Ten Minutes with Kiss Me Deadly’s Catherine Clavering

Fact #1–Every woman, no matter how buttoned up, has a little Dita Von Teese in her. Fact #2–The London-based lingerie line Kiss Me Deadly, by designer Catherine Clavering, has more than a few little somethings to put you in touch with your inner calendar girl, even if (most days) you prefer to keep your underwear under wraps. Whether it’s the waist slimming Vargas girl or the cheeky–literally—Sirena collection, Kiss Me Deadly has got the bras, panties, garter belts, and seamed stockings to help you kick it a little–or a lot–retro boudoir style. Read on to learn more about the designer behind this “elegant lingerie for femme fatales.”

Oligoville: Tell us about your brand and how it is different from your competition.

Catherine: You tried a suspender belt, once, right? Was it really irritating? Did you spend the whole day in fear of your stockings being round your knees, or worse still your ankles? Kiss Me Deadly is the arch enemy of whoever did that to you. Well, not entirely because we don’t have the sports cars or secret underground lairs to be proper Bond villains, but basically we’re all about things to hold up stockings that really, really work. Plus all the matching bits. So we do vintage-inspired designs–because that was the last time suspenders and garters worked and looked glam on everyone–but with modern fabrics and modern techniques to make them properly comfortable.

Oligoville: How did your career or interest in design begin?

Catherine: I was interested in art and design as a teenager, but I actually trained as a psychologist, though I did specialize in group work that often used creative skills. I became involved with an online stockings retailer a while back, and friends working as retailers and designers asked me to create lingerie for those who like wearing stockings.

Oligoville: Whom or what inspires your designs?

Catherine: The 1950s couture bra by Dior that inspired the Van Mimi set comes to mind.That’s how many of our items start. I spend way too much time looking at vintage lingerie adverts!

Oligoville: Describe a typical day for you.

Catherine: Part of the reason I’ve pursued this and not maintained my other career is because I’m disabled. I have M.E., chronic pain, and a few other unpleasant conditions I’d rather not have been blessed with. They made it very difficult to have any sort of routine, and, to be frank, the only constant for me is juggling what is feasible day-to-day with fatigue/pain levels,which makes prioritizing the most important duties a necessity. Other than that I would say the job involves vastly more paperwork and organizing than people imagine!

Oligoville: Describe your fashion style.

Catherine: When I’m out representing the brand I usually wear 1940s- and 1950s-inspired styles, albeit rather larger in the rear than they would originally have been. Outside of that, though, I mix it up. I have hundreds of dresses in different styles, not to mention way too many impractical shoes. I’m mildly obsessed by things with hoods.

 Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned from that.

Catherine: We knew our imagery was slightly outrageous, but we didn’t really realize how radical the fashion industry would consider it. I still don’t fully understand what the issue is. Possibly just the shock of seeing a model who has hips and a bum. However most people seem  to appreciate it, so I think we’ll stick with what we’re doing.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?
 
Catherine: When you get the samples, they look good, and then you put them on and they look even better! Then trying them on all sorts of people and seeing them make a happy face too! 

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years and some goals  that you have for your brand.

Catherine: We’ve grown really fast over the last two years and so there is a lot of backstage organizational stuff that needs focusing on, which is dull but essential. I’m also looking at increasing exports at the moment, plus some new ideas for the Web site. 

Oligoville: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Catherine: Get a really good accountant (way more important than believing in yourself), and don’t expect UK banks to be at all helpful! 
 
Oligoville: What song never fails to make you happy?

Catherine: “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot.

Photography, modelling, and artwork by Morgana/Iberian Black Arts. Logo by Silver AJ.