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 to the point of feeling futuristic, and often seems like it belongs on a stage, or at least the dancefloor of an extremely cool nightclub.
In fact, the brand’s line of bras and its wirefree philosophy came about as a response to one particular night out spent dancing in a wired bra that got very sweaty and irritating. This led Gilpin to create the Form Bra, aimed at delivering the support of a sports bra with the stylish, fashion-focused look of a designed-to-be-seen lingerie one – a combination that now underpins every DSTM bra design.
Prior to founding DSTM, Gilpin ran another clothing label which put a strong emphasis on sustainability, whether it was upcycling other garments, using reclaimed materials, or creating zero-waste patterns. “I studied interdisciplinary designs with a focus on sustainability and design ethics in 1997 so this has been in my core for a long time,” she told me.
With DSTM, she started out creating natural-fiber clothing but soon realized that, in order to create the stretchy, second-skin bodywear she was envisioning, she’d need to add in synthetic fabrics. To maintain her commitment to sustainability, she sources premium-quality fabrics that will hold their shape long term and which are OEKO-TEX certified, and closely tracks sustainability developments in the performance fabric arena to ensure she’s always using the best possible option.
DSTM is also, alongside Torlowei which I wrote about in my previous article, one of the few lingerie brands out there that advertises a repairs service should your purchase ever get damaged. This definitely isn’t throwaway fashion!
Alongside sustainability, Gilpin picks materials for their softness – comfort is a key priority for the brand – and often technical capabilities too such as wicking away moisture, which makes many DSTM pieces suitable to wear for sport (or just staying dry and comfortable while you dance the night away!). What’s more, thanks to a combination of fabric properties and avant garde designs that look nothing like traditional underwear, some pieces can even be worn as cutting-edge swim fashion.
DSTM bodywear is ethically manufactured between Berlin, in a little studio behind the brand’s boutique, and its own production atelier in Sofía, Bulgaria. Garments are available in sizes XS to XL, with prices starting from under $150 for small accessories or basic bottoms and going up to just over $1,800 for the extravagant Anatta robe, made from GOTS-certified silk satin with lusciously long ombré fringing.
