Date: c. 2021
Origin: UK
Fabric: Stretch silk satin, glass beads, beading wire
Brand: Rosie Von Boschan
A unique bullet-style bra and thong playsuit set crafted from intricate beadwork and silk satin. The ensemble was custom created as a wedding gift by designer Rosie McLean for Karolina Laskowska. The bra design is based on an extant 1950s bullet bra that was gifted by Karolina to Rosie, with the beaded cups patterned over the original bra. The cups are framed a cage structure formed of soft grey silk satin, with the bra closing at the rear with metal hooks. The coordinating playsuit has a large central beaded motif, leading to multiple silk satin ties that wrap and tie around the body, with an integrated thong style knicker at the base.
The Rosie Von Boschan brand was founded by fine artist Rosie McLean in 2015, with the brand growing out of the designer’s observations whilst working in the couture fashion and costume industries, and her own personal magick practices, with a particular focus on the potential of clothing to influence the relationship between the wearer’s internal perception and their surrounding environment. Having spent time working with designers such as Atusko Kudo, Prangsta Costumiers and Karolina Laskowska, Rosie was able to hone her technical and business experiences to found her own label.
Rosie’s ventures into making and styling clothing and accessories began through her work as a stripper; notably the designer has stated that she considers herself ‘lucky enough to work in clubs where creative autonomy is largely permitted’. It was also through this work that Rosie was led to co-found the East London Stripper’s Collective alongside peers, an activist group that campaigns for the working rights of sex workers, as well as producing its own creative projects and events. The Rosie Van Boschan brand was subsequently launched with a catwalk show at a ELSC event during London Fashion Week.
Rosie Von Boschan designs are particularly noteworthy for their intricate and unique beadwork, with the designer creating lace patterns to be draped onto the body in faceted glass beads, designed to reflect shadow, light and colour. Speaking about her designs, the designer said: ‘Wearers say that on the body the weight of the woven glass beads feels like chainmail. I felt like these intimate objects embodied qualities of the talismans and amulets that I make in my spiritual practise’.
The brand was closed in 2019, as the designer felt that the nature of her work and personal values were incompatible with the elitist nature and unsustainable pace of the fashion industry. Rosie continues to use beadwork and fibre processes in her work as a fine artist, which can be viewed here.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
