Burlescapades with Holloway-Smith Noir

06.02.12

Life & Style

Alice Holloway-Smith, of upcycled burlesque brand Holloway Smith-Noir, dicusses the tease, empowerment, and feeling good about being naughty

Image above, Model: Ruby Deshabbilé

Model: Miss Polly Rae

The notion of recycled underwear is bound to make even the hardiest of gals somewhat uncomfortable- for who likes wearing someone else’s knickers? (perhaps don’t answer that after all) But upcycled lingerie is another game entirely, and upcycled nipple tassels take it to the next level. Scraps of vintage lace and silk are often small and unusable when it comes to making larger garments, which is how London-based label Holloway-Smith Noir struck on the idea of producing miniature, handmade works of art in the form of their nipple tassels, or pasties. Pronounced ‘paste-y’, these little, heart-shaped or round treasures are embellished with beads and Swarovski crystals, formed from scraps of organic silk and lined with upcycled leather sourced from upholstery leather offcuts. Influenced by Weimar cabaret and 30s architecture, their intricate designs feature shimmering pearls and art deco motifs. The result is sensual and luxurious, with more than a dash of burlesque and a side of sauce to boot.

Holloway Smith-Noir is a collaboration between sisters Alice-Holloway Smith and Sophie Holloway. Alice is the technical maestro, having graduated in jewellery design from Central St Martins but, fighting high overhead costs, decided to take a different route. “I never wanted to be a designer who doesn’t make,” she tells me, as she opens up her heart-shaped box to reveal her creations as they glitter and shimmer in the electric light “and I prefer to work on a bespoke basis.”

The limited edition, handmade pasties were the result. Why the decision to recycle? “It's actually hard to get hold of a really good quality piece of lace nowadays, vintage laces really do stand out in comparison”, she says. “A product like nipple tassels is the perfect outlet for little upcycled scraps of very special fabrics because they're so petite, like a perfect little morsel of confectionary. It means we can go all out, sourcing the very best in trimmings, and it doesn't make the cost astronomical.”

There is also an ethical reasoning behind their business ethos and Alice cites her mother’s lifelong commitment to development issues as an influence. “Upcycling gives us the best of both worlds- it means that fabrics that would have ended up as rubbish don't get wasted, and it means that we know the money that we spend is going to passionate local dealers or directly to someone's gran (they source their ribbons from Finni Ribbon- a lovely woman on Etsy who inherited her grandmother's haberdashery stash), rather than ending up in the hands of an irresponsible employer," she says.

Nonetheless, the Holloway sisters don’t cite eco-friendliness as their USP, saying: “our products are desirable whether you are enthused about ethical issues or not.” They appreciate fine craftsmanship but are wary of appearing self-righteous, emphasising the fact that, whether you’re a green girl or not, their products can make you feel good about being naughty without being so ‘naughty’ as to harm workers or the environment.

This whole notion of naughtiness is central to the brand’s ethos. Alice is keen to emphasise that their motto- “feel good about being naughty”- has a clear aim: to empower women to feel good about their sex lives and make sex something that is no longer shameful or anxiety-provoking. The influence of burlesque has also been important, both in terms of the brand’s design influence and its philosophy: “there's a lot of feisty sexuality in burlesque,” says Alice, who does not believe that an appreciation of it need be mutually exclusive with that of feminism. When I ask her if she sees the world of burlesque as regressive, she makes a very good point: “In terms of the models we have for sexuality in the public arena, I think burlesque is definitely a step forward,” she argues, “every strip joint that becomes a cabaret club is a victory for female performers- controlling their creativity, not being ripped off by the people that run the clubs and enjoying their sexuality on their terms, not the terms of unhealthy males.”

So can it not, then, be reduced to simply a manifestation of the male gaze? “I wouldn't want to demonise the male gaze,” she insists, “I'm married to a male, and in order for us to have a healthy sexual relationship it's important that he can place me as an object of his desires.” But there is a delicate balance, she admits: “it becomes an issue when either I'm reduced from a caring mother, an inspiring fellow-creator and also a sexy partner, to [being] just a vagina on long shaven legs.”

Alice has given much thought to the theory and philosophy behind her brand, and it is this dedication, both in terms of craftsmanship and business know-how, that makes Holloway Smith-Noir’s products so desirable. As she correctly points out, pin-up culture inspires an ‘achievable glamour’ which resides outside the remit of an unhealthy body type and acts as a counter culture to standardised norms. Ideas of femininity are fluid, and the public and private forums are very different arenas: “privately, if you are a woman that enjoys the 'tease', that feels good 'accidentally' flashing their partner the top of their stocking over dinner, then burlesque has a lot of excellent ideas to offer you,” says Alice. As she points out, “the nipple tassels don't actually have the power in this situation, the women themselves do.”

You can visit Holloway-Smith Noir's online store by clicking here.