An Interview with Nicole Neaber

Nicole at her sewing machine (Image courtesy of ColieCo)

This month’s interview is with Nicole Neaber, Founder of ethically made, sustainable lingerie brand ColieCo, based in Sagres, Portugal. ColieCo creates handmade to order, 100% vegan lingerie that still offers sexy, fun and bold designs. So often eco-lingerie centres around minimalist, basic designs, which isn’t a bad thing, it’s just nice to have options like ColieCo where you can enjoy feeling sensual, romantic, flirty etc…

I caught up with Nicole to talk about how she got started with her lingerie brand, and how she ensures her products are sustainable, cruelty-free and size inclusive!

Make sure to follow ColieCo on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook too!

Midnight Cross lingerie set (Image courtesy of ColieCo)

1. How did you get started in fashion and what led to you creating your own lingerie company?

Fashion combined my loves of art and of sewing as a teenager, and I elected to study for a degree in Fashion Design at Leeds Arts University when I left school. ColieCo started as a part time hobby in an attic room at my parents' house when I graduated.

2. What drives you to create sustainable lingerie?

Lingerie was the area I was most inspired by through my studies at university, and environmentalism has long been an important part of my life. I saw there was a large gap in the market in the design of more exciting and inspiring sustainable underwear – even now, the sustainable lingerie market is still served primarily by brands producing pretty lifeless lines. I wanted to prove it was possible for eco-friendly designs to be fun and sexy too.   

3. Silk is still so commonly used in the lingerie industry, what was it that made you decide not to use it in your collections? 

Our design work often starts with a fabric. We’re always on the look-out for new opportunities, and our primary criterion is an inherent sustainability in the material, which is why we work near-exclusively with reclaimed fabrics, recycled fabrics and organically-grown fibres.

But we have other criteria and considerations, and have worked in the last few years to reduce to zero our reliance on materials that rely one way or another on the exploitation of animals. Silk is such a magical fabric in many ways, but we’ve found in our bamboo silk-substitute a fantastic alternative.

Daisy bamboo lingerie set (Image courtesy of ColieCo)

4. It seems like you’ve put an incredible amount of effort into sourcing the most sustainable fabrics for your collections, including the bamboo silk. Can you tell us a bit about the process of sourcing your materials?

We have a fantastic little network of suppliers we’ve built up over the years, have come to know personally very well in many cases, and who are experts, specifically, in sourcing either reclaimed fabrics or organic fabrics. We talk with them frequently about new opportunities and ideas, and they help us match our needs with their finds!

Midnight thong lingerie set (Image courtesy of ColieCo)

5. You offer custom sizing for your lingerie, meaning any body shape can enjoy your products! Was this something that was important to you since the start?

Yes! It brings its challenges from both design and production perspectives, and if it weren’t important to us, it’s something we simply wouldn’t do because, frankly, offering custom sizing it isn’t a commercially-efficient exercise. But inclusivity is really important to us. Every body is unique and the world is a better place as a result. Why should anyone be excluded from enjoying lingerie? 

Araya two piece lingerie set (Images courtesy of ColieCo)

6. Your products are so fun, yet so striking too! Where do you get your inspiration for new designs from?

Thank you! Sometimes the inspiration comes simply from the discovery of a new material. The texture, weight and finish of our bamboo jersey fabric, for example, lends itself perfectly to a luxurious vintage loungewear look. Just taking up a handful of the fabric and feeling its qualities can start conjuring ideas for designs in the mind! We’re also lucky to have the ColieCo studio situated in a national park full of pretty unique and inspiring nature, which is inspirational in many ways, workwise and otherwise.   

7. What are your long-term plans for ColieCo?

I’ve never been interested in quantity over quality. There’s no desire or grand plan for explosive growth, and it’s far more important to us that we continue to adhere to our principles in the ethical treatment of people and the planet, and in the delivery of exceptional products. We’ve started the process of constructing a new purpose-built studio this summer, and will be further expanding the ColieCo team later on this year. I think we’ll always keep production in-house, because that way we’ll always be able to absolutely guarantee the working conditions of all of those involved in the construction of ColieCo garments.