Born and raised in Notting Hill, London, Damaris Evans comes from a familiy that had a long line of creative talents, starting with her Great-Grandfather, the artist Sir William Rothenstein, and the former director of the Tate Gallery. No wonder, Damaris’ passion towards fashion has began in her childhood. By her teens, she was not just studying the design, but also started making all her own clothes, and also tailored for her family and friends. After school, Damaris decided to continue her studies of Womens Fashion Design with Print at the St Martins College in London.

Damaris Evans, the Designer & Founder of
Damaris Lingerie Brand (above)

As a course requirement every student was given a year off to find a work as experience placement. Damaris spent her year by going to Favourbrooks. After completing the three months that were required by her college, she was offered to stay on and even get paid for co-designing the company’s highly publicised first two collections to be shown on the runway in New York fashion Week, with a flagship store in Pont Street.

Damaris, Signature Bow Knickers (above)

This has prooved to be a really good experience for Damars, who realized that armed with new hands-on knowledge and a degree, she was ready to have a voice of her own. After graduating she already had an idea, a wonderful opportunity to seize upon a gap in the hight fashion luxury lingerie market and successfully launched here own brand.

Damaris, Signature Corset Knickers (above)

Damaris’ talent and creativity was not left unnoticed. Many of her lingerie styles have already become an icon, such as the famous bow knicker, with many high end and smaller brands trying to replicate it. But Damaris Evans is amazingly creative and never comes short in constantly keeping ahead of the competition and developing her new lingerie concepts, sourcing uniqie fabrics and prints by spending a couple of months of the year roming the world for ideas, materials, and inspiration.

Damaris, Silk Ribbon Knickers (above)

Born in Belgium and working in Paris, the fine lingerie designer Carine Gilson began her creative career by studying Fine Arts at the Brussels Academy. After graduation, she continued her studies at the celebrated Antwerp Fashion School that was once a home to such talented alumni as Dries van Noten and Martin Margiela. At that time, she became so fascinated by lace that she decided to undertake an ambitious venture by founding in 1994 her own brand of Lingerie Couture.

The Carine Gilson’s philosophy is about considering lingerie to be more than just a simple item of clothing or an object of necessity, a view which is shared by other haute-couture lingerie designers. By carefully selecting the materials she works with starting from the finest Chantilly lace and sumptuous Lyon silk, and using a veriety of colour palettes for her collections demonstrate her unique approach to interpretation and place of lingerie in a woman’s life. Bold statements in lipstick red and majestic purples, delicate interpretations in peach pinks, classic notes in jet black – all intermigle in elegant array of her collections dripping with luxury and beauty.

Iulia Dobrin is the heart, the soul and the mind of the I.D. Sarrieri company. As a student, she was dreaming of creating a famous luxury lingerie brand, as she  has always been very passionate and tuned into stylish and fine fashion lingerie. When she was 25, she bought a 55 year old lingerie factory in Bucharest, and from the moment on, she began to write her own history.

Iulia Dobrin, the Designer & Founder of I.D. Sarrieri Lingerie Brand (above)

Having a strong belief in the today’s lingerie meaning as the ultimate sophistication of a woman’s style, and also being a fashion icon herself, from the very begining of her carreer in lingerie business, Iulia Dobrin has a goal of creating luxurious and highly fashionable lingerie designs that immediately gained international fame. Now, at 33, the dream became true: her designs are worn by Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, and many other celebrities.

 I.D. Sarrieri, Couture Lingerie, Satin & Lace Corset (above)

“Everything starts from a sensation, a colour or a print, each season there is a different mood driving me through the collection.” Guia La Bruna

Italian born, Guia la Bruna studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, a place where she discrovered in herself a sense of creativity and gradually came to the idea of creating her own lingerie. After inheriting a lingerie factory in Turin, Italy, from her grandfather, who was already in lingerie business since 1935, mass producing lingerie, Guia la Bruna gave it a new breath. She had a different from her grandfather’s concept of the new brand, that in her vision had to be very exclusive and luxurious. 

When starting her own line, Guia had the advange of having the the information on all the old styles. Her idea of using the old patterns and even used vintage laces and trims from the storerooms, and give them a new contemporary twist became an instant success. Guia’s goal was to create that unique lingerie set that she would love to discover in her grandmother’s drawer, the one that would look both retro and contemporary.

In her designs, high quality fabrics and lace are the focal points; everything starts from them. She particularly likes to use silk muslin in her collections for its delicate and fluid to touch qualities, as well for the great variety of muslin type fabrics starting with embroided or printed, and ending with applications. Guia likes the way muslin enveloped the body, how it falls giving the garments an elegant and soft movement. Guia La Bruna’s philosophy is about creating contemporary lingerie collections, which at the same time have a distinguished charmingly sensual and romantic look.

Couture Lingerie is a very good quality pricey lingerie usually made by high end brands, labels and/or designers. Its price can be measured not only by the designer or brand name on the tag, but also by the cost of materials and labor invested in making that piece. What cannot be possibly measured is the feeling of beauty, serenity and happiness experienced from owning and wearing a beautiful and exquisite piece of couture lingerie. Another quality that separates couture lingerie from regular lingerie is that it can last for a very long time, given that you handle it with care.

Flibustine, Lingerie Couture, “Feu Sacre” Collection, Bra & Panty (above)

There is an unspoken golden rule of trade – you get what you pay for. Most lingerie sold today is an average lingerie that is mass produced, made of cheap materials, cannot endure long wear and needs to be frequently replaced. It is true that life requires us to be practical. If we find something good enough to sleep in, or to wear underneath our everyday clothes, we  buy it.  The fact that this countour bra is going to loose its shape and that shorty is going to stretch after several washes will bother us later. For now we are happy to have saved big bucks and bought something in bulk cheap.  

Vannina Vespernini, Lingerie Couture, Silk & Lace Chemise (above)

Wearing a good quality, Couture Lingerie is a totally different experience in that it inspires a transcendent state and sweet dreams. Being part of the private, inner world of a woman, couture lingerie can make a woman feel beautiful, confident and feminine. It is not a secret, that almost every woman lacks self-confidence to some degree. We want to be thinner, taller, richer, smarter, more happier, more famous and look sexier. Having that special piece of high quality beautiful lingerie can boost a woman’s self esteem by making her feel good in her body, love and treasure herself.

Carine Gilson, Lingerie Couture, Embroidered Sheer Robe (above)