Introducing… Alice Elizabeth Intimates

Back in July 2015, I visited the open studio event run by graduating students on the BA Fashion Contour course at London College of Fashion, which was where I first met Alice-Elizabeth Crozier, the woman behind new lingerie brand Alice Elizabeth Intimates.

Her bondage-inspired lingerie is now available online in UK sizes 4-16 and bra sizes 28-36 A-J, with custom sizes also available, which highlights that Alice Elizabeth Intimates has a focus on making women feel good by fitting the underwear to your body rather than expecting customers to conform to a specific size. All the models in the launch shoot are brand ambassadors, known as #AEGIRLS, and the group proudly includes a ballerina, blogger and two young mums. As the brand launched, I sat down with its founder to find out a bit more for readers of Rarely Wears Lipstick.

Lori: Congratulations on launching your brand! Tell us how Alice Elizabeth Intimates came to be.
Alice: Thank you so much! It’s such an exciting time for me and the brand right now. I studied BA (Hons) Fashion Contour at London College of Fashion and, having graduated there last year, aimed to carry it on after finishing. The main idea came about because of me being a size 8 and 32J bra, and I always found myself struggling to buy underwear that fit me, in particular bras and matching sets. It seemed that if I did find something, they would either be unattractive, uncomfortable or just really expensive.

This was sort of the starting point for me and the brand as I knew I couldn’t be the only one in this position and I therefore wanted to help cater for women of all sizes, and not just those who fell into the ‘regular’ size categories. We don’t have an upper or lower size limit, as we welcome every size and we also don’t carry size labels in the garments because I believe that a woman is more than the size label she wears.

Lori: Your campaign shoot featured a ballerina, a feminist advice columnist and two young mums – What inspired you to choose these women to represent Alice Elizabeth Intimates instead of professional models?
Alice: I can’t stress enough how much I want AEI to appeal to everyone – it really is for every woman and by using such a variety of ladies, I hope, will help to show just that! Every woman deserves to feel good about herself and Alice Elizabeth Intimates works closely with each client, model or muse to find their requirements, preferences and measurements in order to create the most flattering and favoured style for that individual.

Lori: Why is your customers’ comfort, confidence and individuality so important to you, rather than just the look of the pieces?
Alice: AEI is such a personal thing for me, because as a teen I was so self-conscious and not confident in myself at all. I always found myself trying to fit in and finding ways of being accepted and so I guess the concept stemmed from my own negative experiences. The whole point of me starting the brand was to eradicate the negativity that I had experienced and turn it into something positive both for myself and for other women too. I think there is just so much pressure in todays society, particularly for women, to look a certain way or be a certain size and I hate that! Women are so different from one another and shouldn’t be expected to have the same taste or body shape, let alone have to pay more because she is 3 sizes smaller or bigger.

I create garments to fit and compliment a woman in accordance to her body shape and personal preferences, rather than expecting her to fit into a garment of a specific size and style. I think there is already so much negativity in our lives today that lingerie, for myself and many others, is a way to escape… to feel good. So, if I can do something to help even one person feel good about themselves then how amazing is that! I really do think that one’s individuality is so underrated, mostly by ourselves, and we as women should support and empower each other.

Lori: What can we expect from Alice Elizabeth Intimates in 2016?
Alice: Well first of all, we debuted at The Clothes Show in December which was such an incredible experience for both myself and the team! We were lucky to meet some of our fans and followers and have also had some new A E Girls join our modelling ranks! Our online store has just recently gone live with our first collection, and our Valentines range will be joining this very soon – we had our Vday shoot last month. I am also currently working with various bloggers and models on some new pieces and projects but I can’t say too more about this at the moment, so you will just have to wait and see! I can say though, that 2016 is going to be a big year for Alice Elizabeth Intimates and our AEGirls.