Nevaeh: Lingerie With a Pulse
By ELLEN LEWIS
I first met Melissa Franchi, founder of Nevaeh Lingerie, when she was working out of a closet in New York City. That was eight years ago.
Like so many of today’s independent design entrepreneurs, Melissa has remained fiercely committed to her vision. She has grown the business without compromising what makes Nevaeh distinctive. I was intrigued by her philosophy then, and eight years later, I still am. To me, it represents an important turning point in the intimate apparel landscape.
Melissa once told me:
“Nevaeh is lingerie with a rebellious soul, born from the electricity of New York, especially after dark, where fashion, music, movies, seduction, and attitude collide.
At our core, we believe femininity doesn’t have to be polite, predictable, or contained. It can be powerful, provocative, romantic, raw, and unapologetically wild. We bring that concept together through craftsmanship, luxurious textiles, and silhouettes that move between intimate apparel and fashion.
Our woman isn’t dressing to fit a category. She’s dressing to express every side of herself. Nevaeh is where luxury meets rebellion, and where the woman wearing it gets to write her own rules.
We don’t want to make pretty lingerie. We want to make lingerie with a pulse. Our woman didn’t change over the years. Her permission to express herself did.”
The setting was Old Flings, a decidedly naughty downtown location that proved to be the perfect backdrop. Here, Melissa created individual vignettes representing the five chapters of her collection:
Signature Nevaeh & The Tale of Desire
The Art of Layering
Nocturne Kiss After Dark
The Archives & The Taste of Honey
Beyond The Silhouette
With performances by Puss & Boots, an acclaimed burlesque dancer, each chapter became a living expression of the collection. Tables filled with accessories, sumptuous fabrics, gold jewelry, and sketches revealed the evolution of the pieces and invited guests into Melissa’s creative process.
Cocktails flowed. Buyers mingled. The press embraced the presentation.
And Nevaeh, true to its rebellious soul, was anything but a conventional trade-show experience.
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