Highbury’s finest
CLARA PINTO
WORK • Wednesday Routine
CLARA PINTO • founder • Clara Pinto
Neighbourhood you work & live in: Highbury
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m at my studio, working on whatever deadline we’re facing. Fashion is cyclical, which makes it both entertaining and nonstop. I’ve just finished Fashion Week in Milan and Buenos Aires, so we’re closing orders for the season and preparing fabrics to send off to the factory for production. It’s a month of hands-on textile work.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I really enjoy going to the same restaurants and knowing the people who work there. Eating out usually depends on my cravings that day, so I know exactly where to go, and it’s all local. My favourite restaurant is Quality Wines; it’s always perfect. I also love Trullo for delicious pasta, Frank’s Canteen for the perfect hangover-cure bacon bap, Farang for fried chicken and a glass of white, and Top Cuvée for bavette and fries.
How about a little leisure or culture?
There’s an exhibition at the Barbican I’d love to see called Dirty Looks. I’d also love to visit The Wallace Collection.
Any weekend getaways?
Kendal in the Lake District. I went in December. The lake at night, the lights of the old town and the cold winter air made it perfect. Another favourite is Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall. I’ve never eaten or slept better in my life.
What was your last great holiday?
Namibia for my honeymoon a few months ago. We travelled around the country, which varies quite a lot from north to south. Each day, we woke up early to go on safari; tracking animals is incredibly exciting. The elephants blew my mind; they’re intelligent and full of quirky behaviours. You might come across a group of 20 elephants standing perfectly still; they’re taking a nap while standing up. Flying in a hot-air balloon was completely different from what I expected. You float like a bird, carried by the wind, with no sound and no gusts, and you feel surprisingly safe in that little basket up in the air. For a few days, we stayed at Zannier Sonop, a lodge built on top of a rock formation in the middle of nowhere. I’ve never experienced anything so surreal.