One thing that surprises a lot of indie designers when they send me an email is that I (as in Cora, the chick who runs TLA) will actually respond. I genuinely love it when smaller brands get in touch with their latest collections, and, in addition to sites like Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter, it's one of the main ways I find out what's new in the world of lingerie. Though I can't feature everything that's sent my way, I do think it's really important (especially as The Lingerie Addict has grown bigger) that we continue to spotlight indie designers. Not only is that where a lot of creativity is happening in the industry, these are also the companies that can't afford a dedicated PR team or an expensive marketing push. It's also personally important to me to feature lingerie from people that are underrepresented in the lingerie industry, whether that underepresentation happens on the axis of nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, or disability.
A few week ago, a brand named Aima Dora got in touch with me through our VIA newsletter. Based in Mauritius, the sister company for this label has spent the last 25 years producing for French lingerie brands like Princess Tam Tam, Lise Charmel, and Absolutely Pom. Recently, they decided to branch out under their own name with Aima Dora. I like the bright, fresh, vibrant colors this collection uses, and I'm particularly smitten with the richly textured floral lace three photos down (it's also in the fourth photo down... I just prefer the orange). And of course, I also like that this brand uses black women as their models, something which is all too rare in the lingerie industry. Right now, Aima Dora has only limited distribution, but I'll be keeping an eye on them to see how they do at future markets. You can also keep up with Aima Dora on their Facebook page.
What do you think of Aima Dora? Are you intrigued?