Aubade collaborates with Chinese artist Hong Wai on exclusive lingerie collection

By

Anaïs Lerévérend

Translated by
Isabelle Crossley

Published
Dec 6, 2019

Aubade has worked on its product offerings in recent years, expanding its capacities for size and comfort and recently relaunching its swimwear line, redesigned considering these two factors and with a modernised aesthetic. The French lingerie brand, owned by the Swiss group Calida, has also turned its hand to collaborations and announced its second ever creative collaboration after launching its first with design duo Viktor & Rolf this year.

With the success of its first collaborative collection in terms of sales and media impact, the brand has decided to launch regular collaborative endeavours. For the next autumn/ winter season, Aubade has chosen a different creative profile with which to collaborate, Chinese artist Hong Wai. The Chinese illustrator is a specialist in Chinese ink illustrations and works to feminise this traditional discipline, notably by choosing women’s bodies and undergarments as her subject as opposed to landscapes. 

Hong Wai is based in Paris where she was spotted by the Aubade team when she exhibited her art depicting the female form. "What was interesting for us is that we did everything from A to Z with her,” said Aubade’s managing director Martina Brown. “From her idea of drawing flowers which would be turned into embroidery until the final product with an artistic approach that is unprecedented in our profession as it was truly her original design that guided everything.” 

The brand proposed Hong Wai’s design to several manufacturers and finally decided on the Swiss embroidery business Inter-Spitzen. From there, a complete line was born with four models of bras, three designs of stockings, and a nightdress. “We have also integrated deep [bra] cups into this collection, which is rare for collaborations and more creative product lines, but this is now part of our commitment,” said Brown. 

The Hong Wai for Aubade line will launch in September 2020 and will be presented to buyers at the Salon International de la Lingerie trade show in Paris in mid-January. As the creative highlight of the brand's autumn/ winter 2020/ 21 season, the collaborative collection will be at the centre of a comprehensive marketing campaign with special showcases, in-store merchandising, and exclusively designed labels and packaging.

Aubade recorded a turnover of €56 million in 2018 through its mixed retail and wholesale network representing a 1% year-on-year increase. The brand began 2019 with 3.4% growth in the first half of the year. France remains the brand’s largest market thanks to its flagship stores in the country and it has also seen growth in the German, British, and Swiss markets as its strategy remains focused on Europe.