Why I live in Hoxton: fashion designer Chet Lo on why his part of east London is better than New York

I live on Old Street and my studio is in Hoxton. I love it here, I’m obsessed. East is beast, it’s my London neighbourhood.

I’ve lived in deep east, like Homerton, and around Hackney as well. Old Street and Hoxton are perfect because I still get to call myself an eastern boy and it’s easier to travel to the centre.

I’m a born-and-raised New Yorker.

I moved to London around 2016 for school at Central Saint Martins, but for me it’s about the creativity here. It’s unconventional and not seen anywhere else in the world.

Born and raised in New York, Chet Lo now calls east London home (Daniel Lynch)

You can really let your imagination and creativity run wild, and people are more receptive to it than they are in New York.

New York is hectic and crazy, very insane. I value my childhood there, it very much helped me be a bit of a New Yorker, a bit of a bitch. But I like how London feels like one giant suburban town.

Moving here was a no-brainer. I don’t regret it and I don’t think I could go anywhere else. It’s my home now.

Best eating and drinking

Joanna Cromwell & Chef Keegan Misanchuk of Brat restaurant on Redchurch Street (Daniel Lynch)

I love Brat on Redchurch Street. It’s so good. The Smoking Goat on Shoreditch High Street as well. Those are my favourite places to go out to eat.

But I do also just love cooking at home, honestly. It’s my favourite thing. If I have friends coming over for dinner that’s my perfect evening, rather than going out. Because she still loves to save pennies, but you can also experiment a bit more.

Where do you work out?

Stronghold Climbing Centre is Chet’s new obsession (Daniel Lynch)

I hate working out. I find it really boring. But I love bouldering. It’s my newfound obsession.

I boulder at this place in London Fields called Stronghold. You meet the best people, there’s a real community and no one is judging you. I randomly met someone at bouldering that knew this dog charity based in Macedonia and now I’m adopting a dog.

To commune with nature

Colombia Road for the flower market on a lazy Sunday (Daniel Lynch)

Luckily, I live by Shoreditch Park and London Fields is close as well.

It’s really nice on a lazy Sunday to go to the flower market on Columbia Road, walk around and grab a coffee and maybe buy some flowers while I’m there.

For a culture fix

The Curzon Cinema on Pitfield Street for calm film experience (Daniel Lynch)

There is this great little cinema that’s literally down the road from where I live, the Curzon in Hoxton. I watched Poor Things there. It’s so nice and it’s so quiet there. Sometimes when I go I’m like the only one in the cinema and you can really absorb the film.

I love going to museums and galleries to find inspiration. The Serpentine is one of my favourite places, White Cube and, when I was younger, I used to trek all the way to the V&A.

Grocery shopping

I live between a Tesco and a Sainsbury’s, so for me it’s between those two. I don’t go anywhere fancy, I prefer the basics.

Getting around

Lime bikes for when your bike is broken or stolen (Daniel Lynch)

I love to cycle. I’ve been hit by cars two times now and I feel I can properly say I’m a cyclist.

I used to have a couple of bikes, but they’ve all broken down or been stolen, so I’m very much a Lime biker. It’s my favourite mode of transportation. You get to see the whole of London. It’s fun, it’s very active.

Something you only see in Hoxton

For me it’s not what I see but how I feel. I feel completely safe, it’s so comfortable and familiar. There are so many other creative people. I feel like no one is judging me and I can be openly myself. I don’t care if I walk out in my sweatpants, whereas when I’m in west London I feel I have to dress up.

Chet feels completely safe to be himself in east London (Daniel Lynch)

Dream street

Honestly, I live in my dream spot. I love being where I am. It’s never about the size of the home, I’ve always been able to curate my home the way that I love it. I can see myself living there for the rest of my life, I’m very much content.

What’s the catch?

There’s not that many food places close to where I work. There are great restaurants but they’re all sit-down, so we always end up bringing lunch to work.

London fields is one of Chet’s closest parks (Daniel Lynch)

In three words

Cool, hip, saucy! No, it’s calm, it’s creative and it’s reliable. I see the same people on my commute every day.

Chet Lo’s Autumn/Winter 2024 collection will be shown on Friday at London Fashion Week.

Schools

Shoreditch Park primary school and St John the Baptist are both rated outstanding.

At secondary level, the Waterside Academy and New Regent’s College are rated good. The ArtsXchange, also rated good, is an alternative provision offering an arts and media-based curriculum for pupils who have been excluded from mainstream education.

What it costs

Buying in Hoxton

Average property price: £551,310 

Renting in Hoxton

Average house price, pcm: £3,730

Average flat price, pcm: £2,810