Better made in Britain: Unibu

Unibu, the high quality men’s and women’s underwear brand, launched by independent lingerie shopkeeper, Shirley C in Windermere, is being rolled out for wholesale.

The everyday collection of 5 women’s styles and 2 men’s styles are made with UK-woven jersey cotton and Lycra®. Shirley Crisp who has worked on bringing the brand to market for over 2 years commented: “I have always wanted to create my own underwear brand. Between 5 and 7 years ago, I definitely got the impression that ‘No, underwear manufacturing can’t happen in Britain!’. Between 3 and 5 years ago I was starting to get an inkling from talking to many manufacturers that, yes, manufacturing could come back to Britain and now I have introduced Unibu.”

Shirley has more than 8 years’ experience in retailing and further commented: “I’ve sold Unibu in my own store for the past year and it has gone down incredibly well. The public are just so pleased to see a British product… I believe it’s unique because it is 100% British (even the boxes!). The ‘Made in Britain’ label just says what it is: a mark of quality.”

Unibu has its own website where retailers can easily purchase Unibu products at wholesale prices, with guaranteed one-to-one customer focus or you can contact Shirley on 07548 698873.

Bluebella uncovers wedding night secrets

Bluebella Nova bra and brief set

More than a third of brides switch lingerie on their wedding day, according to a new survey done by Bluebella to promote its new bridal lingerie. The survey involving 1,000 couples found that 37% of brides go to bed with their new husband wearing more risqué lingerie to the set they were married in, and 89% of brides buy special lingerie for their big day.

Bluebella chief executive Emily Bendell said:  “Bridal lingerie has evolved from the traditional to beautifully fashion inspired collections for today’s bride. It is great to see that so many brides are switching lingerie on their wedding day. For some brides that means wearing contour lingerie so they look amazing in their wedding dress and then something a little more provocative later.”

The Bluebella poll also found that 52% of couples fail to make love on the day they tie the knot, mainly because they were too tired or had drunk too much. 84% of couples who do consummate their marriage on the wedding night said it did live up to their expectations, however 16% were disappointed as they were too tired and made love because it was expected of them. Bendell added: “Couples are under so much pressure these days to have a ‘perfect day’ that it is refreshing that so many are defying expected norms and doing exactly what they want. If that means saving the ‘wedding night’ until they can really enjoy it, then why not?”

StephieAnn nominated for the Etsy Awards

With cupboards full of ceramics, plenty of cushions and enough jewellery to weigh you down, lingerie and nightwear often get overlooked on the handmade circuit. That is why it is so fabulous to see lingerie highlighted in the 2016 Etsy UK Awards, which celebrate the best of creativity in the UK and Ireland.

Independent lingerie label StephieAnn has been shortlisted for this year’s Awards and Creative Director Stephie Woolven invites members of the industry to participate by voting online. “At exhibitions I’m often put down by the organisers but on the day every customer comments on how refreshing it is to see silk knickers and chemises,” she adds.

Etsy Awards entrants have the chance to win up to £10,000 cash prize, product showcase at Tent London during London Design Festival, business support from The Design Trust, retail opportunities with John Lewis and more.

Sneak Peek: Louise Ferdinand SS17

Farrah

Stevie

For Spring/Summer 2017, Louise Ferdinand Lingerie was inspired by a whimsical glamour with 70s influences designed to make the wearer look effortlessly chic. Using the brand’s classic plunge and hipster briefs for both designs, the free spirited Farrah and Stevie are simple yet sexy.

Farrah is available in a gorgeous cream colour accented with cream lace, matching trims and a contrasting bright acid yellow bow, whilst Stevie is available in royal blue taffeta with gold and sumptuous black English lace overlays for an edgy look. All Louise Ferdinand bras are available in 28-38 backs and A-J cups with knickers in small – extra large.

Boux Avenue lends support to Graduate Fashion Week

Lingerie, swimwear and nightwear brand Boux Avenue, is supporting Graduate Fashion Week 2016 by sponsoring the Lingerie and Swimwear Award. Boux Avenue leapt on the lingerie scene in 2011 and has had rapid success in this competitive marketplace.

When the opportunity arose for Boux Avenue to become involved with Graduate Fashion Week, the brand welcomed the chance to celebrate emerging talent in the UK and show its support for the charity. For a brand that prides itself on expert bra fitting and unrivalled high quality garments, Boux Avenue’s COO, Buying Director and Marketing & Ecommerce Director will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the judging panel for this award.

“We are thrilled to be sponsoring the Lingerie and Swimwear Award at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week – two categories that are obviously very close to our hearts! We feel very strongly about supporting young talent and are really excited to see all their hard work pay off at the show.

“The winner will also get the opportunity to do a six week placement at Boux Avenue where they will be fully immersed in the day to day running of a successful lingerie and swimwear brand, gaining invaluable experience that will help kick start their career in the industry.”

Alex Paphitis, Boux Avenue COO.

Boux Avenue will host a competition on their social channels to win tickets to attend Graduate Fashion Week which will be running from 5^th – 8^th June.

 

Karolina Laskowska: Celestial Bodies

Inspired by the opulence of constellations, ‘Celestial Bodies’ is Karolina Laskowska‘s most dramatic and extensive collection to date, offering wearable designs, luscious couture lingerie and a textural feast for lingerie connoisseurs. Decadent blacks and golds are offset with a touch of blue and green, whilst dramatically shaped corsetry and full face hoods lend a luxe-fetish aesthetic to the collection.

‘Celestial Bodies’ represents a huge step forward for KL as it features the first self-funded and mass-produced ranges, Ara and Carina, manufactured in Poland. Sourcing has also been an extremely important facet of the design process: laces, fabrics and trims were sourced from within the EU with several laces and all elastics sourced in England.

Libra

Carina

Miod

Ara

Libra

As well as the usual small-run ranges produced in the London studio, the collection also offers couture lingerie, produced for individual clients, and one-of-a-kind Art corsetry. The latter two ranges have allowed Karolina’s design aesthetics to truly shine, resulting in a collection of all-over French lace stockings, face masks and hobble skirts that offer a luxe sensuality lacking in the mainstream lingerie market.

Panache Lingerie take prime spot in Selfridges windows on Oxford Street

Panache Lingerie at Selfridges

Sheffield-based lingerie supplier, Panache, has taken over the windows on the Oxford Street entrances from 20th to 25th May. Four windows feature key ranges in the SS2016 collections – Andorra & Clara (the Panache range) and Ardour and Quinn in the luxurious Panache Black range.

The Body Studio at Selfridges is the largest intimate apparel, swimwear, loungewear, hosiery and fitnesswear development ever, covering 37,000 sq ft and opened in April 2016.

Panache Lingerie Ltd is a family-owned business started in the early 1980’s and the company now has a collection of brands primarily aimed at the larger cupped size consumer (Panache, Panache Black, Panache Swim, Cleo by Panache, Cleo Swim by Panache, Panache Sports and Sculptresse).