Wear your heart on your tee: Lillies of The Alley

If you’re eager to embrace the fresh, urban streetwear craze that’s dominating the high street this spring/summer, then look no further than London-based “tee” brand Lillies of The Alley (LOTA).

Conceived almost four years ago, the brand relishes in slouchy tees and heavy print hoodies, giving basic garments a breath of fresh air through statement logos, vivid colours and aztec patterns.

LOTA also takes youthful, laid-back fashion and infuses it with rock ‘n’ roll nostalgia by incorporating the likes of Nirvana and Frankie Goes to Hollywood lyrics onto the pieces, radiating a cool and individual edge.

Channeling the “peace & love” era of the 60s, many of the garments available have diplomatic logos such as “drop beats not bombs”, “make-up not war” and “all we need is love”, which naturally grabbed the attention of musical legend Blondie, who was spotted wearing a hoodie from the collection.

If this isn’t reason enough for LOTA to be an essential in your wardrobe this year, the incredibly reasonable prices and the manufacture of the clothes may just have you obsessing. The pieces available will not only ensure that you stand out from the crowd, oozing originality and effortless swag at prices as low as £10, but also bring a personal feel to your clothes as everything is rendered by hand and designed in-house.

Nathalie McDonnell is the woman we have to thank for gracing our high street with this innovative, fun and versatile clothing line, who, before launching the brand, was a graphics and advertising student who wore her own customised t-shirts. As well as friends and passersby appreciating the uniqueness of her personalised tees, they were also noticed by a Topshop buyer, and since then the brand has gone from strength to strength.

Beginning with five of her designs being showcased under the Lollipop concession in Topshop, Oxford Circus, the Arcadia group decided to offer Nathalie a platform to expand her designs by giving it brand status. Now the collection can be found on the ASOS marketplace, Runway Republic and their own website which offers a service to design and buy your own one-off tee!

With pieces from the collection being featured in the likes of GQ magazine and HUBYO, Lillies of The Alley is destined to be a huge, recognisable brand. Its adaptable and seasonable tees will never look out of place in your wardrobe, and is an easy way to give any outfit a cool, stylistic flare.

Alison Boswell

Visit the website here.