Luxury bodysuit brand LUSCA believes you shouldn’t have to fight with your clothing, let alone your wardrobe basics. And bending over backward to fasten bodysuits are problems we just don’t deserve.
Founded by Atlanta-based attorney, Toby Morgan, LUSCA was built around the desire to create better options for today’s women keeping innovation and comfort in mind. LUSCA strives to upend the world of functional apparel, and they’ve successfully recreated the bodysuit, a.k.a today’s fashion staple.
LUSCA’s timeless bodysuit styles feature a patent-pending LUSCA® closure with magnetic clasps making the bodysuits much more effective and easy to secure. The magnetic closure consists of comfortable and gentle clasps with the power of strong, long-lasting hold magnets. In addition to the game-changing magnets, LUSCA’s snaps don’t sit directly under the crotch area, as seen in traditional bodysuits. The brand cleverly places the closure higher up on the body, sitting a few inches below the belly button.
The all-women-led brand serves all shapes, sizes, and styles for any and every occasion. All of the LUSCA bodysuits are crafted with comfort-focused, body-contouring fabrics that gently hug the body. Plus, the company is dedicated to creating a cleaner environment with sustainable efforts including compostable bag packaging made from dates and seashells and features 100% FSC-certified recycled paper. LUSCA also makes a difference by donating a portion of the earnings to charitable organizations working to end Female Genital Mutilation amongst women all over the world.
I had the pleasure of catching up with LUSCA founder, Toby Morgan, to learn more about her innovative brand, along with the inspiration behind her designs. Keep reading for the highlights from our chat!
What drew you to pursue fashion and how did you get your start?
I have always loved fashion. When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar but never considered pursuing fashion professionally as I grew older. I’m actually a practicing attorney and I guess I got into fashion for very practical reasons. I started LUSCA to solve a problem that wasn’t being addressed by the fashion industry: how exactly are women supposed to use the restroom in a bodysuit? Even now, I see LUSCA as a technical apparel company, as well as a fashion brand.
What inspired the design of your bodysuits?
I wanted to make bodysuits that could be dressed up or down and that were made with high-quality fabrics that had stretch but also were slimming. I also wanted to have classic pieces that could last a lifetime. Our first capsule line (available on our website) was designed for Fall/Winter wear so the styles include silhouettes more suitable for wear in colder weather: mock necks, turtle necks, long sleeves, etc. I also selected neutral tones as I felt those colors would be able to stand the test of time. We are in the process of rolling out our next capsule line which will be a Spring/Summer collection. That collection will also stay true to our desire to provide high-quality fabrics that have stretch and are slimming, however, the Spring/Summer silhouettes will be more suited to warmer weather: cutouts, low necklines, backless, sleeveless, short sleeves, etc. We will also expand the color options but will still lean toward neutral tones. We’re also in product development for swim and shapewear.
What was the motivation behind the recreation of traditional bodysuit clasps?
Most, if not all, women have a horror story about having to get completely naked in a restroom for no particular reason other than a lack of innovation in fasteners for women. Meanwhile, men can enter a restroom and pull down a zipper to use the restroom with relative ease across most garments. The placement of the zippers, push buttons, and hook and eye clasps on women’s clothing, generally, is completely lacking in functionality once the wearer needs to use the restroom. It’s been the elephant in the room for a while and I just got tired of the struggle. I truly believed it wasn’t necessary for me or any other women to continue to live this way and, honestly, I invented a solution that should have been invented a long time ago.
Can you talk a little bit about your fabrics?
Our fabrics are all sourced with the desire to give the wearer a luxury product. Our fabrics tend to be heavier than our competitors, longer lasting in endurance testing, and well suited for all-day wear. All of our bodysuits feature special moisture-wicking fabric in the gusset. LUSCA’s magnetic clasps are better than traditional clasps for a myriad of reasons but functionality is where our magnetic clasp really shines. I should also note that not all magnetic clasps are necessarily better. LUSCA’s patent-pending clasps certainly are the best. Many magnets that are used in apparel are ridged. LUSCA’s clasp is articulated; made up of several very thin magnets that are each less than a millimeter wide. As a result, our magnets are pliable unlike others used in the market.
Why are magnetic clasps better than traditional clasps?
The LUSCA magnetic clasp was specifically designed to interact with female anatomy and is, therefore, easier to open and close for all women, even those with disabilities. It has a stronghold that rests on the mons pubis providing the wearer with the ability to easily access and see the clasp. Nothing like LUSCA’s magnetic clasp exists because most clasps haven’t been updated in more than a century. To me, magnets just seem to make more sense for ease of use, comfort, and long-term wear. It took time to design a clasp that would combine the functional aspect of magnets while addressing the aesthetics needed for use in apparel, especially intimate apparel. I think we nailed it and am really proud of the invention.
Describe LUSCA in three words.
Revolutionary female zipper.
Being a black-owned and all woman-ran brand, how would you describe LUSCA’s role in society and fashion?
Our desire is to provide magnetic fasteners that specifically address the needs of women across a spectrum of clothing categories that have refused to address ease of use for female anatomy: one-piece swimsuits, bodysuits, shapewear, rompers, catsuits, etc. are made to be worn but are difficult to remove and even more difficult to fasten– if there even is a fastener! Most of these types of clothing have no fastener at all or just have a gaping hole which is the opposite of innovation. I think women have resigned themselves to the discomfort and annoyance of wearing these types of garments for too long. Innovation was needed to improve the quality of women’s lives.
To shop and learn more about LUSCA, visit ShopLusca.com!
Add Comment