Lady LUX

On March 20, LadyLUX had the privilege to head to downtown LA for SewDown 2010. The event, produced by Designer Atousa G, is organized to bring awareness to up and coming artists. It was apparent that creativity was a common cause during the night, while artists painted in corners and modern art served as a backdrop for the festivities. Susana de la Rionda, co-founder of Sloane & Tate, took time backstage to talk to LadyLUX about presenting their fall collection at SewDown and her adoration for comfy “innerwear”.

LadyLUX: How did you find out about SewDown?
Susana de la Rionda: The guy who cuts my hair.

LL: You’re joking.
SR: No it’s true. His name is Hector. He was hired to do the hair for this. He said, “You guys would really add to it”…because you have a fluid collection.

LL: Your underwear is great. I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before. Where did you come from?
SR: We’re actually not that new. It’s kinda like being in a rock band that all of a sudden hits it and everyone is like “Oh my God, they made it out of nowhere!”

LL: What’s your story?
SR: Nobody is Sloane and nobody is Tate. That’s the myth behind it… It’s me and my partner, Eliza Ladensohn. We’re based off of the Sloane Rangers and the Tate Modern. We figured there was enough Italian underwear out there. We wanted to do something that was British inspired because we’re really into British culture – the clean, minimalist lines. Sloane Rangers were Princess Diana’s group of friends. They were these rich kids that dressed hip, edgy. They looked like they were dressed really down but their t-shirts that were ratted and torn were $150. The Tate Modern is one of the best museums in the world, so we wanted to mix and match the two elements.

LL: So I hear you don’t call it “underwear”?
SR: We actually choose the word “innerwear”. We would like to coin it, if possible. It’s not just underwear. It’s a second skin. You want it to be close to your body. It has a flat lock stitch, which is very similar to a swimsuit stitching, so it hugs your body nicely. It has give.

LL: What direction do you see Sloane & Tate heading?
SR: We want to be Barney’s Co-Op, Nordstroms… Everyone says our stuff is so comfortable so we’re actually thinking of doing sleepwear.

Sloane & Tate is especially unique because it all milled, dyed and manufactured in Los Angeles. “No one has this fabric!” Susana told LadyLUX.

LL: Your fabric is definitely a selling point. It looks super comfortable.
SR: We want it to be something fashionable and something comfortable. Our girls can wear it out and then come home and go to sleep in it. This stuff is comfy!

Sloane & Tate is known around town for their light, soft-layered, 100% supima cotton. Who knew tanks and boyish briefs could be so dang sexy? Seen on the likes of Minnie Driver, “90210”’s Annalynne McCord and Maja of The Sounds, it’s clear that the comfy collection is ready to take California casual by storm.

Check out my SewDown preview for background on the event and SloaneAndTate.com for a chance to get intimate with their innerwear.

Tagged in: lux exclusives, los angeles fashion week, lafw, la fashion week, atousa g, sewdown, susana de la rionda, underwear, eliza ladensohn, innerwear, tate modern, sloane and tate, sloane rangers, sloane & tate,

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