A few weeks ago, we were made privy to some information that we were asked not quite to shout about, but maybe whisper quietly: the lovely Rachel at Buttress & Snatch (whose Curvy collection we featured here) was launching a new brand: MariLupa. Considering that Buttress & Snatch have been our brand of #GOALS for a few years now, we were thrilled to hear this news and to await more information of the collections to come – and we most certainly have not been disappointed.
And neither have the rest of the lingerie world. I’m part of a Lingerie Addicts group on Facebook (it’s just about my favourite place on social media right now) and as soon as the collection hit the group, everyone went wild over the designs.
To introduce the collection, we spoke to Rachel, asking a question that a few people had wondered:
Why did you decide to create a separate brand for Marilupa rather than keeping it under Buttress & Snatch?
Rachel answered:
I’m separating the magic, deep, goddess thing from the fun bright pin up retro thing. I feel they don’t work together in the same brand as the MariLupa work is generally a lot more involved and expensive to produce. I wanted to make a new brand to try and communicate more clearly the bespoke, non standardised, non mass produced nature of what I offer. MariLupa works more like a milliners or an atelier than a regular factory produced lingerie label. It is all about using rare and one off treasures in terms of materials and making in ways that can’t be replicated in a factory environment…Clothing as art, Clothing as jewellery… I aim to introduce a lot more fun, affordable bright cotton prints to the large cup sizes in Buttress and Snatch and sift all the more high end silks, lace, jewels etc over to MariLupa so the two things aren’t fighting with each other…
This collection is stunning. As Rachel said, where Buttress & Snatch is colourful, retro and pin up inspired, MariLupa is etheral and mermaid-inspired, with elements of wanderlust, nostalgia, longing to return to the ocean and glamour. Freshwater pearls sit alongside hand dyed silks; vintage crystal embellishments atop delicate antique lace. The colours are rich and sometimes bold, highlighted with metallics – deep emerald, glistening golds, shimmering muted purples. They’re the natural shades of the sea, heightened to create a luxurious and celestial quality.
Many of the pieces have their own stories to tell, often their names are inspired by their methods of construction, fabrics or aesthetic including mythical sea creatures and aquatic life such as Kelpie, Rock Lichen and Sylph. Make sure to read the description of each piece to learn a bit of history or folklore – such as the Kelpie pieces that are named after the shape-shifting water spirits of the Scottish Lochs. The Edwardian inspired free flowing Kelpie gowns represent the freeflowing nature of the human form and are crafted out of soft and sheer silk tulle.
There is also a smaller collection of Yayoni Gems – briefs and harnesses designed with a secret superpowered crystals with meaning behind each piece. The rose quartz represents unconditional love with feminine energy incorporating peace, healing, comfort and peace. The description explains how it was once known as the Bohemian Ruby and how Egyptians were once buried with it.
A more adventurous piece is the Yayoni Rainow Flourite French Lace Venus Harness, embellished with stones of purple, blue, green, clear and yellow to represent mental and intuitive abilities, and named after Venus, the goddess of love and fertility.
On top of the beauty of the collection, MariLupa’s entire collection is tailor made in house in London. Every garment can be tweaked, customised or can even be entirely bespoke depending on your requirements.
Even better, the entire collection can be hand crafted in sizes 28 to 42 AA to G and dress sizes 6 to 22 – a pretty impressive size range for an independent designer. Pieces can also be custom made in other sizes, and I’ve noticed that some are listed in additional sizes – for example, the Sheer Dot Lace bra goes up to an H cup in its drop down. It’s also notable that the models used are of a variety of sizes to show how the lingerie can be crafted to meet different size requirements (as well as showing off different sized models too).
MariLupa’s lingerie is priced between £36 and £246, however bespoke pieces will cost more.
Every piece of this collection is made to be a precious piece to cherish, like the treasure troves of the sea that inspire it. It breaks away from mass overproduction and focuses in on appreciating the small details. The care that’s been taken to create a collection that tells its own story and draws on mythical powers is stunning. This isn’t lingerie that you would buy everyday, but investment pieces, made to be loved.
And make sure to stay tuned to the blog because we’ll have some more Buttress & Snatch related information to share soon, keep your eyes peeled!
