By ESTELLE PULESTON
When it comes to swimwear, few brands are as visually impressive or have such as impressive founder as ANDREA IYAMAH, the luxury resort wear label founded by Nigerian fashion designer Andrea Dumebi Iyamah when she was just 17 years old.
Growing up immersed in the world of luxury fashion thanks to her mother’s boutique store, a teenage Iyamah began sketching and hand-sewing clothing, which she shared online. Realizing that people really … Read More
By ESTELLE PULESTON
Based in Ukraine, Apilat is a luxury lingerie brand with a twist: its designs are heavily influenced by wedding dresses. Though its garments have gotten more colorful over time, rather than the mostly-ivory color palette of its beginnings, the general aesthetics of bridal fashion are still there, as well as its high-end construction techniques and attention to detail.
The brand was founded by sisters Galyna and Lubov Apilat, both graduates of … Read More
By ESTELLE PULESTON
Founded in 2009 by Canadian designer Jen Gilpin, DSTM – that’s short for Don’t Shoot the Messengers – is an underwire-free brand making creative lingerie, lingerie and lounge-inspired outerwear, and versatile, multi-occasional bodywear.
Think tank tops with attached thigh straps, full body (though sometimes backless or butt-less!) catsuits, and all manner of mesh and cut out-detailed crop tops and bodysuits. With a primarily black color palette, the brand’s aesthetic is graphic, modern … Read More
By ESTELLE PULESTON
Founded in 2017, Torlowei is a must-know luxury lingerie and womenswear brand based in Lagos, Nigeria that’s marrying classic silhouettes with incredible craftsmanship and a penchant for rich, saturated color.
The label is owned by mother-daughter duo Patience Torlowei and Mojisola Adegbile. Patience – who previously founded Nigeria’s first lingerie manufacturer and has a dress in the National Museum of African Art – leads design, while Mojisola handles the business side of … Read More
By ESTELLE PULESTON
With a glimmer of spring finally in the air, I’m briefly turning my attention from lingerie to swimwear to introduce you to La Libellule (meaning The Dragonfly in English), an independent French brand that Ellen discovered at the recent Salon International de la Lingerie.
Architect Marthe Botros was inspired to create the brand after giving birth to her first child; desiring a different swimsuit style to what she’d worn before, she … Read More
By ESTELLE PULESTON
Founded in Copenhagen in 2010 by Sunniva Uggerby and Stephan Rosenkilde, with Jeanette Hansen later joining the founding team, Underprotection is a lingerie and swimwear brand that’s merging comfort and style with a deeply-rooted desire to do things sustainably.
The label describes its aesthetic as bold, colorful and feminine, a style that “challenges the stereotypical look of sustainable lingerie.” Designs are wirefree to maximize comfort, and a mix of timeless neutrals and … Read More
By ESTELLE PULESTON
Launched in 2015 by De Montfort graduate Philippa Smith, Pip & Pantalaimon is a fun, heavily retro-inspired lingerie brand made for the modern-day pinup. Contemporary shapewear fabrics come together with iconic vintage silhouettes such as girdles, corselettes and deep garter belts (always with 6 straps!) to create lingerie that has a retro look plus all the benefits of newer fabric technologies.
You’ll also find fan-laced corsets, horizontally seamed bras (for that perky, … Read More
