For those who haven’t heard of it, the Esty Lingerie Design Competition is an annual contest we run to give one of our fans a chance to see their design produced and sold in our boutique. It’s open to anyone from around the world, from aspiring designers to our very own customers.
Today I’m talking to Antra Lodha who was voted by you as this year’s 3rd place winner. Antra makes up half of the two-woman team behind the Aah Intimates! brand, alongside Divya who was voted 2nd place in last year’s competition.
This year’s theme was inspired by the four seasons and Antra designed a delightfully feminine bra set inspired by spring, which you can see above.
Congratulations on being ones of our 2014 winners! How did it feel to find out you’d won?
I was so excited, I was at the edge of my chair ’til the winners were announced. In fact everyone who I know was. All the entries this year were really amazing. I especially love Tekla Verra’s [Editor: me too! This is the one I personally wanted to wear most] and Gina Tran’s entries. I was also quite happy to see another entry from India.
Was this your first foray into lingerie design?
Not really, I’ve been actively designing lingerie and loungewear for the past 2 years in India now, for my own brand Aah! Intimates as well as a few Indian lingerie brands. However this was the first time I took part in an international platform.
Tell us more about your inspiration and why you chose spring as your season…
My entry is actually inspired by a poem by a Chilean poet, Pablo Naruda. Namely, poem XIV: Everyday You Play.
This poem speaks of love and lust. He speaks of his love and admiration for all that She is. The emotions She evokes in him and the things he’d like to do to her.
I would like to share just the last verse of this poem, to give you a gist of what it is, that inspired me.
“My words rained over you, stroking you.
A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of-pearl of your body.
Until I even believe that you own the universe.
I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells, dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses.
I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.”
Spring is the season of love. It makes one fall hopelessly in love with the surroundings. It’s flirty and sexy and reeks with desire. And that’s exactly what this piece of lingerie is meant to be.
What type of woman do you envisage buying or wearing your design?
While I like to design for women of all shapes and sizes, this particular style I can image a young, care-free and free-spirited woman in. She’s independent and knows what she wants.
What are your favourite lingerie trends right now?
I’m a huge fan of androgynous lingerie, I feel it lets me be who I am without trying to mold me into being something else. In India if you think of ‘nice lingerie’ all you get is some pretty lace.
Another trend that I love is the concept of innerwear as outerwear. It’s been around for a while now but it hasn’t caught on in a big way in India. Although you do catch a few more celebrities experimenting with the look nowadays, it’ll still take a while to hit the streets.
Who are your favourite designers, lingerie or otherwise?
There’s a huge, never ending list. But to name a few, there’s Nichole De Carle, I think all of her designs are extremely classy and I would love to own one, one day. There’s also Hopeless Lingerie and Made By Niki who do very innovative and interesting styles.
Finally, are you hopeful for a career in the lingerie or fashion industry?
Absolutely! I always was, and fortunately now people are waking up to it and are way more aware of what they wear not just outside but also inside. Thank God!
What do you think of Antra’s design? Is it one that you voted for?
