PROSPECTS: LOUTRE

With her new collection, Pia Schele captures the growing pains of London’s youth.

By Karly Quadros

Loutre’s ultra-relaxed trousers and patchwork puffers capture the freedoms of youth, weaving between passing cars on skateboards through the busy streets of East London. The latest collection from German-born designer Olympia Schiele for Fashion East carries that spirit forward, evoking the sticky middle of young adulthood—no longer a student roaming the streets, not yet an adult beset by routine.

“The collection’s overarching theme captures the energy of youth and the journey of growing up, and what it means to do so in a city as great as London,” said Olympia.

Loutre’s Spring 2025 ready-to-wear collection stays true to many of Olympia’s signatures: reworked textiles, durable outerwear, and easy silhouettes. The self-taught designer, who got her start as a photographer in the Australian surf and East London skate scenes, upcycles to create pieces equal parts cozy and gritty.

Things aren’t always easy, growing a small-batch, sustainable fashion brand without prior experience. (“Ten out of 10, would not recommend,” said the designer.) While she’s always had a knack for style, she learned to sketch, pattern, and sew through trial and error. Just as her clothes embody and elevate the growing pains of the youth generation, she’s found her path in staying true to a DIY spirit.

The garments riff on street style, with elevated plays on a track jacket in sumptuous knit and fur-trimmed velour. Silky basketball shorts are paired with a cream cable-knit zip-up and slouchy schoolgirl socks. Notably, Olympia dips into womenswear for the first time; tomboy flair comes through in plaid wrap skirts resembling flannels tied at the waist.

“I’m inspired by the process itself. As a hands-on learner, I find that working directly with the material—seeing how it drapes and moves—reveals the collection’s direction,” said Olympia.

She also took on classic outerwear. A paneled, faux-fur bomber is dressed down with a distressed red baseball cap, while a classic beige trench is reimagined with a cascade of drawstrings. The clean lines of a charcoal blazer are disrupted, twisted, and draped. A houndstooth hunting jacket stands out, refined and functional.

When she’s not collaborating with Fashion East, Olympia is one of Birkenstock’s designers-in-residence, where she produces new garments and facilitates screenprinting workshops. In 2019, she renovated a skatepark and shot a lookbook for Converse’s Spark Progress, an initiative spotlighting young female creators in London. Loutre has been repped by skaters Maité Steenhoudt (in a collaboration with Carhartt) and Mike Arnold.

Just like reworking a garment into something new, growing into yourself is all about building on what already exists. Loutre may have traded the patchwork for pinstripes and the camo for leather, but Olympia’s not ready to give up the grit and graffiti. After all, who else is pairing Peter Pan collars with studded leather jorts?