For the timeless and the effortless
In the Cab With
Lucas Oliver Mill
A Q&A on the Interconnectedness of Interiors, Art, and Fashion, The Craving for Human Touch, Miuccia Prada's Apartment, and Lucas Oliver Mill's Seven Easy Pieces
by Bart Kooi
Since the launch of his Instagram account, Mill has worked on multiple museum exhibitions, such as the first survey of American Pop art in Asia and an upcoming Jean-Michel Basquiat show. His distinctive approach, combined with his thorough research, is evident in his thoughtfully crafted and comprehensive captions, and have earned him a role as contributing editor at the newly launched Sotheby’s Magazine.
In this week's article: "In the Cab With Lucas Oliver Mill," a Q&A with a very Cabmate curator and writer who believes “the human touch and the understanding of the person behind creations are more important than ever.”
Let's start from the beginning. Your first post on Collector Walls was on June 21, 2022. What was your initial goal or vision for creating the account?
I began the account as a personal exploration of the things and spaces I love. I was researching into the homes of fashion designers, musicians, film directors, things like that — I was fascinated by how many of them had built these incredible collections of art and design, and curious about the stories behind them and where each piece had come from.
As my audience grew, the account evolved into a larger reflection of the moment I think we're in, where art, interior design, style, fashion, film, are all intermixed.
There's a lot of accounts on Instagram that post or curate image selections. What is it that sets your account apart?
I think it’s my focus on educating people, and exploring dialogues that connect these different worlds of art, design, interiors, fashion and film. I write quite comprehensive captions and I do a lot of research behind each photo I post. I speak directly to the collectors, if I can; I speak to the photographers who have taken the photos; I search the depths of the Internet and make sure that I'm putting stuff out that feels new or unexplored.
Today, more than ever, we're inundated with content, and so much of it is repetitive or just surface-level. I think it’s important for people to be shown content that's insightful, thought-provoking, and feels new. Otherwise it's like we're consuming the same content over and over again, which I think can be a vicious cycle.
You've attracted many followers beyond the realms of art and interior design—especially in fashion. Why do you think so many people from the fashion industry are drawn to your work?
It's interesting. I did not expect when I first set up the page to connect with so many people in the fashion world. I thought it would just be people who worked in art and design. But, in the very early days of my account, creative directors began following me — people I deeply admire — like Jonathan Anderson and Marc Jacobs.
It made me realise that the creative directors of today, the ones who are really pushing the boundaries, are the ones who can strongly reference the past, and pull inspiration from other creative spheres. People like Jonathan [Anderson], Matthieu Blazy, Pieter Mulier — they are all meticulous collectors, they care deeply about the art and objects that they surround themselves with.
Seeing the mood boards on display backstage after a fashion show really opens up your eyes to how many sources of inspiration these designers are pulling from; from film, to design, to art, to theatre, to television — all over. They [creative directors] need to be constantly on the lookout for new inspiration points and I love the idea that my account might be a part of that journey of discovery.
Do you think the interplay between fashion and art and interiors is getting more important than it used to be?
Fashion brands have always collaborated with artists, and fashion designers have always been collectors of objects of art and design. I just think now we're in an age where creating stuff that feels new is harder than ever. Engaging with art and design or collaborating with artists and designers is what I think sets aside the fashion brands of today. When you look at a collection from Bottega Veneta, from Loewe, you can see the connections to these other spheres, and it gives the collections so much more depth to them.
I’ve also been intrigued by how fashion brands are leaning more into experiential buying, and interiors, obviously, play such an important part in that. Bottega Veneta just opened this beautiful space in Venice for VIP clients, where they're immersing clients in design and art and beautiful interiors that were crafted by Matthieu [Blazy] and his team. It's so important now to immerse customers in your world, and world building is so important today.
Given that experiential shopping and brand building are more important than ever for driving sales, does art also play a role from a commercial perspective?
For sure. There are definitely more commercial examples, where an artist will design a bag just with a painting on it — I'm not going to name names. [laughs] If an artist has just created a bag or slapped their painting on a T-shirt, it can feel a little bit... underwhelming. But at the same time, there are fashion brands that are working with artists in a more nuanced way, which feels a lot more... natural?
More authentic?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and obviously there's a commercial side to it. It's a fashion brand at the end of the day, it has to make money. But artists now play such an important role in how a collection is rolled out; Gucci just recently did this campaign with Blondie where they had Nan Goldin shoot the campaign. It’s interesting to see how fashion brands are using artists in certain ways — to shoot a campaign, to design the set for a show — I think there's so many opportunities to bring artists into fashion.
In a previous interview with Interview Magazine you said that “many of your posts are inspired by what's happening in culture recently”. So what is currently happening in culture that's being reflected on your account?
I feel like all these creative spheres are more interconnected than ever. I feel like my account is an amalgamation of this interconnectedness that is at the heart of popular culture right now.
Obviously, creative industries have always been connected, but it's just so interesting to see now the overlap in certain places. How Jonathan Anderson is doing the costumes for Challengers and Luca Guadagnino's new movie, Queer, and how Matthieu Blazy is doing Julianne Moore's costumes for the new Pedro Almodóvar movie. How Saint Laurent are now creating their own movies, which are premiering at Cannes Film Festival. There's so much crossover in so many different places.
But this overlap has been around for a longer time?
Totally. I just feel like it's almost hyper-present now. Also, we're at a moment right now where people crave more of a human touch to things. We're out of the pandemic now — we had a period of time where we were isolated on our own.
I feel we’re now shifting towards a place where people are craving a human element to things. I was at the most recent Bottega Veneta show, and Matthieu Blazy spoke about childhood and coming of age being the main theme of the collection. It was a very human show. Alessandro Michele made his debut with Valentino, and that was also so him in every way.
My account has always been very focused on the people behind the collections, and behind the homes. That's why I post so many photos of people in their homes, it just humanizes this collection; it humanizes this building; this amazing home. People just crave that human touch and that understanding of the person behind something; it is more important than ever.
What’s the craziest or most beautiful place your account has taken you to?
Oh, God. [thinks] There’s two that come to mind. The first would probably be Cy Twombly’s former home and studio in Bassano, an hour outside of Rome. I connected with Twombly’s grandchildren through Instagram and they were kind enough to invite me to visit this summer. Twombly is not only one of my favourite artists but he also created the most incredible homes to house his works during this lifetime. His art, his style and his homes all feel so timeless. Valentino even shot one of their campaigns at his apartment in Rome back in the late 1960s.
What was even more wild was things like his bed, objects he had collected, sculptures he owned, they were all still there! You could even use his old bathroom. It felt a little like re-entering a moment in history.
The second place would be a collector’s home I recently visited in Los Angeles for my first article for Sotheby’s Magazine. I wrote the article on a painting by Willem de Kooning — one of the great Abstract Expressionist artists working in New York alongside Rothko, Pollock, and all those — and the current owner of the work is a man named Michael Ovitz, who was one of the co-founders of CAA.
Michael [Ovitz] has built the most incredible home in Beverly Hills, which he lives in with his partner Tamara Mellon, who is the co-founder of Jimmy Choo. The house has floor to ceiling windows, and there’s a pool that surrounds the property, almost like it’s floating on water. It’s pretty incredible. They were kind enough to open up their home for me and I got to spend the whole morning there. It was very, very special.
Speaking of your role as contributing editor at Sotheby’s Magazine, how does your account relate to your work in the magazine?
I recently joined Sotheby’s to work on their magazine alongside Kristina O'Neill, who is one of the great editors of our time. Kristina ran WSJ Magazine for a decade and transformed it into a publication that was really on the pulse of culture and fashion. When she first joined Sotheby’s, she came across my Instagram profile and resonated with the way I was presenting content and telling stories. So she brought me on board and gave me a recurring column in the magazine.
On Instagram, I am always limited to a certain amount of words in a single caption, but with Sotheby’s Magazine I now have an outlet for longer pieces. I devised a column where I write about a famous painting and trace its history through the different homes of the collectors who have owned it. It's interesting to see how a work of art, like a Picasso or a Rothko, interacts with different interior styles. It almost humanises the idea of collecting these incredible pieces you’d normally see in a museum, to see it existing in a home that someone actually lives in.
On your Instagram account you’ve showcased many designers’ apartments. Whose is your favorite?
Definitely Miuccia Prada. She is a fearless collector, as well as a fearless fashion designer. She collects works that one would not normally expect to see in a home. Some of them are very avant-garde — but it all feels so true to her and the universe she has built with Prada and Miu Miu.
Miuccia has been collecting for decades now, along with her partner, and she's amassed one of the most significant collections of contemporary art in Europe. She is a big collector of Lucio Fontana's work, an artist I'm also a big fan of. I’m currently working on a concept for a Fontana exhibition and I’d love to see if I could maybe include one of her works.
I was going to ask; do you think her approach in curating is reflected in her approach to fashion design?
Absolutely. I mean, Miuccia Prada is one of the biggest risk takers in fashion, especially today when we need it most. She has this amazing ability to transform the everyday into something almost unsettling and bizarre, but at the same time it's wearable. The Prada and Miu Miu universes are so strong, they both carry such a distinct aesthetic with them and it's 100% a reflection of what she collects at home.
Now, moving to the three fixed questions of this series. Number one being: how would you describe your personal style?
I've always loved fashion, but I've never had an avenue to express it. In terms of my personal style, it’s the same with collecting design and art: I believe in investing in pieces that are timeless. I like pieces that can be used both dressed up and dressed down. I am constantly meeting people and running around London, or travelling, so I like to buy pieces that could both be considered smart and also casual — this balance between formalism and casualness.
More and more I've been trying to assess my body and my frame, and figure out what I think looks good on me. I've been loving a lot of Bottega Veneta's clothes recently. Their more structured, almost boxy designs suit my body type, I think. Especially as someone who’s not over 6ft tall, I feel like their clothes really accentuate my proportions and make me almost look taller.
Donna Karan had her "Seven Easy Pieces." What would your Seven Easy Pieces be? They can be fashion items, interior decor, or design pieces — what comes to mind first?
- The first is definitely my Bottega Veneta black cotton twill jacket. It’s part of my daily uniform, because it can be dressed up and dressed down, depending on the occasion.
- Secondly, my Finch jeans from The Row. They fit my body perfectly, and I find that The Row clothes do mold to your body shape — it was amazing for me to find a pair of trousers that I didn't even have to get altered.
- Third would be my loafers from Church’s. They have also become an essential part of my daily uniform — because of that balance of being casual but also being professional. I find Church’s to be incredible quality.
- My most recent addition, my Miu Miu cashmere sweater. About a year ago, I ran into Raf Simons at an auction house in London. He was wearing this exact cashmere sweater and it had the perfect crop to it. I couldn’t get it out of my head. A year on and I’ve finally got my hands on my own one and I know it’s going to be a piece I wear all the time.
- I don't actually own one, but a painting by Lucio Fontana would be an essential piece too. In my opinion, Fontana’s “tagli” — his sliced canvases — are timeless works of art. They look great in any space, whether it be a more classical space or in a more modern home — so 100% I would say that.
- For number six, I would say my Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses. Sunglasses in general are a very important part of my wardrobe — even in rainy London. Eyewear can add a lot to an outfit.
- My final piece would be Oscar Niemeyer’s Alta Chair. Oscar Niemeyer is one of my favourite architects and his Alta chair is a dream design piece to own — I just think it's one of the chicest chairs of all time. I’ve been trying to find one but they are pretty expensive. I’ll get one, I have faith.
Finally, my last question: what makes something very Cabmate to you?
I mean [thinks] two answers here. One: this balance between dressing up and dressing down. Professionalism and casualness.
But then also, the thing I perhaps resonate with the most, is the people. Cabmate is so much tied to the people that wear these clothes. Back to what I was saying about how I feel we're in a time where people crave a more human side to things, the sense of a human touch and learning more about the people and stories behind something, rather than just things. The name Cabmate is that you're literally in a cab with someone else — it's this idea of being with someone. It’s a kind of person in my eyes: someone who knows who they are and what they want •
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Copyright © 2025 Cabmate. All Rights Reserved.