LIVIN’ IN LINGERIE Local Athens bartender created an inclusive, slow-fashion clothing line. BY SUSIE IANNONE PHOTOS BY NAIMA WOLFE DESIGN BY ZOE CRANFILL
L
ingerie products, like so many other female-oriented products, are increasing in popularity but degrading in quality, following the rise of the fast fashion industry throughout the world. On average, a large business like Victoria’s Secret makes upward of $7 million a year in sales, leaving flexibility for price increases that happen often due to the popularity of their products, while simultaneously the business is paying very little to create the products with cheap materials and cheap labor.
44 | THREAD
While handmade items require extra time and planning, they provide a living for small business owners and promote carefully made, highquality products. Rachel Couch, an Athens native, is no stranger to handmade products and has been designing custom lingerie since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, with the new skill of sewing and a background in dance, Couch created their first piece: a birthday ballet-inspired dress. Many people encouraged them to begin selling the dress and similar products for a profit, impressed by Couch’s keen ability to create one-of-akind and attractive clothing on a budget. After two years of planning and resourcing, Couch launched their company, Odd Romp. Owning a small business is no small feat. Couch said it was a struggle to learn a new skill while acquiring business-savvy skills. They said creating a personal textbook was the best way to keep track of anything and everything about Odd Romp. The textbook, a thick sketchbook full of handwritten notes and mini swatches, served as Couch’s guide to sewing and they still use it today, along with many other helpful books created by them. When creating the name of the company, Couch got equally as creative. “I did a whole word cloud in a notebook,” Couch said. “I just was writing words I liked and that one just came to me.” In having the sole creative agency of Odd Romp, Couch can create the pieces they are inspired by, selling them both online and in person approximately once a month at local art vendors in Athens. Often, they combine forces with The Pussy Cat Collective, a promoter of local art at The Union, the same bar Couch bartends in. During these events, Couch places all products on a beautiful red display with g-strings, thongs, garter belts, and bras. Living in Athens connected Odd Romp to many in the local fashion and art scene, promoting its values among those who shared the same vision of diverse and sexy fashion. Emma Loomis-Amrhein, a carpenter and Athens resident, said it didn’t feel correct to call Odd Romp a brand because, to them, a core aspect of it is to reclaim lingerie from large corporations. Loomis-Amrhein added that they have talked to Couch about how it feels sexier not to buy personal items from corporations.