LENA MANTLER: GROWING UP ONLINE, FINDING HERSELF OFFLINE

WITH MORE THAN TEN MILLION FOLLOWERS ACROSS PLATFORMS, LENA MANTLER GREW UP UNDER THE PUBLIC GAZE – FIRST AS ONE HALF OF THE TWIN DUO “LISA & LENA,” THEN IN RECENT YEARS AS A CREATIVE FORCE IN HER OWN RIGHT. WHAT BEGAN WITH PLAYFUL VIDEOS AT THE AGE OF 13 HAS SINCE EVOLVED INTO A CAREER THAT SPANS MODELING, PHOTOGRAPHY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND A GROWING VOICE FOR HER GENERATION. AT JUST 23, SHE HAS ALREADY LIVED THROUGH THE HIGHS AND CHALLENGES OF EARLY FAME: LEARNING TO NAVIGATE PUBLIC SCRUTINY, STEPPING INTO HER OWN INDIVIDUALITY AFTER A DECADE AS PART OF A DUO, AND SHAPING HER PATH WITH AN AUTHENTICITY THAT RESONATES DEEPLY WITH HER COMMUNITY.

FOR NUMÉRO BERLIN , LENA WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN COLLABORATION WITH MIU MIU BEAUTY ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF MIUTINE, THE HOUSE’S NEW FRAGRANCE. BY BLENDING SPARKLING WILD STRAWBERRY WITH FLORAL HEART NOTES OF CREAMY GARDENIA AND A SWEET BASE OF VANILLA, BROWN SUGAR, AND PATCHOULI OIL, IT CREATES A BOLD, UNCONVENTIONAL GOURMAND CHYPRE PERFUME FOR PERSONALITIES WITH CHARM AND AT THE SAME TIME WITH EDGES – A SCENT THAT SPEAKS OF REBELLION, INDIVIDUALITY, AND THE BEAUTY OF BEING UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOURSELF. IT’S A FITTING MATCH FOR LENA, WHOSE ATTITUDE, POSITIVITY, AND QUIET STRENGTH EMBODY EXACTLY THOSE QUALITIES. NO ONE COULD BE BETTER SUITED AS THE NEW GERMAN AMBASSADOR FOR MIUTINE. BETWEEN BUILDING HER FIRST FASHION LABEL MÁNT AND REDEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO GROW UP ONLINE, SHE REMAINS BOTH A MIRROR OF HER GENERATION AND A VISIONARY IN HER OWN RIGHT. IN THIS CONVERSATION, SHE SPEAKS WITH NUMÉRO BERLIN ABOUT INDIVIDUALITY, RESILIENCE, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE WITH A VISION THAT GOES BEYOND THE SURFACE.

ELLIE HAASE: LENA WOULDN’T BE LENA WITHOUT…

LENA MANTLER: COFFEE.

EH: AT 13, YOU AND YOUR TWIN SISTER STOOD IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHAT DREW YOU TO IT BACK THEN, AND WHAT DEEPER MOTIVATION BEHIND IT DO YOU RECOGNIZE TODAY?

LM: WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN CREATIVE AND LOVED ENTERTAINING. BEING IN THE PUBLIC EYE WASN’T REALLY THE REASON WE STEPPED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA – THAT WAS MORE OF A RESULT THAN THE MOTIVATION.

EH: LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID IT DO TO YOU, GROWING UP IN THE PUBLIC EYE FROM SUCH A YOUNG AGE?

LM: I HAD TO GROW UP FASTER AND EXPERIENCED THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE BY 23. AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS HARDER TO FIGURE OUT WHO I REALLY WAS BECAUSE I CONSTANTLY HAD SO MANY OUTSIDE OPINIONS COMING AT ME. BUT I’M GRATEFUL, BECAUSE IT ALLOWED ME TO DISCOVER MY OWN ABILITIES EARLY ON.

EH: WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS – THE EXPERIENCES THAT SHAPED WHO YOU ARE TODAY?

LM: TRAVELING. SEEING DIFFERENT CULTURES AND COUNTRIES GAVE ME SO MUCH, AND I’VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE SOMETHING AWAY FROM EVERY TRIP. BUT ABOVE ALL, MY CLOSE CIRCLE – FAMILY AND FRIENDS – HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT INFLUENCE.

EH: IN THE BEGINNING, IT WAS ALWAYS “LISA AND LENA.” YOU APPEARED PUBLICLY ONLY AS A DUO. WHAT DID THAT TIME TEACH YOU ABOUT INDIVIDUALITY?

LM: IT WASN’T UNTIL WE “SPLIT UP”PROFESSIONALLY THAT I HAD THE CHANCE TO REALLY GET TO KNOW MY INDIVIDUALITY – ALSO IN A PERSONAL SENSE. BUT EVEN BEFORE THAT, I STARTED REALIZING THAT WE HAD DIFFERENT SKILLS. LISA WAS MORE DRAWN TO HOSTING AND MODERATION, WHILE I WAS MORE INTO PHOTOGRAPHY AND MODELING. WITHOUT OUR “BOY BAND BREAK-UP,” WE MIGHT HAVE HELD EACH OTHER BACK.

EH: IN 2023, YOU AND YOUR SISTER WENT YOUR SEPARATE WAYS IN THE MEDIA. AFTER NEARLY A DECADE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA TOGETHER, THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A HUGE CHANGE. HOW DID IT AFFECT YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE AND YOUR FEELINGS?

LM: AT FIRST IT FELT STRANGE, AND I WASN’T SURE IF I WAS “GOOD ENOUGH” ON MY OWN – FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR BUSINESS PARTNERS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WAS GRATEFUL FOR THOSE YEARS AND FINALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO REFLECT.

EH: REJECTION IS PART OF THE JOB IN YOUR FIELD. LEARNING TO DEAL WITH IT IS A MUST. HOW HAS FACING PUBLIC REJECTION SHAPED YOU?

LM: AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OPINION, AND THAT’S FINE. I FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE WHO ARE POSITIVE AND DRAW STRENGTH FROM THEM. I TRY NOT TO GIVE NEGATIVITY OR MEAN COMMENTS ANY SPACE.

EH: MIUTINE IS MORE THAN A FRAGRANCE – IT’S A WORD THAT STANDS FOR REBELLION AND INDIVIDUALITY. WHAT DOES BEING ‘MIUTINE’ MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?

LM: FOR ME, IT MEANS BEING CONFIDENT AND RADIATING A POSITIVE STRENGTH THAT INSPIRES OTHERS – NOT INTIMIDATES THEM.

EH: IN WHICH MOMENTS WOULD YOU SAY YOU FEEL MOST ‘MIUTINE’?

LM: WHENEVER I’M NOT TRYING TO IMPRESS ANYONE AND I’M SIMPLY BEING MYSELF.

EH: PEOPLE SAY SCENTS TELL STORIES LONG BEFORE WE FIND THE WORDS FOR THEM. WHAT STORY DOES MIUTINE TELL FOR YOU?

LM: FOR ME, MIUTINE TELLS A STORY OF SOMETHING YOUNG, FRESH, AND CREATIVE – SOMETHING THAT BRINGS LIGHTNESS INTO YOUR LIFE AND SWEEPS YOU ALONG.

EH: YOU’RE AN ARTIST, ENTREPRENEUR, AND MODEL – ROLES THAT OFTEN COME WITH EXPECTATIONS. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO FREE YOURSELF FROM THAT AND SIMPLY BE YOU?

LM: I TRY TO STAY MYSELF IN ALL CONTEXTS, BOTH PRIVATE AND PROFESSIONAL. AS A MODEL, I DON’T STAND IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS “LENA MANTLER,” THE WAY I DO IN OTHER ROLES. THAT ALLOWS ME TO STEP BACK A BIT – BUT I’M ALWAYS LENA.

EH: SELF-DETERMINATION CAN BE LOUD AND REBELLIOUS, BUT ALSO QUIET AND SUBTLE. WHICH FORM OF REBELLION REFLECTS YOUR PERSONALITY THE MOST?

LM: MY OPENNESS AND HONESTY.

EH: GROWING UP, OTHER PEOPLE’S GAZE WAS LIKE A CONSTANT MIRROR HELD UP TO YOU. TO WHAT EXTENT DID YOU ALSO ADOPT AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE ON YOURSELF – AND HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF?

LM: I’VE ONLY REALLY LEARNED TO RECONNECT WITH MYSELF NOW, AT 23. WHAT HELPED ME MOST WAS STOPPING THE CONSTANT PEOPLE-PLEASING. IT GAVE ME SUCH A SENSE OF LIGHTNESS, AND I REALIZED: THE OPINIONS THAT MATTER MOST ARE THOSE OF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, BECAUSE THEY KNOW ME BEST. OF COURSE, I ALSO REALLY VALUE THE EXCHANGE WITH MY COMMUNITY.

EH: IN WHICH MOMENTS DO YOU FEEL CLOSEST TO YOURSELF?

LM: WHEN I SPEND TIME ALONE AND REFLECT – DRINKING COFFEE, LISTENING TO MUSIC, OR BEING CREATIVE.

EH: THE THEME OF THIS ISSUE IS VISIONARY. WHEN DID YOU FIRST REACH A POINT IN YOUR WORK WHERE YOU REFLECTED ON YOUR OWN VISION? WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS THEN?

LM: I REACH THOSE POINTS AGAIN AND AGAIN. EVERY SO OFTEN, I PAUSE TO REFLECT AND ASK MYSELF: WHERE AM I RIGHT NOW, AND WHERE EXACTLY DO I WANT TO GO?

EH: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FANBASE, AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED AS YOU’VE GROWN? WHAT WISHES AND DESIRES DO YOU SENSE FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS?

LM: OUR FOLLOWERS HAVE GROWN UP WITH US, GOTTEN OLDER, AND GIVEN US MORE FREEDOM – WHICH I’M VERY GRATEFUL FOR. IT’S AN AUTHENTIC, EYE-LEVEL EXCHANGE NOW, NOT JUST DEMANDS ON ME OR US.

EH: WHAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOUR GENERATION THAN OTHERS TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN VISION – AND WHAT MAKES IT HARDER?

LM: I THINK MY GENERATION SEES SO MUCH MORE OF WHAT’S POSSIBLE IN THE WORLD. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, BECAUSE THERE’S ALREADY SO MUCH OUT THERE, IT TAKES MORE TO REALLY STAND OUT.

EH: WHAT VISION IS DRIVING YOU PERSONALLY RIGHT NOW?

LM: I LOVE BEING PART OF PROJECTS THAT INSPIRE ME AND THAT ALLOW ME TO EXPRESS MY SKILLS AND VISION BEHIND THE CAMERA AS WELL. FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, I’VE BEEN WORKING WITH MY TEAM ON MY FIRST FASHION LABEL, MÁNT, WHICH WILL LAUNCH LATER THIS YEAR. I’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS.

EH: IF SOCIAL MEDIA STOPPED EXISTING TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER YOU FOR?