Lauren & Marissa have been working for years on developing lingerie that fits better. That feels like you’re wearing your skin – and nothing more. Akanksha and I got in touch with them via FohrCard. We told them we’d be in New York and luckily they said we could come see them at their office! So there we were. Great, well-lit office space in SoHo – as a photographer, I could NOT stop staring at the amazing light coming in through the large glass windows!
We met with Marissa who showed up Negative Underwear’s work and we even tried on some pieces. I liked their work so much that I ended up picking up a bra – I’m wearing it these days. I’m used to heavily padded, strong underwired bras so Negative Underwear’s bra took a little getting used to – it was like I was wearing nothing. While that felt great in terms of no red marks on my shoulders, it did feel like I could use more support – a double-edged sword that lingerie brands battle with I suppose.
While in New York, I’ve been scouring the streets for Made In America brands and there are almost none. Except the large designer brands that I would prefer to purchase an investment pieces. But daily wear? Nothing. ( Except American Apparel, which I’ve already shopped at thrice. ) I asked Marissa the same thing – where did they made their underwear pieces? Columbia. It is supposed to be THE place the specializes in making of underwear and while it isn’t as cheap as having it made in China, at least it is a five hour flight from the US and Columbia has friendly trade relations with America. Negative Underwear started with sample-making in America but manufacturing would’ve been prohibitively expensive, which would have made the brand launch as a luxury brand and Lauren & Marissa really wanted to fill a need in the market where women could purchase beautiful lingerie without breaking the bank. Manufacturing in China was not an option for them – there was no way they could track their manufacturing and the conditions in that they were working. At their Columbia manufacturing facility, they have not only visited the manufacturing facility, they also regular meet with their craftspeople. I was SO thrilled to have found a lingerie brand that was NOT made in China – I’d bought a bra from Victoria’s Secret just days before this meeting and after two wears, it had already fallen apart. Made in China.
The girl have some very exciting plans and I’m looking forward to keeping track of their brand from India. They already have customers in India and deliver there. We exchanged some notes about how product deliveries work in India and are more likely to be caught up in customs or at the post office and how tracking is most important even though it is more expensive than non-trackable shipping.
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This story is part of our #EyesForNewYork #REDHUxNYC trip. Lots more to see there – New York Fashion Week, #EyesForDining and #REDHUxAIRBNB.
