Career Journey
Underneath It All:
A Mother-Daughter Team Creates Beautiful Lingerie for Real Women
May 2024
A Mother-Daughter Team Creates Beautiful Lingerie for Real Women
May 2024
Shaula Yemini and Noa Yemini Arias
Photo Courtesy: Bloomers Intimates
Photo Courtesy: Bloomers Intimates
By Carol Lippert Gray
What happens when a mother and daughter with independent, successful careers in different fields; a way with words; and a desire for well-fitting, elegant, comfortable, beautiful “unmentionables” decide to start a lingerie business — with no prior manufacturing experience?
I recently asked that of Dr. Shaula Yemini and her daughter, Noa Yemini Arias. We had a wide-ranging interview about their designing a product to fill a specific need; launching a new business, Bloomers Intimates; and what it’s like for parent and child to work together. Both are sharp and savvy and tend to finish each other’s sentences.
What happens when a mother and daughter with independent, successful careers in different fields; a way with words; and a desire for well-fitting, elegant, comfortable, beautiful “unmentionables” decide to start a lingerie business — with no prior manufacturing experience?
I recently asked that of Dr. Shaula Yemini and her daughter, Noa Yemini Arias. We had a wide-ranging interview about their designing a product to fill a specific need; launching a new business, Bloomers Intimates; and what it’s like for parent and child to work together. Both are sharp and savvy and tend to finish each other’s sentences.
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But first, a smattering of history. Bloomers (named for their inventor, Amelia Bloomer), originally appeared in 1849. They were voluminous cotton pantaloons designed to be worn under knee-length dresses, to give women more freedom of movement, but were considered scandalous and deemed illegal. So, we’ve come a long way, baby.
That said, this had to be the first question: Is the name of the company meant to be ironic? Noa Arias: We used to joke that the L was silent. It’s a play on the vintage-inspired, retro aesthetic we were going for. What inspired you to launch this business? Shaula Yemini: I used to travel a lot, sometimes to the U.K. A store called Marks & Spencer used to have the most beautiful, comfy, lacy underpants ever. I must have 30 pairs in my drawer. But they stopped making them. |
Bloomers Intimates Panties
Photo Courtesy: Bloomers Intimates |
During COVID, we were isolating together and folding laundry one day when I asked why they don’t make these anymore. Noa said, “Mom, you don’t know where to look.” I looked everywhere and couldn’t find them, and together with my daughter-in-law, Noa couldn’t find them, either.
Shaula and Noa Show Off One of their Products
Photo Courtesy: Bloomers Intimates |
I’ve mentored a lot of start-ups in my life and decided maybe we should make them. There has to be some pain point [the highest price someone would be willing to pay that still allows a business to make a profit] that a community [will tolerate] to solve a problem. That’s how you build a thriving business.
And you jumped in with zero manufacturing experience? Shaula: Not just zero. Negative. Noa: It was quite a learning curve. The first prototypes were made from scraps from the [New York City] garment district and the internet. It was COVID, and nothing else was available. A seamstress sewed the first ones. We found an excellent lace manufacturer that wouldn’t give us the time of day but introduced us to our bra designer. Shaula: We started with a really basic brief. The idea was to have full coverage, something that doesn’t roll down your stomach should you have some rolls, and something that doesn’t create wedges. We don’t add trim, so there are no leg seams. |
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They have to be beautiful. They have to be comfortable. Our fit models are friends and customers who are asking for products.
What was the learning curve like? Noa: There’s always something. There are so many components. Lace. Cutting and sewing. Importing. Marketing. Shaula: We’re quick studies. Noa: We learned to expect the unexpected. There’s a division of labor. Who’s your target audience? Noa: I’m very much the youngest member of the team. Everyone else is in their 50s and 60s. Shaula: We have an imbalance toward the needs of the more seasoned woman. There’s plenty of gorgeous stuff for young ones. After 40, you might feel ridiculous in it. But confidence is a set of sexy lingerie. There’s something about putting on something really pretty as your first layer. There is a renewed interest in catering to the well-groomed, stylish 50-plus woman. I’m 76, and I like to look nice. |
Bloomers Intimates Panties
Photo Courtesy: Bloomers Intimates |
Where do you find sanctuary?
Shaula: Shopping in New York City. It clears your head to see a lot of beautiful things.
Noa: I started doing acupuncture again and I love it. But exercise is my best therapy.
Shaula: Shopping in New York City. It clears your head to see a lot of beautiful things.
Noa: I started doing acupuncture again and I love it. But exercise is my best therapy.
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Carol Lippert Gray is an award-winning public relations professional and longtime freelance writer and editor. Her career has spanned books, newspapers, magazines, broadcast, and online media in fields as diverse as crafts and corporate finance, parenting and philanthropy. She is Sanctuary's associate editor.
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