Why?

• 1) it’s hidden under your clothes, so you wear it just for yourself, not to prove anything to anyone else
• 2) even though it’s hidden, you remember about it and it’s a reminder that your body is worthy of something pretty that doesn’t play any other role than to be pleasurable to you.

Please, do me a favor, and next time you buy new underwear pick something because you like the way you look in it (or since you can’t try it on now, how you imagine yourself in it).

Ava

A brand from Poland (Polish pride in me growing strong!) that offers shipping to EU and bras in sizes from B to L (or maybe even further, depends on the model)! I love that their designs are so inclusive – the same bra style is available in all these different sizes. Finally my friends with fuller bust can forget about tent-like bra design and embrace sexy lingerie and playful cuts.

The only problem – you might need to use auto-translate mode in your browserm as their website is in Polish

Prices: bras start at around 43€, panties at around 21€

Savara Intimates

It was created by Dutch woman, Eva van Schijndel, after she graduated from the University and despite having “the perfect job”, she found herself wanting to do something meaningful and beautiful. She recalls her morning thought process: “Wake up, shower, walk to my underwear drawer and the challenge starts. Which bra will fit my cloths? Which one has no stabbing wires yet? Which one fit me this moment of the month and is also charming so I don’t have to cover it up for my boyfriend? What kind of material is this, which makes me all sweaty after biking to the office? Who actually made this?”. One day she took a sewing machine and started putting her ideas into reality – and that’s how Savanna Intimates started. Every bra has straps which can be adjusted to your underbust size – goodbye to badly fitting bra! Did I mentions that they’re also sustainable? And feature unphotoshopped images of their wonderfully diverse models? Bravo Savara!

Prices: Slip from 25€, bralette from 55€

Essentials for Zula

Family-run label – Austria-Thai born designer Delie teamed with her father to create essential pieces that would fit into any women’s closet. Their fabrics are locally sourced, woven and dyed in Thailand, produced by a small team of fair paid seamstresses and tailors. You can choose from wide range of bralettes, bodysuits, active and swimwear. To me their trade mark is the multi-strap look – what they can do with straps is really amazing!

Prices: Bralettes starting at 34€, Leggins starting at 49€

The Nude Label

All pieces are locally made in Valencia, Spain from organic cotton free of chemicals or recycled polyamid (swimwear). “As we love mama earth, our goal is to make the least possible impact on the planet. We do also love the people living on it and that’s why ethics are so important to us. Taking the best of both places, our pieces are made to be as natural as possible and to be worn like a second skin by all kind of people, not just for perfect models.” – yes to that! I love how simple yet creative they are with the designs. And their body positive photo shoots are truly stunning!

Prices: Panties starting from 15€, bras from 35€

Underprotection

“We only use sustainable materials such as recycled polyester, recycled wool, lyocell and organic cotton. All our packaging, paper and polybags are either recycled or biodegradable. Most of our products are vegan approved, and if not, it is because it is recycled (wool) or a waste resource (milk). Fair working conditions and fair wages are human rights. Therefore, we only work with certified factories. We love women, of all kinds and sizes, and our goal is to make you feel as beautiful and comfortable as possible.” – when I read that kind of introduction, I know they are my type of brand. In addition they happen to provide a wide range of amazing lingerie, loungewear and swimwear. I’m in love with their colorful bralettes – I can’t decide which one to try out first: the mint, coral or lime.

Prices: Panties starting at 37,50€ (but they have great discounts now), Bras starting at 40€ (also good discounts now)

Erlich Textil

Their main motto is “Do it with love” – love for details, quality, and everyone involved in the creation of the product. Erlich provides on their website extensive information about the clothes: what eco friendly materials they use, explaining the price, introducing the team and giving advice on how to take care of their clothing (all in German though). All your family can wear Erlich from head to toe, but I wanted to focus on their women’s underwear and loungewear: simple and pretty classics in basic colors. All made of organic cotton, modal or linen.

Prices: Bras from 22,95€, Panties from 15,95€

Corpus

A brand started by sisters focusing on no-feel underwear and lounge wear made of organic bamboo. If you’re looking for something that you can walk all day and even do your yoga practice, have a look at their website. They get some extra points from me for body positive campaign including women of different shapes and races 🙌 Handmade in Brno, Czech Republic.

Prices: Panties start at 400 Kč (around 15€), bras start at 950 Kč (around 35€)

Boob Design

“The idea of Boob was born on a cold and windy autumn day in 1999, when I watched my sister breastfeed her newborn son with the north wind sweeping around her bare waist. There and then, I realized that mothers, like all super heroes, deserve the right gear.” – writes Mia Seipel, the founder of Boob Design. I couldn’t agree more! They have patented nursing collection for mothers in all stages, made of sustainable materials 100% tested for harmful chemicals. Plus: you can find articles to help you determine which underwear is most suitable for your stage.

Prices: Nursing bra starting from 49,95€, Soft Support Briefs 29,95€, Nursing Tank Tops from 44,95€

Brajuu

When it comes to bras, nothing is more important than a good fit! The founder of Brajuu, Melanie, knows the problem from her own experience and decided to create a platform where you could not only buy bras, but first and foremost learn how to pick the right size. Take the quiz on Brajuu website and learn how to measure yourself properly to choose the right bra. Bonus points for showing unphotoshopped women of all ages and sizes in their ads!

Prices: bras starting at 29,95€, briefs from 18,90€.

Opaak

These are not just lingerie items, they’re wearable art pieces, so it’s a higher price range. But at the same time you know that it’s sustainable and the company pays fair wages to their workers. “Our production company is female led, based in Romania and employs 90% female workers.” – that’s true feminism! The founder, Agathe D. Muffert speaks about her clients: “The Opaak woman likes her luxury understated. I design for her who looks for comfort, but never at the sacrifice of style. (…) The Opaak woman plays with what she knows. She can not be described in a stereotype and there is no need to put one’s finger on a specific age.”

Prices: Panties starting from 62€, bras from 88€ (but they have nice sales)

I spent time searching for small, local brands and people, who do amazing things, but can easily be forgotten when we think of buying gifts. I want to give a big shout out to them – truly making a difference with their talent and dedication. If I would be to pick one main purpose of Berlin Boudoir community is to elevate each other – and that’s what I hope to achieve with this newsletter and this gift guide.

1. XConfessions – Erika Lust’s powerhouse bringing porn to a new level: stories are crowdsourced, videography is stunning (forget the ultra HD badly lit shots) and the diversity you’ll rarely see in mainstream porn is a given. Subscription based.

2. Badass prints with Lita Guijarro – give these hairy ladies some love they deserve!

3. Bon Appetit panties by a small Polish brand Girls Watch Porn started by two female friends, going against stereotypes and heteronormative understanding of sex and pleasure

4. Sitre – vegan, natural, edible and incredibly velvety feeling sex gel – to use in any situation

The Explorer feels best when surrounded by nature, loves to travel and discover the world. They excel at being a tourist in their own neighborhood, finding hidden gems and unique beauty in the ordinary.

1. The Jungle – set of two prints by the local Berlin artist Ieva But

2. Staycation Collection – Emily, the founder of Staycation Collection, will make sure your next vacation is going to be unforgettable with her curated collection of wonderful stays and personal approach. Subscription based.

3. Soap Soop – Soop(숲) means ‘the forest’ in Korean, and is the main source of inspiration for this 100% natural, vegan artisan soap made locally in Berlin.

The Art Lover loves, well, art, as well as anything beautiful and meaningful at the same time. Sophisticated color combinations, patterns, objects with history will make them sigh in awe.

1. Follow Women wall calendar 2022 by Nadia Linek – 12 colorful portraits and quotes by inspiring women, beautifully illustrated in this limited edition calendar by Polish illustrator living in Berlin

2. Floating Fertility Figurine Pendant – gold-plated silver pendant inspired by a marble Fertility Figure discovered in modern-day Anatalia, Turkey dating back to 5000-4000 B.C. <While some think that these statues represent fertility, others believed that they functioned as “as goddess figures, religious or shamanistic objects, or symbols of a matriarchal social organization.”> Created by Sister – a platform for curated products made by Cyprus-based craftsmen, supporting old artisan trades.

3. Agua by Denisse Ariana Perez – the first photobook from Caribbean-born, Barcelona-based photographer, simply a work of art.

The Fun Loving is your go-to person when you want to laugh, see the world in bright colors and forget the long cold Berlin winter. They’ll always have ways to cheer you up, as they simply refuse to have any rain on their parade.

1. Can’t Do This Sober from Very Ugly Plates – a brand started by Polish artist Kamilek Majcher mixing delicious sarcasm and irony with the straight-up kitch of painted tableware.

2. L.E. Maya Tee @elizabetholwen & Yak – Lucy & Yak is a brand that makes colorful non-gendered clothes and features the most wonderful people wearing them in their look books.

3. Fra Lippo Lippie – if you want some color, here it is! In the form of vegan and super resistant lipstick made by Berlin beauty Monique.

4. Handmade polymer clay earrings by Bloom and Boom Studio – local Berlin business, handmade with love by Sandra.

The Mindful Spirit is always looking for the deeper connections between things and people. Prefers looking for questions rather than answers, to better understand ourselves and the world we live in. Believes that slow, mindful approach in life can bring balance and freedom.

The Curious is always hungry for more: broadening their horizons, seeing and listening more, understanding different viewpoints and learning new skills. This is the person that reads anything – from the list of ingredients on their facial cream to latest issue of their favorite magazine. If they buy something, it’s always a very thought through decision.

1. Soft and Hard print by Carmen Reina – “I am covered in tattoos and
sleep with my favorite plush” describes this print the author

2. Mubi – what I call Netflix for the curious: independent movies and shorts which you won’t see in the mainstream platforms. Subscription based.

3. Stud earring Daalee – made by the Mahwani family in North India in a small workshop collaborating with Jyoti Fair Works. Buying jewelry there you know you support the next generation of jewelry makers in their own region.

4. Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez – a must-read to understand the world we live in. Even the order in which our streets are cleaned from snow affects women more than men, as a Swedish city learned. There are no gender-less problems unfortunately. The sooner we understand it, the better.

• donate menstrual hygiene products in one of the collection boxes around Berlin – you can find the list here

• help refugees stuck in the forest between Polish and Belarusian border by supporting Ocalenie Foundation