My inspiration for designing lingerie came from living in Rome and Paris, and realising that sensuality for many European women is something integrated into ordinary life; wearing beautiful lingerie is a daily ritual. This is evident in the multitude of independent lingerie stores that one can find on practically every block in Paris and Rome.

In the United States, by contrast, shopping for lingerie is a less personal experience, usually involving a huge chain, and does not capture the same feeling of intimacy, or the feeling that there are salespeople who are invested in your body. There has been an unfortunate trend in the United States to think of flirtation and femininity as a mark of inequality between the sexes. Instead, feeling feminine and sensual should be completely empowering, a celebration of being a woman. When a woman puts on my lingerie I want her to feel that it is an extension of her body and her personality. It should capture a feeling of elegance, sexiness, and humour.

Profile

Having attended the Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, 1997, I studied History at the University of California at Berkeley [graduated 2001 as one of the top 20 students in her class of 6,000]. While on a scholarship in Rome in the summer of 2001 I became interested in lingerie design, and upon my return to the United States I got a job at an American clothing company, Banana Republic. I went to Paris in January 2002 to attend the Salon Internationale de Lingerie et Interfiliere, as well as Premiere Vision, the big textile trade shows. I remained in Paris to create a collection of my own. In Paris I worked for Lava, an art and fashion consulting company. Having come to Oxford now to pursue my academic goals, I have found a huge amount of support and inspiration from the Oxford Entrepreneurs.