I thought I should probably explain a few of the things that are happening this week for people who are new around here!

Blue DeVille Corset and Bra, in stock now, top and skirt in development.

1) Free gifts.

We don’t do sales. Seriously. You know when there’s bits and bobs left over and most people  carefully sort them and then do an end of season sale? We don’t. Instead we do free gifts. Because it’s WAY more fun and you clearly enjoy it more too!  Sometimes we’ll gift a specific thing – for example swimwear in December when we really need the space for something more seasonally appropriate – and other times it’s more random, though we do of course send you something in the same sizes as you have ordered. Sometimes this might mean you get the very last one of a thing – I know a few people who have had sought after early Vargas dresses!

Twice a year we send out a free gift with every order, around the same time that other people do seasonal sales, until we run out of things. Although what you get is somewhat arbitary, we do pay attention and if we remember your name, or you have Top Customer written next to it on the backend of our shop, you’re likely to get a bit more thought and attention.

This week it’s a mystery gift with every order over £100 which of course also gets you free postage worldwide.  Good luck, and have fun with your gift!

Elle french knickers in leopard print silk chiffon, in stock now.

2) New pictures!

In 6 years I have never done a location shoot with Morgana – everything has been created using the magic of photoshop, her home studio and on one occasion, painted backdrops.

We finally went wild, booked the 40 Winks Hotel, completed any amount of paperwork and paid for extra insurance, I spent the day twitching in fear of damaging wallpaper that was £6000 a wall (gold leaf), Morgana spent the day modelling and shooting, Jess and Emmie spent the day whizzing in and out of lingerie  and Chloe and Eva helped out. Plus, a whole bunch of you loaned us weapons and in one case a sample!

I’m still knackered and Morgana has an allergic reaction to the feathers, but the results are awesome, plus we’re learning about which saws to use for what. You can expect to see shots from this shoot coming out until January 2015, starting with things we have in stock now.

We’re also having a few staffing changes,  sorting out everything we want to produce in the next 18 months, debating corset developments, writing a HR manual, opening in a pop up in Sheffield, working on improvements in the London boutique, ranting about sample sizes in bra research, and a bunch of other stuff . . . . but I figured it’s mostly the free gifts and the shiny pictures that are interesting to everyone else!

This week it’s the turn of Ayten Gasson to feature on the site.  I’ve been working with Ayten since we started, and I credit her with making me learn about keeping things tidy and making things look beautiful!  Ayten’s garments are made from silk and trimmed in lace and ribbon – often from the last remaining lace mills in the UK.

Ayten Gasson Lexi silk bra and knickers with KMD Amelie suspender belt.

So, did you know:

Ayten has always manufactured 100% in the UK?   Employ a little cynicism for  “Made in the UK” – legally, you do not have to make things in their entirety here to say this – you can finish a garment or product here and it counts! 100% made in the UK  means it was cut, sewn and finished in the UK.

That silk is the strongest natural fibre with a prismatic yarn that produces a lustrous finish,  naturally anti-bacterial, easy to dye,  cool in summer and warm in winter, and moisture absorbent.  Also, it feels amazing.

The price of silk is down to the silkworms who produce it – they have to be very carefully kept as they are susceptible to all sorts of upsets,  including noise! When they have a bad year, the price goes up, when we all manage to stay very quite, the price goes down.  Because of its origins it remains a luxury fabric.

Ayten Gasson Classic Silk Camisole and KMD AW13 Sirena knicker

Her best sellers are silk knickers and tap pants – everything from peace silk (made without killing the silk worm) through tie sides and even a sexy ouvert back knicker with tiny ribbon ties.  Perfect for matching with corsets.

The KMD Bridal Demi Corset with Ayten Gasson silk tap pants.

You should handwash your silk lingerie – and steam it gently, on the inside.

The quality of silk produced depends on what leaves the silkworms eat!

All of Aytens styles are French seamed or bound seamed, which means any raw fabrics edges are fully enclosed. The industry standard is overlocking, which is much faster and cheaper, but an enclosed seam makes the seam stronger AND feels better on your skin. Not soemthing you can easily see when buying online!

This season Ayten is using tea-staining, a very old way of producing natural shades. She has a guide on her site for anyone who wants to try dying their own fabrics or garments. Her tea stained lace goes beautifully with our new demi-corset.

Nottingham was once the centre of the UK garment inustry, and in particular had fabric mills and lace mills.  It’s  where our factory is and still has more small manufacturing units than the rest of the country, but it’s a shadow of it’s former self.  Ayten uses vintage lace left over from its heyday as well as newly produced lace from the sole remaining Nottingham lace supplier, and has done since 2005.

Our pictures of Ayten’s garments here are from the 40 Winks hotel where we recently shot our new styles for the rest of the year. Weapons not included!

Last but not least a little help on sizing: