#MARCHMEETTHEMAKER Day 4: Branding

Dearest Ladies and Lovers,

Love thyself, bad habits and all.

Sometimes hoarding can be a positively bad habit (or do I just keep telling myself that?) Hoarding silk scraps as small as 3mm of fringe fluff eventually led me to create my most ambitious collection, Harmony. Hoarding made me a natural recycler. I even hoard old dried, sometimes moldy, fruits because it’s actually really pretty. (Hey! I’m not alone on this.. look at the mind-blowing art of Kathleen Ryan IG @katieryankatieryan ) And if, as a creator, keeping every single D&D (design and development la~; not dungeons and dragons!) piece is considered hoarding then I’m glad I had saved samples developed for the customized Pillowbook bra closure just so I can share this with you today on #marchmeetthemaker Brand theme. 

Pillowbook’s signature bra closure in gold. Luxury is in the details

This hardware is not unique so I can’t take the credit of inventing it. I think Mimi Holliday/Damaris was the first to utilize it in lingerie and Studio Pia uses it in such a slay way. In the world of body piercing, it’s actually a very common jewelry so it was important to me to customize the Pillowbook flower logo into it, hoping it would become a brand signifier. 

The design and development evolution of Pillowbook’s bra closure.

It was designed to be visually appealing, alluring like a juicy flower to a bee, because IMO, the look of an exposed standard bra hook can really just kill the look of a smashing outfit. It was also important to me that it be strong, sturdy and smooth to the touch. First thing I always did when I received a new sample was to snap the flower off. (Please don’t try this at home! It will of course break if you pummel it) Second, I’d close my eyes and just touch every surface to check for rough spots. As you can see in the first clasp, the sharp square corner had to go because it looks and feels a bit aggressive. The factory almost dropped me b/c I kept sending it back but they stuck around. After all these years, I’m still extremely proud of this little extra detail in the business of branding. Customers recognize it like an organic fresh cherry on top (not the canned maraschinos!). It really feels so ultra sexy when I wear a backless top, WITH A BRA!

So. Let’s stop hoard-shaming and maybe, like, make #Positivelybadhabits a thing? Which “bad” habits of yours shall we also celebrate?

Love, Pillowbook