Guest Brand: eLai

You may remember back in 2012, we held a design competition for budding lingerie designers to have their design make it into our collection. We had such an amazing response that we ended up choosing three winners and making the pieces into a mini-collection - one of those winners was Eva Lai. Since graduating, Eva has been working on a beautiful new luxury lingerie brand, eLai. We love her work so much that we've started to stock some accessories and bodysuits on the guest brand section of our website.

We had a chat with Eva to find out a little bit more about her brand!

What sparked your interest in fashion design? 

I have always loved drawing and anything crafty even as a child. Like most girls, I was really into clothing and fashion. The satisfaction of creating something beautiful from scratch is what drew me into design.

Is there anything in particular that lead you to study fashion?

Being a fashion designer was an ambition at a young age, and the skills required seem to be what I am good at, so I worked towards the goal, and fashion school was the natural path to get there.

 What is it about lingerie that you found the most interesting?  

I love all areas in fashion. But I think lingerie is the most personal and intimate item a woman can buy. It is such a specialist subject, having to think about the fit and how the garment could support and enhance the female body, and whether it'd be comfortable against the skin etc. Details are key in lingerie because the garments are so small. I enjoy the challenge of what I can do with a tiny little bra & knickers. It's amazing how every stitch is so visible and it is all about details and accuracy.

You're a recent graduate and your brand has developed so fast. What's your secret?

I wish it could develop faster! Haha. I haven’t got the funding to invest in advertising and the only way to bring brand awareness is though social media (so thank god for internet!) I just try to stay true to my creative vision, and do things my way, instead of the traditional way of what a lingerie brand “should” be. I want eLai to grow organically, so customers would appreciate the products for its design and quality, rather than because I just spent a lot of money on celebrity endorsement.

 Being a one woman team must be a hell of a challenge! Do you think about getting some extra hands on board? 

It is so hard to do it all myself, but at the same time it means everything is done to the way I like. I do however have a lovely team of models/MUA/stylists that helps me massively when it comes to imagery… my darling photographer Polly Hanrahan has been brilliant at bringing my work to life in all my lookbooks. I would love to have more young talents to make eLai bigger and better in the near future.

How has your work evolved since you began your own label?

The first few collections were so different from each other, I tried dark boudoir, cute & colourful, to glam sportlux. As I was still trying to find my style as a brand and figuring out who my customers are. But I have learnt so much since I started and now I have a much better idea of what works. I think it is important to constantly evaluate the business and change your direction based on current social and economical factors. It is good to show a different side as long as it stays true to your brand ethos.

What are you fascinated by at the moment and how does it influence your work?

I am obsessed with sleek lines, so I’m really into the sportlux style at the moment, which shows in my Constellation collection. I’m also fascinated by Olivier Rousteing’s use of chains, embellishments, and the craftsmanship to create textures in his Balmain collections, which I find really inspiring!

What's eLai's ultimate aspiration?

To have my own atelier & showroom in London. I would love for customers to be able to just come in and have their pieces made-to-order.

hat's the main source of inspiration for your projects?

Usually something with a narrative- a film or a character. Fabrics/ materials. Certain fetishes. What I want to wear…

Who's eLai's customer?

Someone who values designs and craftsmanship in a made-to order product; who appreciates unusual pieces with a sense on humour; who thinks comfort is key; who wants to be effortlessly seductive; they would wear eLai for themselves because it feels good and empowering (and bonus that it happens to have a hint of naughtiness) 

What's the most challenging part about what you do?

The business side that involves lots of numbers.

And what's most rewarding?

When I receive emails from customers telling me how much they love wearing my designs…that’s when all the hard work feels so worth it!

What is the biggest lesson you've learned since starting your own company?

Don’t give up just yet…patience is key!

 If you could give some advice for a lingerie designer-to-be, what would that be? 

Love what you do, learn from every opportunity, make good relationships (it’s a very small industry) & work really, really, really….. hard!!!

Shop eLai at Playful Promises!

Victorian Spiritualism: Supporters and Sceptics

For this year’s Halloween shoot, we decided to take inspiration from the Victorians, and their strange obsession with the spirits of the dead!

In the previous post we looked at the rise of spiritualism and how it can be considered an important time for women’s rights; this time we'll look at the Spiritualist "celebs" and sceptics.

By the 1860s spiritualism had become a part of British Victorian culture, drawing in devotees all across the social spectrum, from Queen Victoria herself to the poor. There were spiritualist newspapers (The British Spiritualist Telegraph, Medium and Daybreak, Two Worlds and more) and societies (The Spiritualist Association of Great Britain, The Spiritualists’ National Union and more), with London having a great number of societies itself. 

With a little imagination and a repertoire of supernatural skills, mediums became celebrities. It was a calling for the theatrical of nature, with each medium able to channel different entities, each with a distinct personality. They could be aggressive, such as Annie Fairlamb's male spirit, Sam, repeatedly hitting a male guest until he guessed his name correctly. Others were flirtatious, such as Elizabeth d'Esperance's manifestation of Yolande, a girl who kissed and caressed her sitters. 

With the freedom from corsets and such an enclosed space, it was no wonder that these "spirits" were often quite sexual in their interactions; a famous example being the young and pretty Florence Cook and her manifestations of Katie King. A name that had cropped up in various séances up to 20 years prior, Katie King was said to be the daughter of Henry Owen Morgan, a long-dead pirate (who was never said to have a daughter, but would crop up in séances himself to prove this fact). In 1872 the female spirit announced that she would stay with Florence for 3 years, attempting to make herself visible via ectoplasm drawn from Florence's body. Soon Katie was fully formed, and could interact with the living world as an incredibly material form, sitting on laps, touching and on one occasion revealing her naked form. Funnily enough, she looked very similar to Florence, despite the medium being "tied up" inside a cabinet, yet none in Cooks' circle seemed to want proof of the two being separate beings. 

Others were more than dubious that such a flesh-and-blood manifestation could be conjured. On December 9 1873, a skeptical sitter, William Volckman, grabbed "Katie" by the wrist and waist in a fit of anger. Guests wrestled Volckman away, but not without the spirit ripping away a chunk of his beard, which furthered his belief that it was Florence in his grasp. Witnesses claimed that Katie King had vanished into thin air, and Florence was found still bound inside the cabinet. Volckman published his opinion, fueling the critics, while supporters denounced him for breaking the proper etiquette required in a séance; a delicate spiritual balance which could kill the medium. Funnily enough, Volckman was betrothed to another famous medium, Ms Guppy.

Concerned at this bad PR, Florence Cook approached William Crookes, an eminent scientist that would later be knighted for his work. Crookes had already been investigating various mediums and appeared convinced of the reality of the supernatural, but didn't believe all claims from individuals. They began a series of "private séances", with Florence invited to stay at his home for months on end. The idea was that Crookes would be able to witness both Florence and Katie in a room together, without the possibility of accomplices. An idea that was somewhat difficult to prove when Florence's sister, Kate, also lived in the house. Crookes created 55 photographs of Florence and Katie, although only a few remain today. Many of the photographs, as expected of the technology of the era, were poorly shot and lacked detail but did feature two figures, although only one face was in view, the other wrapped in an "ectoplasmic" shroud. 

Despite Crookes' findings, the skepticism grew; it was suggested that the two were having an affair, what with her being a pretty young woman, alone in his house. It's not unlikely, Crookes was clearly enamored with Florence, writing: "Photography was inadequate to depict the perfect beauty of Katie’s face, as words are powerless to describe her charm of manner. Photography may, indeed, give a map of her countenance; but how can it reproduce the brilliant purity of her complexion, or the ever varying expression of her most mobile features?" Bet his wife (expecting her 10th child!) was happy with that.  Did this infatuation allow him to be easily duped, or did he begin to assist in her fraudulence? 

In 1875, Katie announced she would be leaving Florence, and said her final goodbyes. With the spirit gone, there was no need for Florence to continue investigations, and she revealed to Crookes that for two months she had been secretly married to a man named Edward Corner. She left her position as a medium for 6 years, only returning to manifest a new spirit, Marie. Eventually, another dubious sitter, Sir George Sitwell, noticed that the "spirit" wore a corset underneath her robes, grabbed hold of her and pulled aside the curtain covering Florence. An empty chair spelled the end of Florence's career, and she vanished into obscurity. 

William Crookes received overwhelming criticism over his investigations, and soon ceased the research, although he remained a supporter until his death. Despite this, his scientific career was a long and distinguished one, including a knighthood. Shockingly, he wasn't the only logical thinker to be drawn into spiritualism, with another famous supporter being Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a medical man and the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle's wife, Jean, was a medium and he himself supported some outrageous claims, including two young girls who had claimed to photograph the Cottingley Fairies (they were actually paper cut outs). Doyle virtually abandoned Sherlock Holmes, and began writing books on spiritualism instead, clashing with the skeptical Harry Houdini, who argued that all spiritualism "evidence" was just cheap tricks. 

Victorian Spiritualism: Beginnings

For this year’s Halloween shoot, we decided to take inspiration from the Victorians, and their strange obsession with the spirits of the dead!

The Victorians were a rather morbid bunch, and quite rightly so considering the average lifespan was roughly 30-50 years, and the majority of that life was mostly spent either starving or working in incredibly dangerous environments. Most people only had their photographs, a new invention, taken once they were dead, often posed in lifelike situations with their living relatives and loved ones. Mourning jewellery was created out of bits of hair, or other small body parts along with memento mori ("remember death") phrases. We often consider this gloomy Victorian mindset as only occurring once Prince Albert died in 1861, and the nation went into mourning, but death had long been lurking on the doorsteps of every household. 

With the looming presence of death it’s no wonder that spiritualism, the belief that the dead are able to communicate with the living, first rose to popularity during this time. We know that the Victorian era is one of immense technological and scientific progress, but consider just how bizarre and outlandish all of these changes must have seemed to the average joe! If people could be operated on without pain, or men could fly into the sky like birds, why couldn't there be a possibility of contacting the dead?

Although spiritualism became popular in Britain, it actually began in the US (which is wonderful, because at least us Brits can finally say “they started it” with a sense of smugness). Despite various writings that were key to the spiritualism concept, the first events considered to be the ‘origin’ occurred in New York in 1848. The Fox Sisters, Kate (12) and Margaret (15), claimed they had communicated with the spirit of a man who had died in their home many years prior. Providing “proof” of the communications via rapping sounds to their neighbours, the word spread. As the story became more widely known, the media went crazy, because who would have thought that teenage girls would have a wild imagination? 

They were, of course, lying, and created the sounds by clapping/cracking their joints (which wasn't discovered till later; the Fox Sisters actually had a rather sticky end after both becoming alcoholics, accepting money to expose their fraud and dying penniless and friendless in the early 1890s). Regardless, they became an overnight success, with their older sister Leah stepping in as their "manager". They were soon taken in by a Quaker couple, Amy and Isaac Post, who were immediately convinced of the sisters’ skills, and introduced them to their Quaker circle. Being staunchly anti-slavery and pro-women’s rights, the Quakers had shunned the traditional Christian religions, and thus these concepts were tied to spiritualism from the outset. 

As the sisters’ fame blossomed, and spiritualism began to take hold, more women came forward, claiming they could communicate with the dead. It first crossed over into Britain in 1852, when American medium Maria B. Hayden visited London and offered her services. Seances became all the range, with all kinds of communication ranging from table rappings to automatic writing, levitations, and eventually full-blown channelling. Spiritualists considered themselves a scientific movement rather than a religious one (many Christians were also Spiritualists, despite the contradictions in scripture), as they didn't require blind faith. Spiritualism offered up evidence of the phenomena and proof in the form of “communication”. 

It’s actually quite interesting to note that most mediums (definitely not all, but certainly a majority) were women because they were considered to be more susceptible to the spirit world, thus putting them in positions of prominence. At a time of constricting corsets and strict social etiquette and definitions of what a woman should be, it was hard for a woman to have any say in politics or society. It’s no surprise that spiritualism supported women’s rights and the suffragette movement, which was fighting to give women the vote. While women were more likely to attend church during this time, they had no position of prominence, so it’s no wonder that a movement developed which placed women at the centre. 

Check back in next week for part 2, the Supporters and Sceptics of Spiritualism! 

And don't forget to shop our entire Halloween lookbook here!

Playful Promises LFW Catwalk Edit

Last week we kicked off London Fashion Week by taking part in the Calico catwalk show and showcase with 49 other brands!

With a catwalk show every hour and 50 brands showing off their best pieces from current and future collections, this was a jam-packed day of lingerie, swimwear, womenswear and accessories. From student showcases to established brands, we loved being part of this event, and here's some shots of our pieces on the Calico models!

Check out the rest of the gallery below!

Guest Brand: Hopeless Lingerie

We have recently begun to stock various other lingerie & swimwear brands on our website, because we just love having a choice!  We picked our favourite indie brands from all over the world, including Kiss Me Deadly (UK), Maison Close (France), Love Haus (US) and Hopeless Lingerie (AUS).

But why not find out a little bit more about the designers behind these brands? We had a chat with Gabrielle, the director of Hopeless Lingerie!

Q. What were you doing before launching Hopeless and what attracted you to lingerie?

I completed a diploma in Fashion and nearly finished a degree in the Arts majoring in Art History, Film, and Architecture. I love lingerie because its small and detailed, and also because at the time no one else was really doing handmade lingerie. 

Q. What was the original idea behind the brand? Where did the name come from?

My sister thought of the name when we were brainstorming. It just seemed right. The original idea for the brand was to create pieces that are sexy and fun but not trashy. We wanted to be modern but with nods to vintage, and with a focus on quality and beautiful materials.

Q. The collections have a really cool, edgy vibe. Who do you imagine as the Hopeless customer?

Young (at heart) and confident. Thanks to social media I get to interact with and see Hopeless customers nearly everyday! So I know very well who they are and what they like. 

Q. What is your go-to destination for inspiration on previous and up-and-coming collections?

Film is a huge part of my life. I always look to film for inspiration for the pieces themselves and for design inspiration. I don't look at outfits literally though, its much more about a films mood, cinematography, and landscape being the inspiration than directly copying looks. 

Q. What is one of your favourite pieces/sets and why?

Its not exciting at all but the Veronica Knickers in Bamboo are the BEST everyday knickers! So soft and comfortable and stay put all day long!

Q. How does an idea transform into a finished product?

I have a pretty big collection of patterns I've developed over the years so it will often start with altering one of those patterns, sewing a sample, maybe cutting out shapes or adding straps, then changing the pattern again and another sample. Sometimes I only need to do it once but more complicated styles sometimes take 5 to 6 samples to get right.

Q. Describe an average day for you.

I go to the gym at 6am most days, and I'm at my work desk by 8am. Im lucky enough to work from home so no dealing with traffic! In the morning I answer emails and do general computer work, social media, scheduling, and other admin things. I usually start sewing orders around 11am and break for lunch around 1pm. I then sew from about 2pm until dinner time 6 or 7pm. I try not to work after dinner but do sometimes do social media and emailing if it needs to be done. 

Q. What sets Hopeless lingerie apart from other brands?

We are a small independent brand built from scratch, and a lot of trial and error. When I started I had no business experience and have built everything organically, which I think has really helped Hopeless evolve into something unique. My focus is on the brand as a creative expression, and I put that creativity into everything I do - from designs, photoshoots, Instagram, Facebook, packaging and everything in between. My focus has never been making sales, or making things that I think will sell. Im not interested in being a department store brand, or growing into something enormous. I will never follow trends, or buy trend forecasting information - everything is very much from the heart. All our pieces are handmade in Melbourne too, up until a year ago it was nearly all sewn by me! Now I have 4 girls who help me with the sewing part time, my sister helping with admin and emails, another helping with the cutting, and my Mum does all the accounts. I think thats what makes Hopeless special and different. 

Q. How has the brand developed between launching in 2008 and now?

In 2008 it was just me, doing everything, as well as working 3 other jobs at the same time. Now (as I mentioned above) I have an amazing team supporting me. I have learned a lot in terms of fit and functionality, Ive expanded our size range, and it is very much my full time job. 

Q. What three words would you use to sum up the brand?

Dark, strong, feminine. 

Q. If you could pick any style icon as a muse/ambassador/face of Hopeless, who would you pick?

Rihanna

Q. A lot of your styles involve creative use of straps and lines. How do you balance style with function? 

Function is debatable - different women want different things from their underwear, and while I know things like the 'ouvert' styles aren't for everyone and aren't for everyday wear, they do have a place. Some woman want things exclusively for the bedroom and a lot of my pieces are more suited to that. 

Q. What lingerie do you think every woman ought to own?

Bamboo knickers. They changed my life.