by I live on Old Street and my studio is in Hoxton. I love it here, I’m obsessed. The East is a beast, it’s my neighborhood in London.
I live in the deep east, like Homerton, and also around Hackney. Old Street and Hoxton are perfect as I still call myself an eastern boy and it’s easier to travel to the centre.
I’m a New Yorker born and raised.
I moved to London around 2016 for school in Central Saint Martins, but for me it’s all about creativity here. It is unusual and is not seen anywhere else in the world.
You can let your imagination and creativity run wild, and people are more accepting than they are in New York.
New York is hectic and crazy, very crazy. I appreciate my childhood there, it helped me a lot to be a New Yorker, a little bit. But I like how London feels like a big suburban town.
Moving here was a no-brainer. I have no regrets and I don’t think I could go anywhere else. It is my home now.
Better to eat and drink
I love Brat on Redchurch Street. It is so good. Also The Smoking Goat on Shoreditch High Street. Those are my favorite places to go out to eat.
But I also love cooking at home, honestly. It is my favorite thing. If I have friends over for dinner that’s my perfect evening, rather than going out. Because she still loves to save pennies, but you can also try a little more.
Where do you work out?
I hate working out. I find it boring. But I love boulders. It is my newfound obsession.
I meet at this place in London Fields called Stronghold. You meet the best people, there is a real community and no one is judging you. I randomly met someone at a boulder who knew this dog charity based in Macedonia and now I’m adopting a dog.
To commune with nature
Luckily, I live near Shoreditch Park and London Fields is close by as well.
It’s very 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 culture repair
There’s this great cinema down the road from where I live, the Curzon in Hoxton. I then watched Poor Things. It’s so nice and it’s so quiet there. Sometimes when I go I’m like the only person in the cinema and you can really absorb the film.
I love going to museums and galleries for inspiration. The Serpentine is one of my favorite places, White Cube and, when I was younger, I used to go all the way to the V&A.
Grocery shopping
I live between Tesco and Sainsbury’s, so for me it’s between those two. I don’t go anywhere fancy, I prefer the basics.
Getting around
I love cycling. I’ve been hit by cars twice now and I feel like I can properly say I’m a cyclist.
I used to have a few bikes, but they’ve all been broken down or stolen, so I’m very much a Lime biker. It is my favorite mode of transport. You get to see all 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 myself openly. I don’t mind if I walk out in my sweatpants, but when I’m in west London I feel like I have to dress up.
Dream street
Honestly, I live in my dream place. I love being where I am. It’s never about the size of the house, I’ve always been able to keep my house the way I love it. I can see myself living there for the rest of my life, I’m very happy.
What is the catch?
There aren’t many places to eat near where I work. There are great restaurants but they are all sit down, so we always bring lunch to work.
In three words
Cool, hip, saucy! No, he is calm, he is creative and he is reliable. I see the same people on my commute every day.
Chet Lo’s The Autumn/Winter 2024 collection will be shown on Friday at London Fashion Week.
Schools
Shoreditch Park primary school and St John the Baptist School are excellent.
At second level, Waterside Academy and New Regent’s College are rated well. Another well-rated provision is the ArtsXchange, which offers an arts and media-based curriculum to students excluded from mainstream education.
What does it cost
Buy in Hoxton
Average property price: £551,310
For rent in Hoxton
Average house price, pcm: £3,730
Average flat price, pcm: £2,810
Source: Hamptons & Land Registry
