Fitzpleisure began in 2018, when I was 19 years old. With optimism, vision, and commitment, my passion for sewing lingerie quickly became a full-fledged brand. On the cusp of COVID, I was soon to be inundated with online orders and skyrocketing demand for my colourful and carefully curated lingerie. But after 2022 this also led to burnout and extended pauses and disruptions. 

Over the years Fitzpleisure has ebbed and flowed, and has grown and evolved as much as I have as a young woman now in her mid-twenties. My goal was never to become rich or scale my business drastically, as I value the craftsmanship and philosophy of making less and making thoughtfully. The thought behind Fitzpleisure has always been big. It encapsulates so much about femininity, sexuality, and freedom. It places women at the centre of their bodies, not as outsiders. I believe lingerie is deeply personal, and our desire to decorate our bodies says a lot about how we view ourselves. Yes, it is indulgent, but it's not called Fitzpleisure for no reason. The name inherently captures the duality of experiences seeking to be evoked: leisure, and pleasure. Pleasure is indulgence, it is highly sensorial and evocative. It is directly related to feeling and the body as the epicentre of feeling. Whereas leisure is a space, a broader sense of relaxation, calm, and rest. Both pleasure and leisure are tied to privilege, but these are privileges we ought to have and curate for ourselves. How you spend your time and how you decorate your body is up to you. Lingerie may be trivial, but your pleisure (leisure and pleasure) are not. They are integral to experiencing life meaningfully, and with fulfilment. What you wear and appreciating how you look is simply one form of accessing this connection, and a uniquely personal one. I feel privileged that I have the opportunity to be involved in creating custom garments that evoke pleisure. 

In some ways Fitzpleisure has not changed significantly over the years. A commitment to quality and generating pleisure has always permeated. However, the intensity to which I am creatively disposed or actively present does vary. I honour my younger self, and her youth and drive. She had vision, and that vision carries even today. Her vision reminds me of what I should do now, even when sometimes I feel lost or distant from my art. Fitzpleisure has always been about communication. Of ideas, of feelings, of dreams, and of experiences. If you are reading this, thank you. For receiving my ideas and for engaging with them. Without your receptivity, I would hardly be creating anything. My ideas and garments would have withered by now. I do not wish to be faceless or voiceless as a brand owner. Especially as a small business. My personal identity and individuality have always been inextricably linked to my work, these words are one more avenue to connect beyond showing what is for sale. Ideas are free, play with them and see where they take you. 

What ideas inspire you from your youth? I am grateful for my bravery and self-efficacy in recognising my work and championing for it. I will continue to do so in different forms, even if no longer in photos taken in portable mirrors.