Moxy's Muse started two years ago with two people from Amsterdam, one idea and far too many sample rounds.
How did Moxy's Muse begin?
We are Phoenix and Stijn, a couple from Amsterdam. Phoenix has always been drawn to fashion. She studied fashion marketing in London, and that is where her love for lingerie began: the craft, the detail, and what it does for the woman wearing it.
She wanted to build a lingerie brand of her own. Stijn joined to build it with her, behind the scenes.
We travelled to Paris for the lingerie fairs: to meet makers, to learn, and to touch fabrics we had only seen on screens.
Why lingerie?
Because we kept running into the same gap. The great luxury houses make beautiful, detailed lingerie, with embroidery and lace that feel like art, at a price that keeps it for special occasions.
On the other side: the plain black bra, or something so daring you would never wear it on a Tuesday. We wanted to make what sits in between. Premium, considered and detailed, at a price that lets you actually wear it.
Why start with three sets?
You have to start somewhere, and we wanted a strong foundation rather than a long list. June, Phoenix and Pixie were all designed by Phoenix.
Everything was thought through: from the comfort of the labels to the embroidery, from the fit to the materials. Three sets you can build a whole drawer around.
What does the name Moxy's Muse mean?
Moxy was Phoenix's nickname growing up. It stands for the attitude: nerve, spirit, a little rebellion.
Muse is the feeling. Not someone else's muse: your own. The woman who chooses what inspires her, and dresses for herself first.
Moxy is the attitude. Muse is the feeling. Together, they are the first layer of the day.
What was the hardest part?
Getting it exactly right. We went back and forth with our makers more times than we can count, and through round after round of samples.
The fit sessions were the hardest. We repeated them again and again, because we wanted the fit of our first collection to be perfect.
Then there was colour. A red on fabric is never the red you see on your phone, or on a swatch of paper. Finding the right fabrics in the right colours took longer than anything else.
How should it feel to wear Moxy's Muse?
Confident. We want the set to fall beautifully around your body and follow your curves, so you feel sexy and sure of yourself, and carry that into every room you walk into.
It should feel like part of your outfit, not an afterthought. A small reason to romanticise your day.
And it has to be comfortable enough to wear from morning to night. From your 9AM coffee run to your 3AM bad decisions: a night out, a date, whatever the day turns into.
That is exactly what our first customers tell us: it sits comfortably and feels good under clothes. It is the middle ground we set out to make, and the start of a collection you build your own way.
