The Chet Lo look? “Sexy. Spiky. Otherworldly.”
The 25-year-old Asian-American moved to the
UK in 2015 and graduated from the BA knitwear
course at Central Saint Martins in 2020. His flair
for textile design didn’t go unnoticed by his
tutor, who encouraged him to launch a knitwear
label — and his Nineties-inspired pieces have
already been spotted on a succession of A-listers
including Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat and, most
recently, Dua Lipa (right). But Lo’s “pinch me”
moment was, in fact, a lot less glam than you
might expect. “It was when we got VAT
registered. It really just clicked for me that I was,
like ... a real business owner.” Despite his starry
ascent, Lo is keeping his feet on the ground for
now. “People’s expectations are quite difficult to
keep up with in this day and age. A lot of young
people are dying for an opportunity to show
what they have, but they forget to take into
account what their limits are. I mean, I forgot
after my debut show that there was another
show soon after.” Jane McFarlandThe red carpet
designer
Chet Lo
Some chefs set their sights on top-tier kitchens from a
young age, but not Lucy Timm. Despite being head chef
at Royale, east London (top) — a hip spin-off of the
Michelin-starred Shoreditch restaurant Leroy, serving
Provençal-inspired rotisserie chicken — Timm, 28, only
got into the chef game four years ago. After her original
dream job of documentary film-maker didn’t work out,
she took part-time jobs in restaurant kitchens, where she
“started to find a love for cheffing and hospitality, and so
decided to become a full-time chef ”, before landing the
gig as chef de partie at Leroy in 2019. And lockdown
didn’t stop her either. She used the opportunity to start
a takeaway business, Plates & Playlists, from her own
kitchen, for which she not only designed two three-course
set menus, but also curated a four-hour playlist to go
alongside them. “Music is another passion of mine,
I wanted to create an immersive experience for my
customers,” she says. So what’s next for a chef already at
the top of her game? “I have ideas for doing my own
cookbook in the future, but next year I’m planning a
recipe zine with a friend who’s an illustrator. I’m also
planning a supper club in the spring.” Sign us up. RKThe hot chef
Lucy Timm
Max Doyle, Getty Images, Backgrid
The Sunday Times Style • 11