Meet travel extraordinaire, model, blogger, and designer, Helen Owen!
Documenting her life on the go, it’s likely you have run into Helen on one of her many platforms at one point or another. As one of the first influencers to share her travels with the world on social media, Helen has grown a following of over 1.6 million on Instagram. Living most of her life in swimwear took the backseat when the world was hit with a pandemic and travel was halted to a stop at the beginning of 2020. Helen’s day-to-day wardrobe turned from bikinis to athleisure as the quarantine progressed indefinitely, and Feat was the brand she turned to.
From the initial conversation that took place mid-COVID in 2020 we knew that Helen aligned with not just our product but our overall brand. Authentic, adventurous, and spreading positivity to an audience much greater than her immediate circle. Helen has worn our brand all throughout 2020 and swooned over our BlanketBlend® fabric. We got to talking and it became a no brainer to launch our first BlanketBlend® hoodie and jogger set together. Her style reflects her laid-back, down-to-earth spirit and knowing her love for lounge sets and keen eye for design, Helen's name was all over this - and as you can see, we made it so.
If nothing else, at least this year we let sweats pass as
clothing, and if you’re asking me, that’s a big win.
Another big feat? I get to collaborate with the very
brand that I’ve been living in all year. There’s a chance
that if you’re reading this, you may love living in sweat
sets as much as me. If not, you’re about to.
- Helen Owen
Together, we launched our first collection FEAT x Helen Owen December 2020 and sold out within 2 months! As sad as it is to say that her Shadow and Spice BlanketBlend® sets are no longer available, we are excited to announce that there is more in store for 2021! If you’ve purchased Feat products before, you know the quality of our clothes and the standard we hold ourselves to and these new sets are no different. We’re working hard to create something both our current Feat family, and our new friends will love. So get ready for another incredible collaboration where you can trust us and Helen to add even more comfy clothes to your wardrobe.
Get to know Helen
Go-to coffee order?
I make my coffee at home 90% of the time! If I’m ordering, I get an oat milk or almond milk latte
Describe yourself in a hashtag?
#alwayssmiling
What are the top 3 things on your bucket list?
Visit the Philippines, snowboard in Switzerland, see the pyramids in Egypt
You are quite the globetrotter, what is your favorite part about traveling?
My favorite part about traveling is probably that feeling you get when you first arrive to an unfamiliar place, or that feeling you get when you revisit a place you've been before… for me it’s the thrill of the unknown and getting to discover something new, see something for yourself with your own eyes, or in the case of traveling to a familiar place, it’s revisiting the memories and emotions tied to that place. Different places make me feel different things - England makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of my childhood, Greece makes me feel free, the mountains make me feel energized, etc - to name a few places we frequently travel to. :)
What is your favorite place you’ve traveled to?
So hard to say, but the Amalfi Coast in Italy is a place that blew my mind and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
What is your favorite way to break a sweat?
Lately it’s pilates!
Best piece of advice you’ve received?
No one remembers you for your appearance, they remember the way you made them feel.
You are an inspiration to many. What’s inspiring you in life right now?
Right now I’m feeling inspired by self love and finding ways to spark joy! Small things, like organizing my closet, giving my room a makeover, freeing up iCloud storage, swapping fake plants for real ones, taking my vitamins, moving my body, and learning how to slow down and enjoy the sunshine.
What a year it has been! What has been the most challenging part of quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I think the hardest part for me personally was finding motivation. I fell into a bit of a rut last year and found it really hard to find the energy to continue to create content and be active on social media in the midst of it all.
What does a typical day in the life of Helen Owen look like?
A typical day at home usually starts with homemade breakfast and coffee, emails and calls, then some kind of movement - lately I’ve been on a pilates kick! And the majority of my time is spent creating or editing! Whatever project I have going on that day, could be a Youtube video or a project with a brand. I usually end my days with Postmates and Netflix, if I can! :)
What are you most passionate about in your line of influencing?
I am most passionate about sharing more raw, real, vulnerable sides of myself and my struggles in the hopes that I will be able to help others feel less isolated in a what can otherwise so easily be very toxic influencer culture. That’s where my heart is leading me, I’m taking baby steps but I think I am heading in a good direction.
What did you go to school for and how has it helped you in your current role?
I studied Design Media Arts at UCLA! Studying design in school was HUGE for what I do now. Design is so intertwined with my day to day because everything I do is so visual. I know the full Adobe Creative Suite, web design, and I am proficient in video editing all thanks to those years in school. Beyond the technical, so many of my design classes taught me other valuable skills in design, color, form, and typography.
You have a remarkable eye for design. What do you love about this process the most?
Thank you! I just love designing things! I get excited to format things, it could be anything from an Instagram story to a Youtube thumbnail to a mundane pdf document. I just really enjoy telling a visual story and expressing myself through design.
What was your favorite part about your first product collaboration with Feat Clothing?
I loved that I got to think up a design for the sweat set and have full creative freedom with the content surrounding it and how I presented it to the world! My absolute favorite part was when everyone else seemed to like the product as much as I did!