Meet the Woman Shaking Up the Lingerie Landscape
February 28, 2015 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
Comments Off
Whether you’re curvy or have a small bust, finding the perfect lingerie is a process to say the least. Not only does the fit have to be right, but the look does, too, and all the lace, ruffles, and bows that adorn most bras and panties aren’t for everyone. That’s why Mckenzie Raley, a plus-size model-turned-designer, started Land of Women, a new lingerie brand that goes back to basics with its pared-down, six-piece collection. Simple elegance (black fabric, no frills, and no wire, even for the D-cup bras) is the name of the game, and women are responding really well. Here, we spoke to Raley about the brand’s minimalist approach to lingerie, how she went from modeling to designing, and the women who inspire her.
What motivated you to start Land of Women?
It was a culmination of things. Initially, it was about finding that bra that I couldn’t find in stores. My personal style is pretty minimal, so the typical lingerie didn’t suit my aesthetic or functional needs. I didn’t like underwires or padding or loud colors. I wear a lot of black and white just out of convenience so I designed my first bra, ‘the classic,’ and started developing a prototype and that led me to a six-piece collection.
What materials are the bras made from?
Our six-piece essentials are made of a power net that has a really high retention. It almost borders on shape wear because it’s very supportive [so you don't need the underwire]; more supportive than any kind of cotton, jersey, or what typical wireless bras are made out of. It’s still really sheer, but just has a little more muscle to it.
Aside from being a designer you are also a plus-size model. How did you get started doing that?
I started modeling in college. I didn’t really realize that I could make it a career until it became one. But I thought it was a great way to pay off student loans and be apart of an industry that was more creative and always changing because I always got restless in standard 9 to 5 jobs. I wanted to do something creative, even if modeling didn’t pan out. Now that I’ve been modeling for almost 10 years, it was my time to observe a lot in terms of how companies operate and how brands develop. I was always the model that asked a lot of questions. I was very curious.
What was the transition like from being in front of the camera to behind the scenes of the fashion industry?
I really enjoy being behind the scenes. On set, you don’t always see the inner workings of an operation, and now being on the other side of things I can understand the industry in a different way. I love having something of my own that I believe in and bringing that idea to fruition. I come from a long line of women who’ve worked really hard for what they have, so I have great role models.
Did your experience in modeling help inspire your collection for Land of Women?
I think, nine times out of 10, models will say the clothes they’re modeling aren’t what they would wear seven days a week. In general, I think there is a huge gap in the intimates industry. It’s either really glamorous lingerie that’s very feminine or it’s pretty basic and lacks quality. I think my career as a model has helped me understand business. I’ve been able to work with a lot of great people in fashion who have also branched out in their careers so they were a great support system while I was building the brand. All models are business owners and that in itself is so valuable. I wouldn’t say it was any of the actual clothes that I modeled that influenced [Land of Women], but more so my experience in the industry as a whole.
What do you think about the size diversity that has been occurring on the runways at fashion week?
“If you’re a really talented model you should work and size should be more of a footnote.”
I know there has been a lot of exposure for curvier women, which is great. The fashion industry loves extremes, whether you’re a really skinny model or a very curvaceous model. But it should just be about the woman. If you’re a really talented model you should work and size should be more of a footnote.
What does the brand name, Land of Women, mean to you?
I think it’s just really empowering, which again, is something that is lacking in the intimate industry. Our tag line is ‘lingerie for the sport of womanhood,’ and I really believe in that. It creates the idea of women working together instead of against each other. Aside from sportswear, we really don’t see women being powerful and confident in a way that isn’t hyper feminine. And in that respect I’d like to redefine how people think of lingerie.
What type of woman are you designing for?
The Land of Women woman is down to earth, she values simplicity, and she invests in quality pieces. She’s straightforward; not a bows and lace type of woman, but appreciates a sexy bra that emphasizes her assets without creating any illusions. I want it to be versatile. I think there is a gap in the lingerie market, a space that doesn’t focus on the woman who likes the idea of a wireless bra: one that doesn’t lift her up or pin her there or pinch her there. Land of Women is just really simple, straightforward, contemporary, and fits really well.
What is the sizing like? Can a busty woman wear the bralettes as well as someone with a smaller bust?
I think it’s important when designing functional pieces like bras and panties to accommodate as many body types as possible. The fabrics we use expand with you but still maintain a higher retention, which is why we carry small, medium, and large. We will be expanding our sizes, but as of right now our bras can accommodate a small D cup. When I’m designing, I definitely think of issues that I have with intimates and try to find a solution, like using stronger fabrics or higher quality trims.
Who is your ideal model or ambassador for the brand?
I really admire women who are ambitious and original. But all the people who have helped me develop Land of Women are women, and they’re smart, confident, and true to themselves. I think they’re really the perfect ambassadors for the brand and I design for them.
What inspires your design and aesthetic?
Lately, I’ve been inspired by geometry and architecture. Bras have to be functional, so understanding angles and construction is crucial. I reference a lot of contemporary dance wear, the ’80s lately, and occasionally some old Sports Illustrated covers [laughs]. There was a really good stretch from ’81 to ’84. I love all of those. It was really simple. In the ’80s, airbrushing wasn’t so prominent. I appreciate a more natural woman.
What are your favorite pieces from the collection?
My favorite is the ‘classic’ bra only because that’s the one I started with. And now that we are a business and Land of Women is in stores, I feel like that was the piece that really made the difference in the lingerie market. I also really love the high-waisted brief because that sort of high-grade mesh is almost like shape wear, so it just creates this really beautiful curve on literally any body type.
What are your future plans for the brand?
The first collection was meant to set a foundation for our essential lingerie and let people know our philosophy. Our second collection will incorporate new bras and panties, as well as new pieces that are more wardrobe staples. I really love the simplicity of all black—it’s the only thing I wear—so, I want to stay true to that but I will be adding some white pieces in the second collection. I want to design more of what a woman needs but doesn’t want to stress over, like really clean, wearable pieces that she can customize however she wants.
Share and Enjoy
Lejaby Lingerie: Renaissance on the Rue Royale
February 27, 2015 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
Comments Off
In the heart of Paris, on the rue Royale, appointments at
Maison Lejaby are hard to come by. The lingerie house is having a surprising
renaissance as a couture atelier, something that the company, which is more
than 130 years old, could barely have imagined in 2011, when it fell into
administration.
The Lejaby that failed had lost its way, a French heritage company that had
become a mid-market made-in-China department-store brand, so when current CEO
Alain Prost took over in 2012 it would take a daring move to revive interest in
the company. With his background at the luxury Italian lingerie brand La Perla,
he knew just what to do.
While the main Maison Lejaby collection remained (albeit moving upmarket and
becoming far more exclusive in its availability), the decision to create Lejaby
Couture at the tail end of a horrendous global recession took some guts — but
it worked, and visitors to the couture salon today are many and dedicated, some
spending tens of thousands of euros in a couple of hours.
To some, it may seem like madness to spend anything from €500 for a set of
lingerie to €35,000-plus for a bespoke body, encrusted with Swarovski crystals,
pearls and unimaginably delicate Leavers lace. But this is a company that
spares no effort in its drive to create couture-worthy lingerie. Having worked
with Nina Ricci and Christian Lacroix on corsetry, and now collaborating with
the same jewellers and artists as Louis Vuitton and Hermès, the couture
aesthetic is embedded in every aspect of Maison Lejaby.
The company’s creative director, Colette Candela, knows just how things have
changed at Maison Lejaby: she has been with the company for 42 years and for
her it always comes down to one thing: the product.
“The grand renouveau [the great renewal] has been very
important to me,” she says at the couture salon in Paris, where visits are
appointment-only, for anything from an hour to the whole day, and accompanied
by macarons, Champagne, lunch — whatever the client demands, of course.
“In the years before, it was decided to make it less expensive, make it in
China, and I was always cutting back on the product but creating more and more
styles,” she continues. “When Alain Prost arrived, he brought back the sense of
style, and from the start it was all about technique and aesthetics.”
For the new Maison Lejaby, there came a new motto: l’esprit couture à la Française, the spirit of French couture,
which, says Candela, is about far more than just high prices and lots of
embroidery. “It’s elegance, but at the same time audacity, because in
terms of design or fashion, Lejaby is not romantic; it’s for the woman who has
a personality, who has purpose and confidence. The designs are for a strong
personality.”
And what beautiful designs they are. Candela may reject a categorisation of
romanticism, but the lace, tulle, chiffon and satin silks are exquisitely
pretty. Certainly in strong colours, yellow or indigo, for example, as well as
the traditional oyster, black and white, but delicate, subtle and sexy at the
same time.
As befits a couture company, every piece is made in France by highly skilled
craftspeople, 30 or so working on the couture side of Lejaby. The lace is
always from Calais, often pieces plucked from long-forgotten archives, the
embroidery from Switzerland and the silk from Lyon. The only other sources are
Belgium and Italy, for fabrics that France no longer has the capacity to make.
The requirements of fine lingerie are extremely specific and, as a result,
there are few fabric mills that live up to Lejaby’s standards. “They accept that they have to come up with the quality. The quality is the
most important thing,” says Candela simply.
Even the swimwear (of which Sharon Stone is reportedly a huge fan) is
exceptional, with lace and trimmings that appear as soft and fragile as those
on the lingerie but that are resistant to salt and water, and details such as a
foulard pattern designed by an artist who works with Hermès; or a
serpent-shaped buckle that is made by one of Louis Vuitton’s regular craftspeople.
Beyond the salon’s main collection (and its upmarket department-store
collections) are the special orders, the pieces that truly deserve the
‘couture’ label. The immensely skilled made-to-measure corsetière has created,
among other projects, a light-as-air tutu with the French prima ballerina Agnès
Letestu, who danced in it at the Paris Lido in the brand’s 130th anniversary celebration.
Perhaps even more entrancing are the carefully embroidered and beaded pieces of
lace and tulle that can take upwards of 200 hours to complete. Densely
encrusted with hand-applied beading, pearls, crystals, wisps of chiffon and
lace, this is what Maison Lejaby is all about. This is, says Candela,
truly l’esprit de couture.