A British luxury lingerie brand, with quality craftsmanship and dedicated client service at the core of its philosophy. Established in 2012, Luna Mae London was created from the desire to offer women a high-end alternative to off-the-rack sizing.

What have been the main contributors to your brand’s success?

I think it’s been a number of things – a lot of hard work, determination, sheer ambition and drive. I’ve also always been an incredible believer in positive thinking. It is sometimes easy to become overburdened and sometimes negative about the challenges that might lie ahead in building a successful brand, but I have never allowed that thinking to override the dream I am pursuing. No matter how challenging the task might be, I think positively and believe that somehow, I will be able to make it work.

What future challenges and developments do you foresee in the retail industry?

I do think the increase in a lot of fast-fashion brands have made traditional bricks-and-mortar selling more of a challenge. Social media and advances in technology has generated a need for everything to be accessible and available at the touch of a button.

Luna Mae London as a brand is challenging this notion because everything we do is based on building strong relationships with all of our clients by offering such a personal and unique experience. Dedicated client service is at the forefront of everything we do. How will this make our clients feel? How can we encourage them to feel the best versions of themselves? I believe (and I hope) that people will grow tired of the overload of information they are faced with every time they pick up their phone and choose to value timeless experiences when shopping which you can nurture in a bricks-and-mortar retail environment, over an impersonal online transaction.

What are your current plans for your brand?

The launch of our flagship store is a very exciting step for the brand. We will continue to fit our VIPs in their own residences or hotel suites, but the space will allow us to have the whole brand under one roof. Beneath the store is home to our head office and Atelier where our incredible craftspeople are working on bespoke commissions. Clients can actually watch their creations coming to life. We are also about to launch a tightly curated selection of sumptuous ready-to-wear, all manufactured in London. Next on the cards for us is bespoke swimwear which is coming from a demand from our existing bespoke clients.

Where do you see the brand being in ten years time?

I want to grow Luna Mae London in the right way – we have an incredible collection of loyal and dedicated clients who love what we do because not only are we exclusive, but everything we offer is one-of-a-kind and unique. This is what makes the brand so special. I have dreams of growing the brand by opening ready-to-wear stores in key cities around the world but I would love to keep our bespoke lingerie just as British, and just as personal. It is my absolute priority to ensure that our quality or our client service is never compromised.

Where have your biggest influences come from?

I have a very large appetite for visual stimulation and find myself inspired by nearly everything around me. The back of a dress on a woman walking down the street; the cornice of a beautiful old building; a shade of colour found in a street market of a foreign city. I love to experiment with symmetry and clean lines which sculpt, support and enhance a woman’s silhouette.

I am also greatly inspired by works of Helmut Newton and Sam Haskins. I like to design for the women in their photographs. Women who are elegant and empowered.

At what point did the idea turn from a concept into reality?

I’ll never forget the day I held Luna Mae London’s first ever bra in my hands. It was something I had always dreamed of creating. I was studying for a Law degree at the time and for me it was the reality that even coming from the opposite of a traditional fashion background, I was still able to achieve something I had only ever wished for. The first bespoke sale I had ever made was proof that the concept I had explored had commercial potential too.

Your one piece of advice for anyone considering starting a luxury fashion brand?

Become an expert in your field and don’t ever lose sight of why you want to start the brand in the first place. Your mission will become your driving force.

The product is beautifully designed, how do you ensure consistency as you grow the brand?

I offer suggestions and designs to suit our clients’ body shapes and shades of silks which will complement their skin tones, but really in a bespoke world, the client becomes the designer.

www.lunamaelondon.com