For as long as I can remember I was always into rather simple and clean-designed lingerie, I don't know if it is a Swedish thing but too much lace, decorations and colours was never my thing. Until a friend of mine introduced me to Mimi Holliday by Damaris. It was love at first sight and my rather sporty looking underwear had to make room for some exquisite lace in my closet. Finally I found lingerie in lace that actually was comfortable and could be worn every day. The designer behind the brand, Damaris Evans, is as fabulous as her beautiful lingerie and I am happy to start this week off with a mini-interview with her. What got you into designing lingerie? I studied at Central St Martins in London and asked my tutors if I could do my final collection in lingerie, however as it was a strict fashion degree I wasn't able to. So for under the clothes, I made gorgeous knickers for the models, one being the beautiful Sophie Dahl, an old friend of mine. That was the beginning, I loved that there was something beautiful underneath and that no one knew except the models and me. Cute, sexy and fun... How would you describe your lingerie lines Damaris and Mimi Holliday When I started Damaris in 2001, I wanted to create beautiful little treasures, something that made you giggle, something that was a little cheeky and incredibly chic and smart, with the most luxurious and interesting fabrics and trims one could find. I wanted to look at new ways of designing and wearing lingerie. Coming from a fashion design background I had the confidence and knowledge of how to make that happen and to think outside of the box. This is when I designed the peep bottom knickers, which turned into the bow knickers and the 'bottom cleavage was born'. The Mimi Holliday brand is most importantly, fun, approachable, playful, natural and confident. We are known for our fun colour mixed with luxury finishes and fabrics and most importantly we have a bra for everyone, they come in 69 sizes. Phew, there's a lot of pattern cutting! Do you have a signature model? Our peep bottom bow knickers are our most treasured design, 14 years on I still giggle when I look at it! It was first made in 2001 and this concept in lingerie, being the "bottom cleavage" has changed the global lingerie landscape. Peep bottoms, corset and strip knickers star knickers, they're were all born in 2001 by the Damaris brand and and we continue them to this day. How did you come up with the bow in the back? When I started there was no detailing on the backs of knickers. This was my space to have full control and let the creative hunger take over. It started with a cut-out peep circle and then, " how do you open and close the knicker"? A bow of course. What inspires you as a designer? Holidays, holidays, holidays. Who is the woman you are designing for? All of us! Do you have a dream customer? Ahh, yes, many, and our dreams came true...We love hearing about the amazing women wearing our lingerie from Angelina Jolie, Liv Tyler to Liberty Ross. All are amazing, in fact an old friend of mine, Liberty Ross is moving into films and so I asked her if she would be in a Damaris film and wonderfully she said "yes", and we made our second film, "Packing Heat". However, our first film was called "Chore" and is very close to my heart. "Chore" went viral and had 1 million hits in the first 48 hours on YouTube and then was taken down because of the credits being too naughty...It had a naked bottom in the final shot! I know many women including myself find it hard to find the right size and model. What is your best advice for finding the perfect fit for your body? If you need good support, go tight around the back, possibly one size smaller than you might normally wear, then go up one cup, that could be the trick. What is the biggest SS15 trend in the world of lingerie? I'm not sure what everyone else is doing but we have a pair of daisy knickers with a petal design cut out at the back. They are heavenly... Pictures: Damaris and net-a-porter
