspective, so her opinion is paramount to me. We basically share the same brain, but notice completely different things. I always joke that we’ve been collaborating since I came out of the womb. I have no doubt we’ll build something much bigger together one day.
I’d also really love to explore film and acting. There’s something so exciting about being able to disappear into somebody else’s world and tell their story, rather than always having to turn up as yourself. I’m fascinated by faces and expression. Jim Carrey is a huge favourite of mine because he can communicate so much with his face and completely transform himself into a character. It feels like the opposite of this slightly expressionless iPhone-face epidemic we’re living through at the moment.
I don’t know exactly what form all of that will take yet, and I actually quite like that. I’m 21, there should still be a lot left to discover.
When you think about the world you’re building around yourself, what do you want people to understand about Lola Clark beyond fashion, beauty and social media?
I think I’d want people to understand that what I put online is quite a small part of who I am. Social media has a strange way of turning people into very simplified versions of themselves, and I never want to become a character that only exists through a screen. I’m 21 and I want my life to feel very full. I want to meet brilliant and slightly eccentric people, be in rooms where I know absolutely nothing, learn from people of different generations and keep putting myself in situations that change my perspective. I think having a sense of humour about yourself is important too. I never want to take my own image too seriously.
If I knew exactly who I was going to be in ten years, I think I’d find that incredibly boring.
top STELLA MCCARTNEY X H&M
shorts NUOVO
shoes GUCCI
TEAM CREDITS:
talent LOLA CLARK
photography LLOYD PURSALL
photography assistant DAVID RICHARDSON
make-up SARAH DOHERTY via CHARLOTTE TILBURY
hair CHLOE SWIFT via MARIA NILA
styling LOLA CLARK
styling assistant TILLY CLARK and CADENCE TALENT
management CADENCE TALENT BEN PAWSON
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA
