Today we get to spend a few minutes with the amazing woman behind Californian brand Lingerie and Literature, who I had the pleasure of collaborating with on an exclusive collection earlier this year!
Who are you and how would you introduce yourself?
Helloooo Lazy Girls! I’m Kiana, and I run the e-commerce site Lingerie & Literature! I was born and raised in Southern California, spent a majority of my time at the beach, and was that kid that actually loved school. I take the phrase “do what you love” quite literally. I love the art behind lingerie and I have always loved reading, writing, watching, and hearing stories. When it came to pursuing a career, I wasn’t comfortable choosing one over the other, so I put them together and decided to make something out of my two passions. I think life sometimes forces you to be filed under one category, to choose one career path and to possess one label. I have never been satisfied with that. We are all multidimensional humans and it’s important that we are given the space to express the many sides of us. I am lingerie. I am literature. And I’m also so much more.
How did Lingerie and Literature start?
In 2015 I went to study abroad in London for a semester. During my time in London, I would always pass the lingerie store Pain De Sucre on my bus ride home, never going in, but always staying curious about what I could find in there. The day I finally walked into Pain De Sucre and tried on my first set of lingerie, I was immediately taken back by how great I felt in it. The lingerie was detailed and delicate, yet it made me feel so strong and empowered when I wore it. Lingerie & Literature started out as a blog but over the years I have realized my real passion lies in product and brand development. I wanted to create a product that embraced and supported womanhood, while also advocating for education and the arts, and I found I was able to do that through the production and branding of an e-commerce site.
Why is lingerie special to you?
Okay, let me just say, I have always hated shopping and wearing clothes. I don’t know, maybe it’s due to growing up near the ocean and always being in a bikini or maybe it’s just because I’m lazy, but I kid you not, my least favorite part of the day is picking out an outfit to wear. The only shopping I actually enjoy is lingerie shopping (okay furniture shopping is fun too) and I think it’s because it’s just such a personal and artistic experience. To me, lingerie represents independence, womanhood, and confidence. It may sound cheesy, but I live for the weekends when I can just wear a cute lingerie set and robe around the house, sipping tea, making brunch, and reading. I’m probably one of the most extroverted homebodies you’ll ever meet.
What is the inspiration behind this collection?
I wanted my first collection to hit some of the basics. It felt right to start with neutral colors and simple-ish designs. What is really special about this collection is that each piece is inspired by works of classic literature. Cassandra and I worked closely to design the lingerie so it displayed qualities of the literary works, such as silk chiffon frills for the Jane Eyre Bodysuit or a sultry red lace for The Scarlet set, but were careful to make sure the connection between lingerie and literature did not seem too forced. We wanted women who may not have read the novels to still be inspired to purchase a piece. See our collection here.
What was it like for you designing the collection in collaboration with LGL?
I could not have asked for a better person to collaborate with! Cassandra was just fantastic. She was enthusiastic about collaborating and I could really tell she believed in my mission. So 70+ emails and 9 months after we first communicated, we finally have a collection to share with you!! What’s crazy is how we met. I had been following Lazy Girl Lingerie for a few years and I initially DM’d her asking if we could collaborate. Cassandra and I have ONLY communicated by email, have never met each other, and I just found out that we are both ONLY 24! ✨ It’s amazing how social media can connect two ambitious women who live on DIFFERENT CONTINENTS together. I believe some of the best creativity and products can manifest out of collaborations!
This collection supports a charity, can you tell us more about it?
The Classics Collection is supporting International Book Bank. International Book Bank’s mission is to increase literacy and advance education by supporting the development and distribution of books and other educational materials in developing countries. International Book Bank does a few different projects, but the one that really caught my attention was their Intellectual Property Rights and Licensing Project. The goal of the project is to provide support to the publishing industry in developing countries. International Book Bank writes, “Books developed in a local language or from a local ethnic perspective are critically important for young learners, but often may have too small an audience to be viable for a publisher.” It’s gratifying to know that a portion of The Classics Collection proceeds will be benefiting one of International Book Bank’s projects, such as this one.
Xo, Kiana
You can follow Lingerie & Literature on Instagram here.
P.S - Join the Lazy Girl's Club for lingerie lovers, where I gift a handmade treasure each and every month! Sign up here.