Introducing 'Glitter Tales'.....Miss December: Lauryn Loves Khaos!

As we wave goodbye to 2016 (what an interesting year it has been...) and strut into 2017, we want to be dewy-eyed, strong willed and eternally hopeful for the future. Leaving glitter dusted footsteps in our wake. As we embark on the New Year, we know that the future is female and we can't wait to see what trials and triumphs it holds for us all. We really wanted a blog feature to talk to some of our nearest and dearest gal pal's, hoping to inspire our readers, while celebrating the adventurous, smart and talented girls out there in the world doing it for themselves. We will be interviewing strong, independent, entrepreneurial, creative and visionary talent from all walks of life with one very important thing in common... a taste for girl power and world domination!

Kicking of our Girl Crush of the month feature is our dear friend Lauryn Strobel. She's a fierce fashionista with a taste for 'Khaos'. Based in London she runs her own bespoke label: Love Khaos fuelled by her passion and determination for other-worldly design. Lauryn is making a unique a mark in the fashion world with her embellished, intricate, handmade designs that are the epitome of statement making fashion. The eye-catching pieces she designs could only be imagined by a truly free spirit and creative soul. When she isn't busy blasting Metallica, sketching out her newest designs or watching femme-fronted dystopian films like Mad Max for inspiration – she is dancing under the stars at legendary music festivals like Burning Man, dressed to impress with our very own Mariesa Mae.

She's one truly bad-ass lady if we do say so ourselves.

Hi, Lauryn! To start off please give us a little bio on who you are and what makes you tick?

Quite simply: I am a free-spirited girl living out her dreams. Obsessed with travel and fancy dress, I've completely made a life for myself managing the delicate balance between extensive international travel and incredibly hard work growing my brand: Love Khaos.

Tell us the story of how you started your brand: Love Khaos?

Once upon a Time in a land far far away, with a terrain similar to Mars, I felt so incredibly inspired I began to design and create things for myself to wear. Eventually, that transformed into moving to London and a blind drive to break the traditional fashion mould and help people wear more exciting things in their everyday life. I believe in true self-expression and since we're not all artists I think creative clothes are the perfect tool to achieve that.

What makes you feel empowered?

Seeing the power that my clothing gives other people. Seeing them feeling beautiful, bad ass, excited, happy and sexy makes me feel empowered to keep doing what I'm doing!

Where do you draw your creativity from?

Talk us through your creative process?

It depends: Some things brew for a long time before they come to fruition, I sketch them out and think about them in length before I make patterns or create samples. Other things like hats just happen in the moment, I play around until I like what I created and the process itself is raw.

What obstacles did you face on the way to setting up your own brand and how did you overcome these?

Being an entrepreneur is way more responsibility than I had ever imagined. You must be an accountant, a marketing manager, a seamstress and a creative director, as well as the post office bitch and the secretary, all combined into one. You must learn how to make documents and agreements you previously never knew existed. It's all step by step really, some things are easier to sort out than others, it's like being in school, eventually it all comes together and makes sense.

What's playing on your iTunes right now?

Metallica.

What golden piece advice would you give to aspiring female designers with dreams of being their own bosses?

Follow your heart, do things you need to do - even when you think it's not socially acceptable and always dress the way you want to. Even if that means it's going to make people stare or be uncomfortable.

What's your style secret or favourite outfit?

I like to kid that now Brexit & Trump have taken over the free world, I have costumes and clothing prepared for the apocalypse! I'm being cheeky for sure, but the truth is Mad Max hasn't fallen far from the tree. Every Halloween (or Friday :) ) I'm keen to sport my leather.

Favourite fashion in a film or music video?

See above: Thunderdome! I'm also all in for futuristic fashion like the 5th Element, or Priscilla queen of the desert is flashy and fabulous too!

Style icon in a film / TV series?

The sellswords and knights in Game of Thrones have incredible chain mail and leather costumes. Very intricate and inspiring work!

Favourite place and why?

Favourite food?

Strawberries. No hesitation.

Any wise words you live your life by?

Life is short. Everything is temporary. Do what you love.

Our final parting question, what is your favourite thing about being a woman?

Boobs. Duh.