Clare Bare Lingerie
1.) How did she get her start? Originally based in New York City, Clare started making lingerie as a hobby in 2008. After word spread and orders piled in, she quit her job as a teacher and became official in 2010. She moved West to sunny Los Angeles and now runs her company out of a gorgeous artist warehouse with killer downtown city views.
2.) Why lingerie? When Clare was 13, she secretly bought her first bra, a Victoria’s Secret black satin miracle bra–obviously. Clare became obsessed with lingerie and decided to embrace what society considered "taboo" for a girl that age. Liberated, Clare found herself happily connected to her feminine side. [And what’s the big secret anyway??! Why did we all feel like we were doing something rebellious?! It's a bra for goodness sake.]
3.) Where does she draw inspiration? Clare is inspired by her dreams. Whether it be a mood, a place, or a color, she writes everything down and creates songs to remember them. In the real world, she’s inspired by vintage patterns, which she started tracing and silk screening onto fabrics years back. Texture is also very important. Yes, this makes her that peculiar woman you see in shops who touches everything she passes, haha! [Wait, I do that too come to think of it.]
4.) What sets her apart? Hand-dyed fabrics. Raw fabrics and organic dyes are her signature, which is what drew me to her line in the first place. She’s always on the hunt for local dyers to collaborate with. What really excites her about this technique, is the uncertainty of how different dyes take to different fabrics. It always varies, not one batch is the same. Her pieces are truly “one of a kind” in that regard.
5.) Favorite lingerie lines? For Love of Lemons for their gorgeous applique and Hopeless for their humor. Her most coveted Hopeless piece is a pair of high waisted panties with Freddy Krueger printed on the butt. Genius.
6.) Biggest challenge of running her own business? Of course, all the legal junk and paperwork. Did she hire a lawyer or seek help to get the nitty gritty all buttoned up? Nope. She researched and did it all on her own [I mentioned she was awesome right?] She has also learned to pick her battles. At the end of the day, sometimes you have to cut certain losses in order to keep that good energy flowing.
8.) Advice to young women: “Be nice, it's a small world out there.” Nicely put.
9.) What woman does she most admire? Persephone. Clare has always been into Greek mythology and loves that every human archetype is embodied through the character of each god and goddess. Persephone is the majestic queen of the underworld and is also said to represent spring, vegetation, and fertility. She exemplifies all stages in a woman’s life to Clare, from the sexy sultry side, to the light and life giving force that women are. Magic.
10.) What does SEXY mean to her? Comfort. Putting something on that feels like an extension of your own skin, that is what sexy is. [Girl after my own heart.]
