Sexy Size-Inclusive Lingerie: Meet KILO BRAVA!

Welcome back to our ongoing Q&A series! We started writing these in our weekly email blasts to address questions on a variety of topics that we commonly hear from our customers. Eventually, we decided that we wanted to make them an evergreen educational resource, and thus this series was born. Check out our Q&A category under Lotus Blooms Life in the menu for more posts in the series.

If you haven’t been in the store over the last year, you haven’t seen all the incredible selections of lingerie that we’ve been bringing in. Even more recently, we have started to curate a selection from smaller, independent companies- many of them women-owned. We are so excited to introduce you to our newest brand, KILO BRAVA, an elegant, luxurious, and size-inclusive line of lingerie. Read on to learn more about the powerful force behind the brand, CEO and designer Kristin Bear.

We are so excited to have the inaugural line of KILO BRAVA's lingerie in our store! We’re currently stocking the Embroidery Collection and the pieces are just exquisite. We have to know your secret. You are 38 weeks pregnant right now, and will likely be cuddling your newest addition when this posts. And you're launching a brand, a website, collections of lingerie… how?! How do you balance being a mama and a business owner?

Honestly, I just do it. Being a business owner was not something I planned for a long time. This all happened very quickly and organically, and without the encouragement and support of my amazing husband, I might have been too afraid to take this leap. I literally quit my six-figure job, made a business plan, started finding my own factories and building the business, using our personal savings for the inventory/launch, all while having a toddler and finding out another babe was on the way.

Some days I feel like I'm absolutely CRAZY for doing this. There's still a lot of fear around not being in a traditional Design Director position where it feels more "secure," but I fight those thoughts daily and just keep going because it feels right. I really feel super lucky and count my blessings daily.

You might be a little crazy, but we support it 100%. Tell us more about KILO BRAVA. How would you sum up the brand?

KILO BRAVA offers attainable luxury for the modern woman- of all shapes- while providing versatility by blurring the lines between intimate apparel and ready-to-wear. All about comfort, sensuality, and the exquisitely feminine, KILO BRAVA is designed for the woman who knows her worth and loves gifting herself with special pieces. In intimates and loungewear, the shift toward spending more time at home and a quality over quantity mindset drives the need for cozy but stylish cross-over pieces. Women desire items that are versatile, taking them from a day of working from home, at the office, and maybe to an event in the evening. Much of the collection is made to mix and match for this reason and even the bras are made to peek out from a camisole or blazer.

How do you decide what materials to use?

First, I put together a mood board for the season and then I decide what types of fabrics I would like to incorporate into the collection. From there, I reach out to my contacts/suppliers to source them for me. Sometimes, if they don't send me anything I fall in love with, I develop fabrics on my own with them. For this season, I hand-rendered the embroidery and sent it out to the factory to develop for me.

Could you describe to us one of your favorite pieces from the collection?

I think I would choose the underwire bodysuit from the Embroidery Collection because it's really special. It is made with hand-rendered embroidery (by me!) that was produced in a small run just for KILO BRAVA.

It has boning, underwires, and straps encased in satin with details like gold hardware, and it comes with a tassel belt that you can drape around the waist or even use to accessorize a different outfit. It is also a versatile piece that takes you to the bedroom or for a night out on the town.

What's the most important thing, in your opinion, that people should pay attention to when looking for lingerie that is made well and fits well?

I'd say trying it on and seeing how it makes you feel. The same brand that fits certain people well may not work well for others. Even as professionals, we all fit our clothing differently and all have a certain point of view and position we take about what a "good fit" is. It is such a personal thing and I don't think there is one brand out there for everyone. If the fabrics are soft and feel good, that's definitely a good start. I fit my collection before putting the pieces into production on many "real" women, ranging in sizes 4-22.

What is the biggest myth when it comes to lingerie?

Hmm..maybe not a myth exactly, but I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to have a partner, or you have to have a flawless body to wear lingerie. There is no reason why a single woman shouldn't come home from a long day of work, pour a glass of wine and put on some sexy lingerie, whether that be a teddy or matching set or even a slinky slip. We are FINALLY living as women in a time where it's OK to not be a size 4 and it's OK to love your body and accept and feel confident about your flaws. I love it.

How and why did you get into this industry? We'd love to hear your story.

I went to school at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC after leaving a pre-med program. After a couple jobs in the ready-to wear industry, I was recruited into an intimate apparel position as the Senior Designer for the Material Girl lingerie and sleepwear collection for Madonna and her daughter Lola, that launched at Macy's. I also worked on many other collections at that same company. Once I started in the intimate apparel industry, I fell in love and never turned back! Being able to be so close to women, working side by side with them and making them feel beautiful, sexy, comfortable, and cute was and is so gratifying. We are so diverse and we're all looking for something special within intimate apparel. I LOVE tapping into the different needs and wants of women everywhere.

What, or who, inspires your designs?

I'm inspired by strong, resilient, iconic women like Priscilla Presley, Elke Sommer, and Donyale Luna. I love that Priscilla went after what she wanted without hesitation. She was a young, devoted mother, businesswoman, and activist and she always had impeccable style.

At a time where it was not socially acceptable to be especially bold and sexy as a woman, Elke really stood out to me. She moved to Hollywood in the 1960's from Germany and quickly because a famous sex symbol and celebrated pin-up. Besides being an overall badass babe, Elke also inspires us by her bold fashion choices and flawless makeup.

Donyale Luna was a bombshell beauty who was the first African American model to appear on the cover of the British edition of Vogue in 1966. She was a muse for Andy Warhol and appeared in some of his underground films. She was bold, fearless, and eccentric. Donyale is considered one of the world's first supermodels and was an incredible beauty with a unique style.

What do you think sets KILO BRAVA lingerie apart from the other brands out there?

KILO BRAVA is special because it is created by a woman who not only has a lot of experience in the intimate apparel industry in many different categories and sizes, but a woman whose main mission is to make others feel confident and beautiful while keeping the pieces at an affordable price. With a launch including an expanded size range up to XXL on all styles, our goal is only to become more size-inclusive in the future.

Check out this behind-the-scenes look at KILO BRAVA's Fall 2019 collection campaign!

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