British model Olivia Arben, has modelled for an impressive roster of fashion houses, brands and catwalks in London, Dubai and the US, as well as numerous fashion magazines including Vogue Italia, Huffington Post and Obscure.
Olivia has achieved campaigns for Boohoo, L’Oreal and Joshua Kane amongst many others, and recently became a British Heart Foundation Ambassador. This is a cause very close to her heart, as she tragically lost her own father to heart failure when she was only 16. Olivia works closely with the foundation on all of their campaigns and social media drives. She is also passionate about discussing the issue around height in the model industry. Her message to agencies is to ‘stop putting prejudiced height restrictions on your applications’, as she believes that numbers on tape measures should not be important anymore. With her busy schedule, she stays relaxed by cuddling up to her three Persian cats and watching her three pet jellyfish, Chuck, Blair and Serena float around their tank.
We caught up with Olivia for the latest in our ‘My London’ series.
Favourite neighbourhood:
Oxford Circus, most of my friends live around that area and it is the best for shopping and people watching.
Favourite place for brunch:
Leto Cafe on Brompton Road is my favourite, they serve the best peach iced tea there and also their Teriyaki Salmon is the best I’ve ever tried.
Best coffee in London:
I’m not a big coffee drinker but for Espresso Martinis I like The Ivy, Chelsea Garden!
Favourite gallery or museum:
The Serpentine Gallery is amazing and I was lucky enough to go to their summer party this year.
Olga Lomaka is also one of my favourite artists and I go to all of her exhibitions whenever she’s showing in London.
Tell us a secret:
I’ve seen a ghost!
Favourite place to shop:
Selfridges or Harrods, I’m a lazy shopper so I like all the brands to be in one place rather than going into lots of different shops.
Favourite place to find inspiration:
LouLous ( 5 Hertford St) is my home interior inspo! I’m about to move into my first home, a little muse house and I want to cram it full with as many textures and patterns and antiques as I possibly can! I am partial to an animal print and a banana palm leaf print, but it’s actually harder to find these you’d think!
Best London destination for a date:
One of the first places my boyfriend and I went together was Flesh and Buns in Covent Garden, there you can make your own S’mores – it is so cute for dessert and the sushi is the best.
Favourite park:
It’s an obvious one but I love to go to Hyde park with friends and have a jug of Pimms by the lake, especially in this weather!
Favourite food market:
Whole foods and Harrods food hall, especially the chocolate section.
Your sanctuary in the city:
Topshop, Oxford Circus Nail Bar and Cafe on the bottom floor, I always visit between castings!
What inspires you?
I’m an Ambassador for the British Heart Foundation, and the work they do inspires me every day. They have over 500 charity shops through out the UK with the highest quality of clothes, DVDs, books and in some stores even furniture. All purchases help towards funding life saving research and the breakthroughs they have been making recently are incredible – like discovering that air pollution in London is a major contributor to over 40,000 deaths per year from strokes and heart disease. The BHF raises awareness amongst people with heart and circulatory issues living in highly polluted areas of London, making sure they are aware of the risks and making simple adjustments to their lifestyles e.g. exercising indoors etc.
This season I’m loving:
Tiny sunglasses, wedges and Jessica Russell Flint wallpaper! I modelled some of her clothing products for Harrods a couple of years ago and have been obsessed with her print designs ever since.
Olivia is a British Heart Foundation Ambassador – Follow her on Instagram @oliviaarben.
