THE DESIGNER

A look behind the designer

LENA ONKELINX

Lena was born 28 years ago in a very small Belgian village near Leuven. Her parents loved to show her the world by travelling a lot from an early age. She got inspired by different cultures, meeting a lot of creative people, and studying abroad. Fashion has always been her most intense love affair and growing up in this small village, not far from the world fashion capital, Antwerp, got her dreaming of working in the fashion industry. From a young age it was already very clear for her and her surroundings that fashion was the thing she was really good at and loved immensely. She followed fashion classes during the summer, designed her own jewelry and clothing pieces with her mom who was also very creativity-minded.

Even though her parents didn’t approve of her following a fashion-oriented study, she was firmly convinced that she would make her way into the fashion industry after finishing her business management/marketing studies. She started her first fashion related job at a German brand right when she finished her master study. After several years of experience as a sales manager, she decided to take the plunge and start her own online store with curated fashion. A few years later she decided it was time for an additional challenge and to finally pursue that big dream: creating her own fashion brand.

"LENA MAE is the translation of my vision of fashion: very design oriented, with high demands on quality, with great attention to detail in finishes and with sourcing the right partners. With LENA MAE, I want to create an inspiration brand that connects with an authentic community though shared personal style philosophies. My brand bridges a certain level of edgy with a deep focus on quality, style, and comfort.”

She adds: “I have a big focus on individualism and I have always felt it important to let that shine through with my own personal style and wardrobe. My brand was born from this mindset and I want to provide wardrobe staples for women seeking effortless essentials that evoke feeling over function. I want my clothes to give you the confidence to go for your dreams, take on new challenges, take risks and live life to the fullest. I have no interest in anything less than that.”