Finally, a Lingerie Company That Understands ‘Nude’ Isn’t a Just Synonym for …
September 20, 2014 by admin
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For far too long, “nude” bandages, “flesh”-colored bras and the complete lack of foundation colors in the local drug store have been a source of frustration only women of color can truly understand.
Now, one company is hoping to change that, thanks to their new line of flesh-colored lingerie made specifically for all shades of the spectrum, slated to hit the market this October.
Think this isn’t that big of a deal? E-commerce site Nubian Skin notes that for many women of color, choosing an appropriate undergarment is a special brand of frustrating: ”It’s the grand debate: What do I wear under a white or sheer blouse? What color hosiery will go with these amazing shoes? Black just isn’t going to work. The simple answer is nude. But my nude isn’t the nude I see in shops. Despite the reality that women of color have the same needs as all women when it comes to lingerie and hosiery (and spend the same of their hard-earned money), the industry simply doesn’t cater to us.”
And thus, Nubian Skin was born.
While it may seem superficial to say that a lingerie line is a form of progress, Nubian Skin’s founder believes it is actually representative of a changing world. “It’s about representation and the freedom to express yourself however you want,” the founder, who wishes to remain anonymous until after the launch, told Mic.
“I doubt that I’m the first person to have thought about this, but I think that it definitely hasn’t been done on a large scale or by any mainstream company,” she said. “Lingerie is something that’s incredibly personal, and the people who are generally running these large companies are older white men, and so the last thing on their mind would be, ‘What am I going to wear under my top to make sure that it’s not possible to see through it?’”
It doesn’t hurt that there’s a burgeoning market for this type of entrepreneurship. Black women are among the highest portion of the consumer market. Indeed, according to a 2013 Nielsen report, blacks have $1 trillion in buying power and a tendency towards strong brand loyalty. Given the need for lingerie in this market, Nubian Skin is just good business. Look at how the rise of the “natural” hair movement has forced mainstream companies like Pantene to expand their product line, targeting black women specifically, whether they have natural hair or relaxed tresses.
Then there was Lancome’s selection of Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as the face of their latest campaign, yet another example of a cosmetics company acknowledging that women of color exist and really do come in all shades and undertones.
Still, Nubian Skin stresses that it’s not just about the money. “I do think that part of the problem is that people in positions of power don’t necessarily have the same experience, but also part of it may just be that certain groups of people are just ignored,” the founder told Mic. “Certain groups are seen as safe, because the mainstream feels like they understand them and how they operate, and so products are made for that group to the exclusion of others.”
As demographics continue to shift in the United States towards more black and brown consumers, “[c]ompanies must address these markets. I would love to say that there would be a massive transformation across the board overnight, but there’s a long way to go. I don’t think there will be a watershed moment.”
Ultimately, Nubian Skin exists because no woman should be limited due to the color of her skin. “It’s such a simple thing to be able to wear what you want to wear and look how you want to look,” the founder said. “Being able to express yourself the way you want to is a universal right. Why shouldn’t women of color have this?”
Image Credit (all): Nubian Skin
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One Awesome Company Is Reminding Us All That Lingerie Isn’t Just For Women
September 20, 2014 by admin
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Every holiday season, the Angels of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show gallantly spread their wings on the runway for a national TV audience. Who’s to say a man couldn’t don a lace bra and panties and feel just as confident and sexy?
It’s an assumption rooted in rigid, age-old gender roles dictating what men and women should wear, both in public and in their own beds. And while women have made some inroads with more gender-neutral intimate apparel, you won’t find lacy lingerie designed for men in any department store.
Enter HommeMystere, a Brisbane, Australia-based online store and design studio whose sole mission is to make lingerie that’s “fun, unique and comfortable” for men. In the process, the company and the men who model for them are challenging some of our most entrenched gender stereotypes.
Brent Krause, owner and lead designer for HommeMystere, launched the brand roughly five years ago, more out of personal need than for business reasons. As a man who appreciates and likes wearing lingerie with his wife, Krause couldn’t find anything that looked or felt quite right for him. So he struck out into the male lingerie market on his own.
“I never set out to challenge anyone or anything,” he told Mic, noting that many prospective customers often ask if he specifically caters to queer or gender nonconforming people. “I just wanted to make lingerie that would fit the physique of a guy.”
In the years since its founding, HommeMystere has grown from one couple’s side project to a global business with a large client base in the United States, Krause said. The company now has distributors and agents shipping the apparel all over the world, even offering a discreet shipping option for customers from more conservative or heteronormative cultures.
“While our research indicates many wives and girlfriends are comfortable … we do receive correspondence from guys who explain to us that while they like their lingerie, their partners do not approve,” Krause said. “Some social media comments from women include suggestions that they would leave their partner if they discovered he wore lingerie. I think this says more about her than it does about him, but helps explain why some of our customers want some discretion.”
By and large, both the makers and clients celebrate and affirm men wearing lingerie. The brand’s smooth and revealing aesthetic has even attracted acclaim within the intimates industry, having been featured at numerous trade shows including the 2013 International Lingerie Show in Las Vegas.
Talk about a new crop of “angels” wearing hot panties.
HommeMystere could jumpstart a movement, challenging stereotypes while signaling that there is nothing wrong with men, regardless of their sexuality, who enjoy wearing lingerie. In one letter Krause received, a happy customer said he ordered three sets of lingerie based on customer testimonials alone. The fit, quality and comfort alone, he said, were enough to impress his girlfriend.
“Opening it was like Christmases of old. As I took each item out of the bag, I was presented with a beautiful array of colors and textures,” the customer said, according to Krause. “Please continue to inspire the more broad-minded of this world. Perhaps even become mainstream, although perhaps not in my lifetime.”
Of course, the concept of men and male-bodied individuals wearing clothing originally intended for women, otherwise known as cross-dressing, isn’t anything new. Look no further than the steady integration of drag culture into the mainstream. Underwear fetishes have been known among men for many decades, where they enjoy wearing bras, panties, stockings and even heels.
Krause said he hopes guys wearing lingerie will eventually become more acceptable in the public eye, even if he’s not around to see it happen. His company, with its honest and respectful business model, can’t hurt. Krause and men like him are establishing both a trend and a safe space, where men are free to explore fashion and intimate apparel free of society’s many insidious, gendered hangups about the clothes we wear.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if a mainstream department store stocks a line of lingerie-style briefs sometime in the near future,” he said. “It would be adventurous, but I think someone will take a chance sooner rather than later.”
It’s probably safe to say Brent Krause is not alone.
(h/t Fusion)