donna: intimacy is about true and deep connections
Donna is one of the co-founders behind the Amsterdam-based lingerie brand Semi/Romantic. We connected with Donna and Semi/Romantic because we felt our two brands are very aligned as we both promote a more honest, inclusive and caring take on intimacy. It’s so important to find likeminded people when embarking a road like this as a start-up; we can’t create change on our own. Lingerie has in many ways been promoted as something we wear for others - but Semi/Romantic brings a new perspective that means that we wear their beautiful items to feel good about ourselves. They’re soft, sustainable yet beautiful - so no matter your body, mind, age or story, you can feel good wearing them.
Hi Donna, could you tell our readers who you are and what you’re up to at the moment?
My name is Donna, I’m 38 years old and currently live in Amsterdam. Together with my friend and partner, Alexa, I founded the sustainable lingerie brand, Semi/Romantic, 3 years ago.
We connected as we saw a lot of similarities between you and Alexa's brand semi/romantic and sitre. Could you tell us why you started semi/romantic?
The story really started with our friendship. Alexa and I met in fashion school and have been very close friends ever since. We both worked in the fashion industry in very large companies and we saw how sustainability was something that was spoken of a lot but in reality very little was done to really make fashion more sustainable and that was frustrating. At the same time we were both complaining about not being able to find beautiful, sustainable high quality lingerie we really love. We have very different taste and lifestyles so we figured , if we could make sustainable lingerie that we BOTH love and find comfortable and empowering in a way, we might be on to something. We wanted to create a brand we love and work with people that inspire us.
Your lingerie is beautiful - we would call them sexy but not in the traditional Hollywood-way. They feel empowering, something you wear for yourself instead of trying to fit into a stereotype. What feeling would you like people to feel when they wear your lingerie?
That is a beautiful compliment. We want people to feel like they are wearing a hug from a best friend. We want them to feel free and comfortable and empowered to be what they want to be in every moment of the day. It can be sexy, or cool, or just lazy and chilling but we want our lingerie to help you feel that way, not make someone self conscious or feel like any part of them or how they feel is wrong.
How do you think intimacy affects our mood, confidence or sense of belonging?
I think it has a huge impact. Intimacy can mean many things; your connection to your partner, a friend and mostly yourself. Without the true connections that come with intimacy it is very easy to feel lonely, even when surrounded by people. Being understood, seen, touched or held by someone who really, deeply connects with you is so healing and profound.
Before starting semi/romantic, did you feel there were any stereotypes or taboos that were holding you back when it came to intimacy?
I lived in Italy for many years and in many ways Italy still has a lot of widespread stereotypes about how a "sexy" woman should be and talking about intimacy and body image openly isn't super common. The process of designing our first styles and talking to so many women about what they want and need in lingerie (and in life) was so empowering. It also gave me a chance to see how I find so many different women so beautiful and that made me look at myself so much more kindly.
We have partnered up for some very special bundles. Why did you think it was right for semi/romantic to partner with sitre?
From the moment we started talking this collaboration felt so right. Both brands are founded by women. Both brands focus on openness and self love and the idea that you own your pleasure, your comfort and your self love and that each one of us can chart her own path to that. Our brands are here to be a companion and a friend not to tell anyone they need to be anything else but themselves. I also love that sitre has such a focus on high quality which is also an essential value at S/R. Also it is such a joy working with you.
Finally, what advice would you give someone if they didn’t feel comfortable in their own skin?
I recently went to a breath-work workshop for the first time and it was a very profound experience. Something about being guided through your breath in a specific way really brought up a lot of things both consciously and subconsciously and I found it very healing. It made me feel much more free in my body and allowed me to speak about what I feel much more openly in my everyday life and relationship. It taught me that sometimes getting out of your comfort zone actually makes you become a lot more comfortable inside yourself.
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sitre’s sex wellness products bring an honest, inclusive and mindful take on intimacy.