He is best known as Proudlock on hit E4 show Made In Chelsea. But what fans might not be entirely aware of, despite his clothing line Serge DeNimes making several, small appearances in the series, is Ollie's designer day job. Having founded the label in 2011, the 25-year-old decided it was time to test the waters with a pop-up shop in central London. And HELLO! Online's fashion team had the pleasure of attending the launch part — which was attended by fellow cast members Spencer Matthews and Jamie Laing — and we managed to steal the man of the moment for a quick chat.
"This is my first pop-up shop and it's very exciting. It started out as tshirts but this collection has jumpers, jewellery, beanies and hats – I wanted to push it to new levels," he says proudly as I steal a quick glance at the uber-cool location, complete with vintage, battered suitcases and walls decorated by street artists. And despite enjoying every minute of his Made In Chelsea experience that has given him "a lot of great opportunities", he insists that creativity and design is where his passions lie. "Fashion has always been a main interest for me. Ever since a young age, I've always been creative – whether it was drawing or designing clothes, so this is a natural thing for me." It's certainly where he can see his career heading, acknowledging that Made In Chelsea "might not last forever. But this," he continues, "I want to, hopefully, to gradually progress. I want it to continue after Made In Chelsea." Joining the cast of the hit TV show in series 2, Ollie says he had toyed with the idea for a while before finally accepting. "It was one of the biggest decisions I've ever had to make. It was a big step because I didn't know what to expect. But I am happy that I did it."
Series five of the show has been eventful, and for the first time, the designer has come to regret some of his on-screen actions concerning the love triangle between himself, new cast member Sophia and his best friend Francis. "Watching it back, I am extremely annoyed at my actions," he says. "I hadn't seen scenes between Sophia and Francis and suddenly I started to see it in context; I'm annoyed at myself. "I didn't do anything behind Francis' back, but unfortunately it looked that way. And that was the fans' point of view also – I got a lot abuse on Twitter after one episode!"
His relationship with Sophia didn't end up working out. But how is Ollie's love life at the moment? "I'm single right now," he says. "There's a lot going on and I'm just trying to focus on my business. If I'm in a relationship with someone I like to give 100% back." *Cue a lot of very pleased girls.*
