Katherine Hamilton Louise Balconette bra and knickers.
Kicking off yesterday to celebrate International Lingerie Day (I'm a day late, whoops!), British lingerie retailer, Sebastian & Millicent has introduced their bespoke lingerie services. Sebastian & Millicent was launched in 2016 to showcase a different vision of intimacy, one that creates a luxurious experience. The retailer carries brands from what they consider "the next generation of designers" including Harlow & Fox, Dita Von Teese, Katherine Hamilton Intimates, and Mimi Holliday.
With the bespoke service, Sebastian & Millicent is offering their customers an opportunity to create their own luxury lingerie fit to their specifications. With a variety of styles, colours, fabrics, trims and sizes to choose and customize from, clients simply select their preferred design and standard size from the “Hidden Treasures” designer range, which currently features luxury lingerie designer Katherine Hamilton Intimates. The custom-made couture lingerie will be delivered within 6 weeks of the order being placed. Sebastian & Millicent lingerie expert and founder, Rachael Cunningham, is also available for a private fitting consultation in person or via Skype. For face to face consultations, samples can be provided, and clients will be able to view a swatch book and choose from additional colours and fabrics.
Prices for the bespoke lingerie service start at £430 for a bra and £265 for a knicker, with 10% off when signing up for the Sebastian & Millicent newsletter.
To get more information about the endeavour, I've interviewed Rachael Cunningham, which you can read below!
BB: What sparked the desire for you to develop a bespoke service? Was it something that you always wanted to do with your brand or something that garnered interest among your client base after launching your business?
RC: From a personal point of view, the plan was always to offer a bespoke service. I am the worst at walking into a store and leaving empty handed because nothing jumps out at me, and this is particularly true with lingerie - sometimes I’ll like the cut but not the colour, or I’ll like the colour but my bust is left completely unsupported. I floated the idea with a select number of clients and they were extremely excited about the development. The hard work then began to find a partner to launch with that was dedicated to fit and function, as well as aesthetics.
BB: You mentioned that specific colours have been requested, what are the most highly requested colours/fabrics/styles and how will you incorporate what the customer has asked for in your new range?
RC: By far the most requested silk colours are jewel tones – sapphire, violet, jade and ruby. The colours pop on every skintone and are such an exciting step away from nudes and blacks. Women’s tastes are changing, and whilst there will still be a place for a closer-to-skintone bra, the British palate is now rich and vibrant!
The range itself has three different bra styles, with 30 silk colours and 11 lace colours to mix and match together, not to mention the addition of a multitude of bows, and a selection of rings and slider colours – and that’s just on a bra! On top of that there are 7 knicker styles, 2 suspender styles, and a choice between a long and short robe to complete the look. If there is a colour that isn’t available, we will source it or provide a dye-matched service to make sure that the lingerie is a perfect reflection of a client’s personality.
BB: In terms of style and aesthetics, what do the brands you stock share with one another, and how will the bespoke pieces tie into that same style?
RC: Self-confidence and empowerment amongst women is more important today than it ever was, and we feel that we have a responsibility towards women to help them feel their best - each brand at Sebastian & Millicent has been chosen because they meet stringent fit and function tests, as well as ticking that all important aesthetically beautiful box! Katherine Hamilton Intimates was specifically chosen as the first bespoke designer collaboration because it is a brand that has spent a considerable amount of time developing a unique underwire that provides substantial support without digging in. The brand also caters to a wide size range, with 26-38 inch backs and cups up to HH. This innovation in technology and inclusion of a wide size range perfectly fits with our ethos and brand values across the entire collection.
BB: What sort of couture aspects of the bespoke line will be included in each piece to create a luxury experience for the wearer? What kinds of materials and sewing techniques will we see from pieces from the bespoke range?
RC: The cut-and-sew technique in Katherine Hamilton Intimate’s 3-part seamed cups are made specifically for support – even the molded styles are seamed! This technical detail also allows subtle variation in cup shapes, giving fantastic shape and forward projection to your bust. The range also features silk side slings to narrow your silhouette and hold your breasts in place from the side and the front to avoid the dreaded side-spillage! On top of that, the seamed cups also provide a platform for exquisite fabric artistry, such as combining sumptuous silk and luscious lace in combinations to suit the wearer.
BB: How collaborative is the process of creating a bespoke piece or lingerie set with the customer and Sebastian and Millicent and Katherine Hamilton?
RC: Communication is key to creating lingerie that the customer will love, and collaboration starts from the moment the customer chooses to buy a set. Online, she can choose from a wide range of silk and lace colours and add adornments at the same time. When the order is placed we’ll initiate contact to confirm her choice, and ask if there is anything else she wishes to add, such as additional embellishments or an amendment to the shade of silk or lace. What’s more, if she is unsure of her size we will arrange a fitting, either by Skype, telephone, or face-to-face, depending where she is in the world to make sure that she has purchased the right sized bra. If the customer isn’t sure which style to buy, prefers to browse a physical swatch book, or is buying a gift for a loved one, we can accommodate that too and provide samples and guidance on colours and styles as required. The level of communication really differentiates our service – we want our customers to feel like they are part of the process from start to finish.
BB: How did the collaboration between Sebastian and Millicent and Katherine Hamilton begin?
RC: I spent a long time searching for the right partner to launch the bespoke collection with. I visited numerous trade shows in the UK and France and spoke to lingerie brands about their collections and the potential for a bespoke collaboration. Established brands weren’t that keen on collaborating, because their retail model didn’t allow for additional time and commitment in maintaining a bespoke service. Thankfully, after a very long day at trade show, Katherine actually emailed me about Sebastian & Millicent stocking her off the rack range and I mentioned my plans for a bespoke service to her. I then tried a couple of bras for fit and quality and loved them! As you can imagine, it took a few months for the finer details to be agreed as we were both running a lingerie business and dealing with our own customers, such as designing and printing a swatch book that could be used to assist customers with colour and style choices. Alas, the hard work paid off and customers are already making appointments to view samples from the range.
BB: What are you hoping the customer will gain from partaking in a bespoke lingerie experience as opposed to buying off the rack?
RC: Sebastian & Millicent is introducing a new freedom to customers to design their own lingerie – whilst off the rack items tend to closely follow the fashion for the season, at Sebastian & Millicent customers can be confident that they have a choice of supporting and flattering bras in a colour range that is unique to them. It’s a celebration of aesthetics as it relates to the body and a customer’s sense of self. Lingerie is an aesthetic part of a woman’s overall look – even if no one sees or knows its underneath her clothes but her – and that’s empowering.
What did you think of the interview? Let me know what you think of Sebastian & Millicent's bespoke services in the comments!