Lena Hoschek

Designer in love with Hollywood

„You have to accept everything you can’t do as a challenge, not an obstacle.“

Born in Graz in 1981, Magdalena ‘Lena’ Hoschek is one of the most interesting fashion designers not only in Austria but also internationally, whose vintage-inspired designs regularly cause a stir. Her fascination with fashion was already apparent as a child, as she recounted with a smile in an interview: “I’ve always drawn dresses, without faces. They were proper sketches of princess outfits drawn with felt-tip pens.” After completing her secondary education, she began studying fashion design at the Fashion School of the City of Vienna, graduating in 2003. This was followed by an internship with Vivienne Westwood in London and, immediately afterwards, the founding of her first studio in Graz in 2005.

Lena Hoschek’s designs are particularly influenced by the style of the 1940s and 1950s, as seen in classic Hollywood icons. The designer places particular emphasis on the high-quality workmanship of the carefully selected fabrics, which are often decorated with flowers or graphic patterns, and uses them to create designs that emphasise the female silhouette without compromising on elegance. Twice a year, this results in a prêt-à-porter collection that is available internationally. In addition, Lena Hoschek attaches great importance to preserving traditional craftsmanship, which she implements in the Lena Hoschek Tradition line, where classic Styrian traditional dresses meet contemporary cuts.

In 2001, she was voted Graz Woman of the Year by readers of G7 magazine, and in 2009 and 2012 she received the Vienna Fashion Award.