Welcome to the Lushious Blog!! I’m thrilled to share everything we’ve been working on. Between testing fabrics and fits, meticulously designing patterns, researching  sustainable fabrics and carbon offsetting tech, and surveying our community to ensure we launch the best swimsuit you’ve ever worn. It’s been a busy year to say the least! As we approach our big launch over the coming months, we’ll be giving more behind-the-scenes looks on all the work that’s been put into Lushious, but before that happens I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.

My first word was literally “shoes.” I’ve loved fashion my entire life, collecting vintage pieces as early I can remember. Both in front of and behind the camera, I’ve worked in the fashion world since I was 15. If you’ve followed me for a while, you may know that I’ve already designed several capsule collections with other brands, but my goal has always been to have a brand of my own.

When I was working as a model, body positivity was definitely NOT en vogue. As happy as I am to see the fashion industry make progress, I still regularly deal with the harm it did to my self-esteem, and I know I’m not alone in that.

At photoshoots and events, I always felt like an outsider because I never had the typical model body (AKA size 0), which meant there was always some sort of ~*~drama~*~ when it came to fittings: The clothes available never fit right and I ended up having to wear half of my own stuff- or worse, ask if they had any “other options”. If I had a quarter for every time I tried to squeeze my ass into a Chanel sample size…

If I had a quarter for every time I tried to squeeze my ass into a Chanel sample size…

That being said, I don’t mean to suggest that fashion is just some gauntlet of humiliation and ill-fitting sample-sizes. At least it doesn’t have to be. I love where fashion has taken me and allowed me to go. It’s also what paid my rent for many years, and for that I’m very grateful for. But I know we can do better than the status quo, and that belief has driven me as a designer for many years now.

But I know we can do better than the status quo, and that belief has driven me as a designer for many years now.

In our culture, the dilemma for Women & Femmes is a double-bind: We’re expected to care about our appearance, but not get “caught” caring, (lest we be accused of vanity). We’re fed imagery that conditions us to view ourselves as objects of desire, then blamed if our boundaries are crossed, ignored, or violated by others. We’re told to feel “empowered” and “love ourselves”, but not too much, and far too often by people who fit a singular, specific standard of success or beauty.

We’re expected to care about our appearance, but not get “caught” caring

With Lushious, I’m creating a brand meant to make you feel an overwhelming sense of joy and confidence every single time you dress up or strip down. Lushious is here to encourage you to wear whatever the f*ck you want; to throw away any notions of how you should dress, should look, should act. Wear what YOU want to wear. Be your most authentic self. YOU are Lushious!

I’ve poured my heart into creating something special, with sustainability, inclusivity and love for bodies and clothing woven into the core of our brand philosophy. I’m so excited to share Lushious with you! Stay tuned for more updates and be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

With so much love and excitement,

Xoxo

Atlanta