I love finding out about new brands and when they make lingerie in my size particularly, I am very much smitten. To top that off with great styling and a unique idea – and we have a winner. I was acquainted with Impish Lee through a dear friend and a fellow blogger, Jessica from Warning: Curves Ahead. After reading her in-depth review and sensing her enthusiasm towards the brand , I decided this was something definitely worth showcasing to you 2COP readers as well!
To describe Impish Lee in a few words, I would say it’s an inclusive woman-centered brand that offers completely customizable lingerie for women of many sizes and tastes. If you take a look at the website, you can find a few example styles of what their customers have created and also create your very own style – which you can perfect with all the finishing touches you wish to see on your own set of custom lingerie. The sizes go up to US J-cup, that is roughly the same as UK GG-cup. As I tested the size calculator on the site, it gave me a 32J which sounds pretty accurate taking into account that my British bra size is usually 32GG/30H. To get to know the brand better, I decided to do a little interview with the gals behind the brand, Noelle and Kali. Here’s what the two wonder women had to say about their baby…
2COP: Impish Lee is one of the rare brands that makes custom lingerie for ladies of both smaller and bigger busts. How did you end up opting for such a big size range and did you have any difficulties in creating patterns for such a variety of sizes?
When we decided to move into customizable apparel, our mindset was; ‘bring the customer into the design experience. Give them the tools to create what THEY want.’ We are customer focused, instead of revolving around our own personal aesthetic, we wanted to provide an apparel product that reflects the purchaser. To come at the fashion world from this different angle meant acknowledging and celebrating that women come in all shades, shapes, sizes, and with their own personal style. We may not be able to fit EVERY body shape right now, but we are so proud to offer a size range that is 2-3 times larger (if not more!) than other brands.
This certainly gave us more work to do when it came to grading our patterns into all the sizes available. But we knew that the extra effort would mean that our garments would be accessible to our unique clientele. And we were right! Though we have just launched, we have already had orders for our smallest and largest sizes as well as everything in between!
2COP: In addition to wired bras, you also make wireless options up to US J-cup. This seems to be something completely unique in the full-bust market! What made you take the plunge to try such a complex design and has your wireless styles been well received by the full-busted customer?
We were very conscious in our efforts to create varying styles so that our clientele could find a design that would work well with their taste. When it comes to your ‘two ladies’, there are many factors that go into what each customer finds to be a ‘perfect’ fit. Offering wireless bras to not just the petite framed, means that any woman can opt for a ‘comfy’ fit, even if it means they won’t get quite as much support and shape as their underwired counterparts. Industry may tell you that you NEED an underwire, but we think what you NEED is to be comfortable in your own skin, and that is different for each individual! Our full busted ladies are really appreciating that they too can now find a soft bra to fit their chest.
2COP: Your lingerie is completely customizable and the customer chooses her own fabrics, bra & bottom styles and detailing. How do you choose the array of options available and are you planning to make seasonal changes to the options, eg. separate fabric choices for spring and autumn?
We wanted to start out with a well rounded collection of styles, fabrics, and trims, and as we grow we will certainly be expanding our fabric selections, as well as adding new designs. We will keep a lot of the staples year round, but certain novelty fabrics will be updated based on what our customers like and the new materials we find and fall in love with.
2COP: What has been the best part of your journey when starting to make customizable lingerie?
We are always overjoyed when we receive feedback from a customer exclaiming how happy they are to have found a place that recognizes that we are all different, and that caters to an individuals uniqueness. We are finding that women are drawn to different areas whether it be the ability to finally have a lining color that matches their skin tone, or their surprise that we actually carry their unique size, or just that they love the fun and thrilling design experience. We feel so lucky to have the best and most supportive and loving customers!
Jessica in her custom Impish Lee set – how stunning!
2COP: Your website has a whole page full of fit information and your own (very accurate I might say!) size calculator. Where did you learn about bra fit and how do you feel your customers have responded to the “British way” of fitting bras (ie. not the +4 method!)
Though both my sister and co-owner Kali and I graduated with ‘creative’ degrees, we are both self-taught when it comes to designing and pattern-making, sewing and production. That being said, I am known to say that I received my masters in Google with a minor in Yahoo and Bing. Self-motivated research enabled each strategic move that we have taken and we pride ourselves on that. It took a very long time and a lot of effort to learn everything about bra construction, sizing, breast tissue, placement, current trends, etc to get to the point where we are confident in our sizing calculations. There is so much misinformation, and people would be generally shocked to know how many companies are essentially just ‘winging-it’ when it comes to bra sizing. So far we are finding that women are really appreciating our sizing metric, and though it won’t provide an absolute perfect fit for everyone, it is much more comprehensive than most sizing techniques out there.
Thank you so much for the interview, Impish Lee! If you would like to learn more about the brand, please take a look at their website and perhaps, create a lingerie set of your own. I hope to get to try this amazing brand for myself sometime in the future – just gotta get that summer job first, haha! What do you think of Impish Lee? Would you be willing to splurge a bit on a fully customizable set of beautiful and well-fitting lingerie? let me know in the comments below! xx
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