I love discovering a new lingerie designer, and luckily in the past year or so it has seemed like that happens almost weekly. Some designers I first heard about as students – often through entries in the Esty Lingerie annual design competition – have now gone on to launch their own brands, which is always exciting to see!
I’d love to give new and aspiring designers a little extra promotion and support which is why I’ve decided to launch a new column on the blog, Your Submissions. If you’ve made some lingerie, either as part of a university course or just for fun, you can submit it to info@estylingerie.com and it may be featured on the blog!
So, onto the first designer to be featured, Rachel C, who is studying Contour Fashion at the renowned De Montfort university. She submitted this brightly-hued bra and knickers design that was created for a first-year project…
Which university and course are you studying, and what made you choose them?
I am studying Contour Fashion (BA Hons) at De Montfort university. I chose this course as it is the only university in the UK to offer a lingerie based course. I live to design, it is my absolute passion! I have always been creative in art and textiles so this course was perfect for me.
What was involved in the H&M project?
We were given a brief to design a lingerie set for H&M – this involved market research, creating a sketchbook full of inspiration and design development, working drawings showing the technical aspects of the set, design illustrations and finally a lingerie set.
What inspired this particular design?
We were not given a specific design theme, therefore I had to find a point of inspiration which was reflection. My main source came from water reflection where I found colours were vibrant and bold, which is what I wanted for my design which would also suit H&M and their styles. I also found bubbles would reflect colour which is where the purple and green from the design came from.
What part of lingerie design do you hope to get into after university?
After I graduate from university I hope to be a part of the lingerie industry as a freelance designer; I want my work to be seen and for people to want to wear it.
What do you think of Rachel’s creation? Can you imagine this on the racks of H&M’s lingerie department? I can!
