The Victoria and Albert Museum is the world’s leading museum of art and design based in Cromwell, London and have recently run an exhibition called ‘Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear”. The exhibition discovers the fascinating and sometimes controversial story of underwear design from the 18th century to the present day. It also explores the intimate relationship between underwear and fashion and its role in moulding the body to a fashionable ideal, with cut, fit, fabric and decoration revealing issues of gender, sex and morality (Victoria and Albert Museum).
Susanna Cordner -Research Assistant of Victoria and Albert chose to feature Hotmilk after some great market feedback.
"I originally approached Hotmilk after completing a survey on mothers amongst the V&A’s staff and conducting a lot of research online. In terms of the survey, I simply asked what maternity brand and design the respondents would recommend and why, and Hotmilk came back as the resounding favourite. The main drive behind this choice seemed to be the way Hotmilk designs combine innovative practical components with feminine, fashion led styles and prints. For instance, one respondent said they ‘swore by this brand as a lot on the market were really dreary, grey and only practically focused’. With these findings in mind, selecting a fresh, playful set was important, and I actively wanted us to display a set with a print"
Hotmilk has transformed the maternity and nursing industry with nursing lingerie that is not only desirable and sexy, but also very practical and comfortable. We were thrilled the Museum wanted to feature our lingerie in their exhibition and knew it would be an incredible way to show our love and passion for an industry that has advanced so much over the decades says Hotmilk's, Ange Sloan. Our Show Off Daydream bra and knicker set was featured, made from a vintage print fabric to show how beautiful nursing lingerie is today.
Our designer, Wendy was in London recently while the exhibition was on and of course it was top of her list as a must see. She was absolutely blown away by the exhibition and was encapsulated by how the design and technology of lingerie has changed over the decades. Wendy left the exhibition feeling overwhelmed and inspired. Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming collections as this inspiration will lead to more incredible Hotmilk lingerie.
The Nursing feature is currently on display in St Petersburg, Russia, in the Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art. They will then travel to the Frick in Pittsburgh for display from October 2017 to January 2018. At this stage they are still organising the third venue, however it looks as though it could be in Brazil. The fourth venue will be the Bowes Museum in Country Durham from July 2018.
Let us know if you spot Hotmilk's Show Off Daydream bra and knicker set if you go.
More details on the exhibition can be found here.