Jacqueline Loekito (@damejaxx) is our new LFW favourite, and this interview will make her your’s too

If there was a recipe for love, I’m sure adroit upcoming designer Jacqueline Loekito would have it.

Her spellbinding latest collection, reeled in nothing but awe throughout this season’s LFW, so I caught up with the University of Creative Arts graduate, to discuss revitalising gender norms, scorpions, the colour P-I-N-K and just exactly how she makes those irresistible pieces. 

Hi Jacqueline! To interview you is an absolute pleasure. Please introduce yourself, your brand, and a fun fact about you! 

Hello! Thank you for asking me all these questions! So I’m Jacqueline Loekito – half British half Indonesian and currently living in Basel, Switzerland. I moved here 4 years ago because of LOVE! I actually started my brand in 2012 after I finished my BA at the University of Creative Arts. But I took it more seriously after I finished my master last January 2018 in FHNW Basel and now it’s my second seasons.

Your AW 19/20 collection ‘Viviane’s Last Kiss’ was inspired by the loss of Viviana Zitzer; what a beautiful way to honour someone you lost. How did this fuel your collection differently, were there any additional obstacles?

Thank you, it was a way to say goodbye to her properly. I was questioning where was she and what would she wear up there. She loved pink, we talked a lot about gender studies and surprisingly everything went so smooth like I felt she was giving me a nod from the clouds.

When I came across your latest and past collections, I completely fell in love. But subsequently (after that!), I noticed love is actually a very ongoing narrative in your work; alongside pink, and that scorpion heart brand logo of course! What do themes of love, scorpions and the colour pink mean to you?

Glad you like it! Love is a big part because these work truly comes from the heart. I’m always inspired by real-life events and somehow for me, everything I do becomes much more meaningful than just – making clothes. I’m a scorpion and there’s always two sides of the story – the good and the bad. So I did it on purpose with the two scorpions joined together. With the pink colour – this is an important message. I wanted to abolish baby boy wearing blue and baby girls wearing pink because before the 1940s it was the opposite. So here I am pushing men and women wearing pink and sharing their clothes. You will always see pink as my signature colour.

As emotion is key throughout all your pieces, How do you want people who wear your clothes to feel?

For me, I want people to appreciate the story behind it but make it their own. I want them to feel like they can be truly who they want to be in my clothes.

Your collections are always designed vigorously, with the prosperity of being genderless. Why were you inspired to design for this demographic?

I think growing up in Jakarta I was so suppressed with dressing, not allowed this not allowed that. And when I moved to London I was finally FREE. I always believe in freedom of dressing for everyone regardless of gender.

Is there anyone, in particular, you would adore to see in your designs?

I would adore anyone in my design especially when they truly understand the message behind it. For me, that’s like Christmas seeing someone wearing my clothes.

I think I would wear the chunky broken heart roll neck jumper forever! Where and how, can us admirers shop your collection?

OMG me too! A few weeks ago I got the chance to wear it myself and it was cold outside. I didn’t even have to wear any coat because it’s so tight knitted there’s no air coming in! I’m so happy with this jumper where I collaborated with my designer friend from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Its hand knitted with love and you could feel it when you wear it. You could pre-order it soon on my website www.jacquelineloekito.com so you could rock it next winter!

Any plans for a heartfelt and pink, world domination in the future?

Always! As long there is hope I will be there colouring the world with my pink signature designs.

So, in love!