Above image photographed by Carina Allen and featuring models Park Hyun Gi and Gabriella Alexis.
Note: this article contains some images that may be NSFW.
Anyone with an interest in fetish lingerie or sustainable fashion should have The End on their radar. This is one of the few brands that boasts a commitment to both.
The End was started by Bei Kuo in 2016 in New York City. Now based in Minnesota, this indie brand is staffed solely by Kuo and an assistant. Kuo uses sustainable, organic fabrics and draws inspiration from body modification to create lingerie that is edgy and eco-friendly.
In December 2018, The End released the Britney collection, an homage to the 2000s pop cultural icon. Each piece of lingerie is cheekily named after a Britney Spears song. The collection features cream (described by the brand as “nude” but currently only available in this one shade) and black lingerie with the brand’s signature piercing-inspired hardware.
One of my favorite things about The End is the interchangeability of the designs. Any of the bralettes and briefs in this collection can be combined to create a matching set, so you can mix-and-match tops and bottoms in the same colourway.
Oops! Halter Bralette, $84 (~£64 / ~75€)
Overprotected Brief, $54 (~£41 / ~48€)
The fetish factor in this collection ranges from subtle to ouvert. Some of the designs, such as the Overprotected Brief, feature silver hardware that is not dissimilar to what one might find on a bathing suit. Meanwhile, pieces like the Oops! Halter Bralette where silver hardware pieces mimic gauged nipple piercings, are more obviously salacious.
The designs featured in the Britney collection play with clean cuts and open space. The soft cotton fabric creates crisp, neat borders. At the same time, many of the designs feature empty space in the fabric, such as open cups or backs. The Oops! Halter Bralette and You Drive Me Crazy Bralette are both open cup styles, while the A Slave 4 U Bralette plays with empty space in the gap between the soft cups. The Baby One More Time Panties have an open back, held together by two adjustable straps.
Baby One More Time Backless Panties, $69 (~£53 / ~61€)
A Slave 4 U Bralette, $98 (~£75 / ~87€)
Perhaps the most daring design of the new collection is the A Slave 4 U Bralette. In this piece, three barbell-shaped ‘piercings’ down either side are reminiscent of hip or neck piercings, and an additional silver hoop sits in the center. With the most hardware of any lingerie in the Britney collection, this bralette struck me as particularly intense.
For me, lingerie is about dressing my body in things that make me feel sexy and in control of my body. I’ve always been fascinated by surface piercings, where metal lies directly under a layer of skin, though I probably won’t get a piercing like that myself. The idea that lingerie could allow me to fulfill a fantasy I sometimes have about altering my body, without actually changing anything about myself, gives these designs so much power.
You Drive Me Crazy Bralette, $89 (~£68 / ~79€)
Toxic Adjustable Thong, $44 (~£34 / ~39€)
From the beginning, Kuo has used exclusively eco-friendly materials, such as organic cotton and recycled fabrics. With a transparency that most brands in the fashion industry lack, The End’s website features information on what kind of fabric they use and where it comes from.
Each step of the process in creating The End lingerie – from the yarn to the dye – is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard, which ensures that the textiles are harvested in environmentally and socially responsible ways. This commitment to sustainability makes them even more appealing as a brand.
You can also find The End at stockists including Doll’s Kill and Chop Suey Club.
What was your first reaction to The End’s designs? Do you have a favourite eco-friendly lingerie brand?