Before getting into the nitty gritty of what the differences are between designing for ‘ready-to-wear’ and ‘bespoke’ lingerie, it’s important to first nail down what these phrases actually mean. In a world dominated by fast fashion and half-truth marketing, a lot of the technical terminology around clothing has had its meaning diluted and distorted. This is particularly true of the language around luxury fashion, which is often co-opted by fast […]
I started my ethically-made loungewear line she and reverie at 23 years old. Before then, I freelanced in NYC’s garment district for a very short amount of time. But starting a line was my dream, of course! And other designers were doing it, many with far less knowledge than I had. So I thought, “Why am I not following my dream right now? Why can’t I do this, too?” I […]
Recently, someone in the Lingerie Addict Facebook group asked if lingerie brands could design custom lace. I started typing out a response, but quickly realised it’s a very complex question to answer. One about which I have entirely too much to say. The fashion industry as a whole tends to be quite closed off to customer education, so there isn’t a whole lot of public information about manufacturing or fabrics. […]
Sam Conover is the owner of Broad Lingerie, a brick and mortar boutique in Toronto, Canada, that specializes in bras and swimwear for fuller busts. When Sam’s not working she spends her time making art and thinking about vintage plastics. Once upon a time I decided to listen to the little voice in my head that whispered “imagine opening your own lingerie store.” My store is now over a year […]
As a lingerie designer, people often tell me my work sounds like a ‘dream job.’ An aura of fantasy and glamour surrounds the fashion industry. However, the reality is lingerie design can be pretty boring most of the time, with very little creativity involved at all.