The Knicker Factor



Eva Lai uses modern green flashes to bring freshness to vintage style

 Playful Promises, the hip London lingerie, swimwear and gifting boutique recently set a competition to find an emerging design talent to collaborate on a limited edition collection to add to their already successful range of ladies undies. The competition was open to all and was promoted mostly through design colleges. The response was overwhelming. Yet, Emma Parker and Louise McNaughton who design for Playful Promises had to choose a final winner, or three even? Just like the last season of Masterchef, whereby the last two finalists shared the winning trophy because Greedy Greg and his pal John Torode couldn't decide which finalist's plate to go for, the girls at Playful Promises went one better and indulged themselves to three final winners! After carefully studying the entrant's submissions, Emma and Louise selected a handful of the best aesthetically pleasing designs that captured the Playful Promises signature style. Delphine Thwaites of Playful Promises outlines the x- factor the judges were looking for "It was vital that the design had something that was signature to Playful Promises, something a little retro but with a quirky and directional design. But we were also looking for something a little new and exciting and unique. And we found three!"




Inspired by the '50s, Carli Pullinger's retro graphic design

 The three winners were Eva Lai, Carli Pullinger and Pippa Davidson. Pippa was inspired by the fusion of eastern design and western beauty, her contemporary purple and pink print was applied to a retro bra and brief set. In contrast, Carli Pullinger and Eva Lai took inspiration from the 1950’s. Carli focused on the female figure and 1950’s glamour and Eva used a nude and pink colour palette with a hint of lime green  detailing. The limited run of pieces will be available from May 2013 as part of Playful Promises SS13 collection, online at www.playfulpromises.com and at the Playful Promises Boxpark boutique in Shoreditch . Playful Promises intend to launch another design competition in May for AW14 designs, so watch this space for more emerging lingerie talent!


Pippa Davidson's print applied to a retro-styled set