Lovingly Crafted Lingerie ~ Hannah Farrugia Sharples
AT THYME
Born of a love of beauty and handcrafted pieces, Coutille is an expression of French and Portuguese traditional craftsmanship, creating elegant and delicate lingerie that makes women feel beautiful. Hannah works with family run factories to create unique styles which draw upon their creative heritage, with the designs inspired by the classical lingerie of 1900s. In the run up to Christmas, the Shop is graced with Coutille’s signature pieces, which coincidentally pair fabulously with a Bertioli dressing gown! Founder of Coutille, Hannah, shares the magic behind this new yet timeless brand.
What sparked the creation of Coutille?
In short, I felt that the industry was missing a sustainable luxury lingerie brand that offered something women really wanted to wear. I spent many years working as a lingerie designer for some of the leading luxury lingerie brands across Europe which was a wonderful experience but it also left me feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. Too many brands were prioritising profit margins while cutting corners on craftsmanship and comfort. They were producing lingerie that men would want to buy for women, instead of creating beautiful, wearable pieces that women would want to buy for themselves. I could see a demand for beautifully crafted lingerie designed to be both comfortable and wearable. So I founded Coutille.
You’re going against the grain by creating handcrafted, long lasting lingerie. Where do these beautiful pieces come from?
Every component that goes into a Coutille piece has been selected from the best of the best suppliers and artisans across Europe. Our lingerie is manufactured by a family-run factory in Portugal and our butter-soft jersey is manufactured in northern Italy.
Our embroidery is a work of art in itself. Created in collaboration with Broderies Leveaux, one of the original family-owned embroidery houses in France. We worked together with Benjamin, the 4th generation to take over the business, to develop an exclusive embroidery that demonstrates the highest level of craftsmanship and skill.
How are you preserving the traditions of these makers?
When I founded Coutille, in both the creation of our lingerie and in particular the crafting of our embroidery, I felt that it was highly important to spotlight the pure creativity and skill that goes on behind the scenes.
When it came to designing our embroidery for Coutille, I visited the lovely factory of Broderies Leveaux and spent many hours looking through their incredible archives. I picked out an original embroidered trim from the mid 1900s which we re-developed into a modern embroidery design. For me, the story behind how the embroidery is created and the many hands that played a part in its creation, is even much more valuable than the fabric itself.
Why is that important to you?
In a world where many brands are jumping ship and switching to manufacturing in Asia, I specifically chose to work with suppliers like Broderies Leveaux because they offer a level of expertise and skill that has been established over decades - centuries even. I believe that we have a responsibility as a brand and creator of the end product, to choose our suppliers responsibly and educate our customers so that they understand exactly what they are paying for and what defines its value.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your designs?
When working as a designer, I find inspiration in many unexpected places - shapes, colours and textures that just catch my eye. I also frequently refer back to vintage designs, costumes and lingerie as I find there is something so exciting about taking a beautiful vintage piece and modernising it - making it more comfortable, wearable and versatile.
I designed our first capsule, ‘Better than nude’, with the ambition to fill the gap in the market for wearable nude lingerie that looks as beautiful as it feels. Being the most practical and wearable pieces in our lingerie drawer, I wanted to elevate nude lingerie from being the most forgettable pieces, to the most remarkable.
How is sustainability considered in the production process?
From its inception, Coutille’s primary focus has been slowing down the creation process, making well, and producing quality that lasts. We don’t work to seasonal trends with the expectation that our customers buy the newest collection every season, we create timeless pieces that are made to last.
All of our suppliers are Europe-based and Oeko-tex standard 100 certified. Working sustainably comes naturally when we work with them collaboratively. Of course, we also apply the same principles to our 100% recyclable packaging.
Describe the ‘Coutille’ girl in a sentence.
A confident, decisive go-getter who realises the value of impeccable quality, looks for long term wearability and has an eye for iconic, effective design - with a conscience.
What is your favourite ‘Coutille’ look?
It’s a tough choice but I’d have to go with the Clam Bra with the High Flyer Brazilian which is just the perfect combination for almost any outfit. It must be the only strapless bra I’ve ever worn that I can forget I’m wearing! If I’m not in the mood for an underwired bra then the Slipper Bra is my go-to, it just looks great under shirts or cosy knitwear.
You have travelled much of Europe for work. Where do you have most affinity with?
Oh without a doubt it has to be Italy. I spent a couple of years designing for La Perla in Bologna and I just fell in love with the country and the city itself. I lived in the most beautiful little terrazzo-tiled apartment across from the oldest chocolate shop in Bologna, ate far too much fresh pasta and learnt Italian along the way while living like a local. With its ornate portici and cosy pasticcerias, Bologna is most definitely an unknown gem.
Coutille is currently popping up in the Thyme shop. What can shoppers expect to find?
We are so thrilled to be able to display our pieces in the Thyme Boutique - especially in the run-up to christmas! We have all of our ‘Better than nude’ capsule available to shop in store in ‘Oat’, our first-to-launch shade. We are just delighted to be able to offer the opportunity for customers to try on our pieces in real life!
What’s next for Coutille?
We are working on producing a small production run in our two other shades ‘Biscotti’ and ‘Amaranth’ which we hope to launch very soon and we plan to launch a few new colourways in the collection into next year. We’re also working on a new collection using ‘Eco lace’ which involves using regenerated yarns from excess wastage.
We are very excited to be launching Coutille with a local established independent retailer very soon in Cheltenham and we plan to be popping up in a few more locations next year. Stay tuned and definitely follow us over on Instagram to keep up-to-date!
