Wickedly Inspirational Women – Laurie van Jonsson, lingerie expert extraordinaire, helping to make lingerie design accessible for all
The creation of any kind of garment is a craft. However as a society, the appreciation of craft has been lost in the need for immediacy. It’s often easy for people to forget that there is a person behind the final product, and hours of labour invested in the process of turning a piece of fabric and a handful of fastenings, into a functionable piece of clothing.
We’ve become a society fuelled by instant gratification, which usually comes in the form of automation. One of the most recent demonstrations of this being advances of ai technology; now taking a fraction of the time (and man power) to copy-write, graphic design or visually artwork a piece that usually would have taken hours of labour and thousands of pounds (and hours) in investment to develop the skill.
In our shopping habits, our need for easy access to ever-evolving fashion styles drove shoppers online, put pressure on online stores to add hundreds of items per week, and ultimately caused the demise, or at very least the dramatic decline, of the Great British highstreet.
Shopping has never been easier now everything is online. A couple of clicks and a sack of new clothes can arrive at your door the next day (sometimes even the same day with certain stores), and with options to ‘buy now and pay later’ if the paycheck is looking a little tight that month. However, behind the number of fast fashion sites – which display seemingly endless stock – is a garment worker struggling to keep up with the demand of the consumer.
In the UK, we have an illustrious textile history (particularly here in West Yorkshire) and used to value the skills of garment workers. However, since the 1980s, the decline of the British textile and manufacturing industry has been rapid. With the desire to source cheaper materials, and cheaper labour, the industry was driven overseas. Today, in the handful of mass production factories in the UK, garment workers received less than the national living wage, are majorly from minority ethnic groups, with around a third born outside the UK.
Labour Behind the Label highlights that “it is impossible to produce the garments requested […] for the product price while still paying workers the national minimum wage of £8.72 per hour. Wages as low as £2-3 per hour are allegedly commonplace in Leicester factories supplying a range of major online retailers.”
Since Brexit and the pandemic, there has been an increased demand for ‘Made in the UK products – to support local businesses but to also avoid long wait times and costly customs charges when importing from abroad – however the increase in demand exacerbated the shortage of skilled garment workers here in the UK.
Here at Something Wicked, we’ve always valued British manufacturing, and design and produce all of our luxury lingerie and accessories right here in the UK – specifically in our Leeds based mill in the heart of the historic West Yorkshire textile industry. From design conception to experimenting, sampling to grading, pattern cutting to packaging orders, it all proudly takes place in the four walls of our studio.
Another person who values the intricate process of design and craftsmanship, and is striving to make it more accessible to those who perhaps don’t know where to start, is Laurie van Jonsson.
A lingerie expert with over two decades in the field, Laurie now uses her platforms to make the knowledge required for lingerie design accessible. From 1-on-1 mentoring, to online courses, books, blog posts and IG reels, the daunting design and technical process is broken down into digestible bites of knowledge, tips and tricks for you to become a lingerie designer.
Whether you’re a beginner or pro, hobbyist or brand, Laurie is here on hand to help you take the next steps into the world of lingerie.
Hey Laurie! Tell us a bit about yourself; let’s start with your name and where you’re based?
My name is Laurie van Jonsson and I’ve been in the lingerie design industry for over 22 years – I know, I can’t believe it either! I started out designing for UK high street brands, and then on a whim bought a one-way ticket to Thailand and ended up working as a freelance swimwear designer.
After traveling South East Asia, I settled in Belfast – random story but I didn’t know where to head when I returned to the UK so played paper, scissors, stone between Wales, Scotland, England and Belfast and surprise, Belfast won. I stayed there for 7 years, launched my own label within a year of arriving, and upon closing it I wrote ‘How To Become A Lingerie Designer’ (a book for anyone contemplating entering into lingerie design, but not knowing where to start). I then gained sponsorship to work in Australia (as I missed designing) for the high-street stores there.
Upon returning to the UK I opened my own lingerie design studio (well, it was the kitchen table to begin with) with the aim to make learning lingerie design easy and accessible. I have been helping people and companies ever since, 11 years on.
What do you do? What led you to do this?
I’m a ‘Boob Preacher’, lingerie teacher, otherwise known as a Lingerie Design consultant.
This entails taking the idea you have about lingerie design and translating your sketch through all the technical aspects, so that a factory can understand exactly what you mean, to reproduce the idea you had into an actual, physical garment.
As well as working one-to-one with people, I provide e-courses/books/design sheets to allow people on different budgets to get the information they need.
I love helping translating their lingerie design idea from their mind and give them the tools to transform it into an actual garment. It’s so satisfying seeing their designs come into life.
Can you tell us 5 words to describe yourself?
Determined, witty, supportive, easy-going and adventurous
Why do you think it is important to educate and pass on your skill set to the next Generation?
When I launched my own label, I met so many people wanting to start a label that had no idea where to start, or who would laboriously scour the internet for information. I began to answer these questions and thought “wouldn’t it be great if all that information came together in a book?” and that’s where it began with one product – ‘How To Become a Lingerie Designer’.
I believe that you don’t have to have formal qualifications in lingerie design if you want to begin your own label; you just need to be able to get the correct information and support, and that is where I come into play. The industry has altered so much in the past 20 years, if I can pass on what I know to save people time and money, then I’m doing my job right.
How do you feel when you wear lingerie as opposed to underwear?
That’s a great question, I think both have space in my wardrobe. As a size 30DD, in my twenties I couldn’t find lingerie that I liked; it was either fit and function, or fashion and fail fit. That’s why I went on to launch my brand, which specialized in small backs and big boobs. I wanted to bridge the market that, at the time, only offered soft bras in the style that your nanna would wear, or they would be labelled S, M, L etc, so didn’t offer support.
So, I love the simplistic underwear that fits great; the type of underwear that if, on a hot sunny day, you stripped no-one would question that you were sitting in a bra. When it comes to lingerie, I love the look of frou-frou or strappy lingerie, but then when it comes to wearing it it’s a different story. I prefer the lingerie to be clean lines; so all satin, all silk, all tulle, all lace etc. That’s when I feel most confident – it makes me feel like I’m not pretending to be anyone else, that I have my shit together!
What is currently your favorite piece of lingerie that you own and why?
Okay cliché coming up… it’s my designs. I still run the Vanjo brand but commission based, not mainstream, so when I get to design for myself, I get to design exactly what I like and make it fit to how I like.
What does female empowerment mean to you?
The sense of self-worth, to have the power to control your life, also with the ability to influence the world around you. In other words, owning who you are and not apologizing for being your utterly beautiful bad-ass self and enabling others to live this way as well.
What do you do to make yourself empowered/liberated/confident?
I think vulnerability is one of the most empowering things you can do. All too often we think of empowerment as a masculine – not male – trait. Yet to show vulnerability, you’re taking control of your life (which is empowering) as we are choosing to be honest with ourselves and others, which is a massive act of self-care, as we embrace who we truly are.
And if all else fails and I need to feel confident if I’m walking into a crowded room, whispering to myself ‘chin up, tits out’ goes a long way too.
‘Female sexuality is no longer a taboo’ Do you agree with this statement?
No – I think it all depends in what context. The openness to talk about female sexuality has grown, yet it all depends where, when and who with. You only have to look at the comments on social media platforms to realize there is still a long way to go. I think female sexuality is still more accepted for younger women, but then if you bring in topics like periods and that openness diminishes. Or openly discuss topics like menopause for the older woman, and whoa it’s a whole different ball game.
Women are viewed more visually for their sexuality. A great example of this is a woman with a B cup can wear a vest – just as a woman with a DD cup can wear a vest – however the woman with DD’s is “getting her tits out” when in fact, she’s just wearing a vest. I think there is still a long way to go for an equal playing ground.
What message would you give to your younger self eg as a teenager?
“You will find your tribe”. I think we so desperately want to fit in that we don’t question who we are fitting in with in. In my early twenties I left the UK for 10 years and had the big realization, that you don’t have to like everyone and everyone doesn’t have to like you. You get to find the people that you don’t have to change yourself for. It would have been a comfort to know that.
Fancy dipping your toes into the world of lingerie design? Visit www.vanjonssondesign.com ; the blogs have a wealth of information on lingerie design and running a brand, whether you’re just starting out or years into the game. If you’re looking to pursue the passion a little further, the website also offers a range of books, e-courses, or 1-on-1 sessions you can book with Laurie to hone your skills and achieve your goals.
Don’t forget to check out her Instagram @vanjonssondesign if you’re wanting regular posts to support your process.
