I originally wrote this for a business competition, and then realised that it was probably a handy guide for all those times we fall off the lingerie wagon and start talking about pangolins! So here is the revised Brief Guide To Kiss Me Deadly, a primer for when we seem to be talking gibberish.
Once upon a time I was a psychologist, and as much as I loved that work, it did not combine well with acquiring disabilities that cause pain, fatigue and brain fog. So (and this is a story for some other, more leisurely time) I started a lingerie and fashion line and HOLY HELL was there a culture clash! Yes, pretty much every dreadful thing you've ever heard about fashion-land (or most of A Devil Wears Prada) bears some basis in reality, as does everything in our short video, from the pressure to be boring, through to sleazy salesmen. KMD is fighting to change that - albeit not as homicidally as in this short film!
This film was originally created for a crowdfunding campaign to explain the brand and the products without resorting to Kickstarter tropes. Our followers number in the hundreds of thousands and made it one of the top 3 campaigns ever run in our industry! If you’re a Kiss Me Deadly fan, you’re a Deadly - so what do Deadlies see in us?
* Kiss Me Deadly is ardently Not Always Nice. You can get fun, pin-up retro looks plenty of places; our inspiration is the femme fatale instead, that dark, complicated, intelligent and above all DANGEROUS character. If you liked the Disney villainesses and sometimes hold opinions that make other people uncomfortable, you're probably a Deadly.
* Transparency! We blog, vlog, instagram and tweet behind the scenes, from the reality of design (which is nothing like the fancy fashion mags claim), what individual and mass manufacturing is like, through to the maths behind sizes.
*Style, not fashion. No speedy trends for us, we reinvigorate iconic looks, vintage techniques and antique patterns - refitted for modern figures.
*Geeking out. For me, its business issues, tax, and sizing (so vexed, and so misunderstood!). Other deadlies get super into craft techniques, or blood chemistry, or how to go to the loo in clothes from various eras. You know, handy practical tips! (and we know our batman eras)
* We're predominantly a lingerie brand, so we post pictures of women in undies every day. Guess how much daftness we get from certain sorts of men? Yes, we have femme-only spaces and occasionally snark the heck out of men persistently requesting us to "send seksi pics”; sometimes we let you in on that.
* Upcycling; we're a tiny brand so we use fabrics that would otherwise have gone to waste to create limited edition runs in tiny quantities, without ending up at super-luxe pricing. Oh, and all the places we manufacture are in the EU or have ethical certificates.
*Diverse models! Agency models, the industry standard, are usually a size 8, 32B, at least 5'8, able-bodied, under 25 and well, white. Ours? Not so much. Plus, we demystify the process of stylised photography, and celebrate our fans.
* Disability, chronic illness and mental health are all regular topics for this fashion brand. None of that "what were you inspired by for this collection?" followed by long takes of "exotic" travel. Nope, I'm right in there talking about what to wear if you have vulvodynia, or interviewing 6 fans who have hidden illnesses.
* Ridiculous animals in lingerie - both real and imaginary, from long-suffering coddled cats through to this product of a sleep-deprived brain and a friendly artist (thanks, Cyndrekit!). This also means that occasionally we insist that pangolins are answering your queries. This isn't true, of course. It's actually armadilloes.
