Everything You Need to Know About Mexico’s Most Sensual Lingerie Line

Marika Vera moved abroad to study fashion design at the prestigious Instituto Marangoni in London before relocating to her home country of Mexico in 2010 to launch her luxury lingerie and outerwear line, Marika Vera, which has since evolved to become the pared-down basics line Signature. In fact, it was actually her 2008 graduation collection that inspired her initial erotica-inspired project for the Marika Vera brand in 2010, full of silky negligees and delicate teddies.

Now best known for the raunchy nature of her designs which expertly combine both practicality and sensuality in one fell swoop – from the perennially popular, quirky body harnesses to the expertly cut and crafted silk bras and backless fishnet tights – Marika Vera is now focusing on her Signature line. Despite the brand’s success, launching her line wasn’t entirely smooth sailing from the get-go; in 2013 – a year that saw Rihanna don a Signature by Marika Vera bodysuit in GQ – behind the scenes the company was in debt. Yet, from the ashes of 2013’s disaster rose 2014’s phoenix in the form of Signature, which, while still conveying that trademark erotic, sensual Marika Vera style, also uses far more affordable materials and focuses on minimalistic lingerie and outerwear basics.

Designed firmly with the modern woman in mind, Signature is all about combining the private and the personal, demonstrating Marika Vera’s steadfast belief that while lingerie is an intimate product, it also has applications beyond the boudoir. The truth of this assertion that lingerie can also be outerwear is proven by her bodysuits, which remain her biggest sellers. Furthermore, each piece utilises fabric (or doesn’t utilise, as the case may be) in a way that seems to only further convey this preoccupation, often using mesh to provide a sensual window onto the female body. For example, take a look at the Kim Ouvert Fishnets or the Patricia Harness, which play with expectations of what lingerie is and what it could be.

Less is more is Vera’s mantra for many collections, and you won’t find any over-the-top embellishments, additions or added extras on her simple products. Instead you’ll find top quality lace and silk that add an extra level of luxury to the lingerie-wearing experience. In fact, Vera is obsessed with the idea that lingerie should be both comfortable and practical as well as highly sensual. Overall, it’s clear to see her dual passions of functionality and sensuality coming together in these exquisitely designed pieces, inspired by erotic literature, music and the frivolity of the fashion industry as a whole.

Perhaps you feel that some of this lingerie looks familiar, which should come as no surprise having been sported by Rihanna and Jessie Ware and featured in many notable publications such as Vogue. If you’re based in Mexico City, you can find her namesake appointment-only showroom in the popular Zona Rosa district. Alternatively, she sells her pieces online for international clientele and also offers her products in various boutiques around Mexico and the US, including New York’s Museum of Sex.

Marika Vera, Praga 44, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, México +52 55 8530 4516

Museum of Sex, 233 5th Ave, New York, USA +1 212 689 6337