There’s one thing I love about summer and that’s going to the beach. Being born in a seaside resort that’s obviously one of my personal obsessions. Another of my personal summer obsessions has always been saving my old bathing suits, bikinis and two-pieces from one year to the other, storing them all together in a big transparent plastic bag, so that all the colours mix together creating a summerish chaos. I still keep in the same bag last year's beachwear together with crocheted bikinis handmade by my aunt when I was 4 or 5 years old (no, don’t worry, I don’t wear the latter…), these are actually among my most prized possessions. Despite not having the perfect body for bikinis I always preferred them to one-piece swimsuits as they often have too much fabric, though I also find revolting this summer’s cutout swimsuits (and I don’t even want to think about the horrendous suntan you’ll get by lying in the sun wearing them...). 
Yet there is a one-piece swimsuit that I have recently seen and that in its simplicity looks absolutely fabulous and able to stand the test of time. It’s the olive (available also in brown) swimsuit by Swedish label Made by Noemi. The swimsuit has a white lining and the back is almost completely bare with a light pink ribbon that ties into a cute bow.
Launched by Noemi Ivanova in 2003, Made by Noemi mainly produces men and women’s underwear and swimwear, leather and canvas bags, scarves, stockings and swimwear. The 2008 summer collection is inspired by the female characters from the ‘80s TV series Dynasty: Noemi has imagined them going on a luxury safari and has come up with a range of underwear and swimwear in soft shades of olive green and beige. 
The striped "Tabby" and "Spot" underwear bodies are actually so perfect that they could be worn in summer as tops pairing them with long skirts, while the Aporia beige gown with printed mesh looks ideal as a summer dress. I met Noemi a while back in Stockholm and this post is dedicated to her enthusiasm for beautiful underwear. I’m also posting a short Q&A with her that will allow you to learn more about this young designer. 
How did you get into underwear?
I’ve been sewing since I was a young girl, mainly for myself. Then I ended up working in an agency for Benetton. It was a 9 to 5 job and I was a sort of administrator, but, while working, I also kept on sewing. I even had one period of time when I decided I wouldn’t buy clothes, but would make my own. When you work from 9 to 5 you tend to get a bit bored, so I looked out for some courses and I chose a course in underwear. It was a fun course that wasn’t about young girls competing and having cool ideas, but there were women from different age groups, most of them doing big and sensible pants while chatting a lot. I ended up realising that I could make underwear and that’s how it all started. The course allowed me to learn that underwear is not difficult: it takes maybe one hour to make one pair of panties, but the minute you cut it out from a piece of fabric you can see how it looks and it satisfies you. Underwear definitely allows you to achieve a quicker satisfaction, besides, though nice underwear might not be the solution to all problems if you don’t feel beautiful, it can help you feeling gorgeous. People say that nobody sees underwear and that’s fair enough, but you know if you are wearing something nice on you and you feel prettier because you like what you wear, you like how you appear and that helps your self-esteem. 
Would you ever work for a big underwear company?
You should never say never, but maybe I wouldn't as I don’t like drawing. Usually I see a piece of fabric and I get my inspirations and my ideas from it. I sometimes make a sketch to remember what I was thinking about, but my drawings are usually very basic. I like working with my hands, that’s what gives me satisfaction, I like doing physical things.
Can you tell us more about the fashion scene in Sweden?
I think people are interested in Swedish fashion because it’s so different from other fashions. We live in a country that’s mainly winter and we like everything clean and simple, we love grey, even though it’s grey outside all the time. I think that is mainly what makes us different: we can still produce nice fabrics that are grey, black and white over the years and still make them look new. I’m a foreigner, as my mother is from Russia and my father is from Chile. I was born in Russia, but I moved here when I was 4 years old, Stockholm is my hometown, but I’m not 100% Swedish and I must admit that I’m not always fond of this very Nordic grey style.
Where do you see yourself in a few years’ time?
Maybe when I’m established with my underwear, I might do a side collection with clothes, like bigger brands do side collections with underwear, but it’s not an ambition. I like classic and practical fashion, so if I had to design a collection of clothes, it would probably end up being in Massimo Dutti's style. 
What makes you happy?
I get excited about fine materials and perfect stitches. It’s that perfect stitch that makes me go ‘wow!’ and makes me feel really satisfied.
What’s your greatest ambition?
I would like to see underwear getting the same prestige and status as proper clothes. I don't want people to think 'I’ve just bought this really expensive jacket, if I have some money left I will buy some underwear.'
Oh, thank you Anna for the kind words!
Have a spendid summer!
Best regards
Noemi
Posted by: Noemi | July 30, 2008 at 03:49 PM