In love with the hourglass silhouette

Corsets by Deborah Brand

“Always believe in yourself and stay humble – that’s my mantra for success and that is what I would advise women who want to get into business or want to become an independent entrepreneur,” says the highly acclaimed London-based fashion designer, Deborah Brand.

The desire to reduce the waist and enhance body’s natural curves is every woman’s dream and making this dream come true for thousands of women is what Deborah excels at. Twenty-five years into the business, Deborah says, she started her journey by designing under the cult 90’s label Sub Couture. Her first corset dress was commissioned exclusively by the famous department store Harrods, and was sold out within weeks of hitting the shop floor. Encouraged by the positive response, Deborah went solo, moved to New York and launched Deborah Brand Couture.

Corsets by Deborah Brand for that perfect hourglass silhouette

Sharing her incredible journey, Deborah says, “I’ve been a designer all my life. I started by designing the classic collection and three years later, I designed the classic corset. I kept designing and re-designing corsets until I produced my first ‘perfect corset’ with 41 exclusively designed bones with 8-12 panels.”

Soon, her corsets were in demand everywhere – she sold to most major accounts in the UK including Selfridges, Liberties, Joseph, House of Frazer, Cruise Flannel, Psyche, Geese and Sarah Coggles. Her international exposure was equally as impressive as she sold to over 100 accounts worldwide including Ludwig Beck (Germany), Stig P (Denmark), Joyce (Hong Kong), Barneys (New York) and Nordstrom (USA).

Why corsetry, we asked. “I have always been inspired by the shape of a woman’s body, basically the hourglass silhouette – so when it came to designing the perfect collection, it became apparent to me that it had to be a corset,” Deborah explains, adding, “It epitomises everything I work for, and everything that I consider to be beautiful about making a dress. For me it starts with structuring a corset. They are the most beautiful thing and have come a long way from being just an undercloth to a fashion must have.”

The best thing about Deborah’s corsets are the simple and unusual lines that make them a perfect fit for all body types. Available in four different styles – Mila, Rosie, Georgia and Freja – her corsets are precision made, with every possible attention to detail, and are lined with butter silk duchess satin and soft precise padding.



Enhance your curves

Her designs have adorned the most glamorous celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Demi Moore, Kylie Minogue and more. Ask her if she has any favourites among her clients and she says, “All these women are beautiful and I loved dressing each one of them.” Does she have any favourites in terms of best dressed celebrities? “Salma Hayek. I think she has beautiful curves. I also like Beyonce and Adriana Lima. They both are very sensual in the way they dress.”

As a fashion statement and even as a tool to reduce weight and waist, the demand for corsets is at an all-time high. EBay recently reported a 185% rise in the number of corsets being sold over the last three months. However with these reports, there have also been debates on how wearing corsets can harm your body and weaken your spine. Addressing this issue, Deborah says, “As a nation, we are becoming larger and age certainly is unkind to the stomach. Earlier women used to let go, now they are more conscious about their appearance. Corsets makes them look and feel beautiful and by wearing them they can achieve the desired vintage silhouette. That explains the increasing demand for corsets. As far as health issues are concerned, supressing your waist by 4-5 inches is fine. Beyond that and we advise our customers against it. Back in the Victorian era, women used to go to the extreme by clinching their waist up to 16 inches. That is extremely unhealthy.”

Corsets by Deborah Brand

With the love and fascination of corsets continuing to rise, Deborah now works exclusively with her clients to offer them a highly personalized and luxurious experience. What about her future plans? “Apart from corsets I do wedding dresses, and in the future I will get into dress designing with corsets in them, but for now, I’m just really enjoying the art of corsetry. Being able to make people look fantastic is incredibly satisfying,” beams Deborah.

Pics credit: Deborah Brand