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 […]
Jeanna Kadlec is the owner of Bluestockings Boutique, the first-ever lingerie boutique geared to the LGBTQIA+ community. She lives in Brooklyn. When I first opened my store, Bluestockings, in April 2015, I wanted to exclusively stock brands that shared my commitment to ethical manufacturing. In my research, I learned the reason so many companies moved their manufacturing from the United States and Europe to Southeast Asia, China, Morocco and Latin […]
Once upon a time, Frederick’s of Hollywood was the biggest name in American lingerie. Founded by Frederick Mellinger in 1947 (who, among other things, is credited with inventing the push-up bra, padded bra, and padded girdle), Frederick’s brought scandalously sexy lingerie to the homes of millions of people across America.
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. In late February, I attended my first CURVEXPO New York to report on trends for plus size lingerie. Previously, I’ve attended CURVEXPO Las Vegas and other major retail tradeshows as a buyer. Therefore, I was familiar with what to expect as a plus size woman: lots of pretty things not made in my size. Armed with that awareness, I set out to find […]
A couple of years ago, I wrote an article on black-owned lingerie brands and it became one of TLA’s most popular articles to-date. Despite what many business experts or industry authorities have to say about the importance of “neutral” or “colorblind” companies, it turns out many people want to support underrepresented or marginalized designers. This is especially when these brands respond to a need the larger intimate apparel industry has neglected for decades.
