Bluebella has a new muse: it’s Self Esteem.
Not the kind of inner self-esteem and confidence, but an English singer, songwriter and actress, whose real name is Rebecca Lucy Taylor. The London-based underwear brand has teamed up with the artist for its Valentine’s Day campaign, titled “Prioritise Pleasure,” which is also the name of a song from Self Esteem.
Self Esteem poses in Bluebella underwear.
Emily Bendell, founder and chief executive officer of Bluebelle, said the brand’s partnership with Self Esteem was a perfect fit.
“We’re big fans of her here at Bluebella and thought she’d be a great partner to celebrate unrelenting femininity, body positivity and pleasure,” Bendell told WWD. “We love Self Esteem’s bold feminism, her talent as a musician, and her authentic journey toward self-love and acceptance.
“And Bluebella and Self Esteem share a lot of the same feminist values,” the founder continued. “Part of Bluebella’s mission is to redefine the conventional meaning behind Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is traditionally a heteronormative festival that can seem negative and exclusive to many. It’s the opposite of everything we believe in: sensuality as something we own rather than share and celebrate love in all its wonderfully diverse forms. Therefore, every year we try to reshape Valentine’s Day as a holiday where we celebrate self-love and the many and varied passions that drive us.”
Self-esteem in bras and underwear from Bluebella.
Self Esteem — who poses for the campaign in fiery red lace bras and strappy black underwear from the brand’s Spring 2023 lingerie collection — echoes that sentiment.
“It seems silly to me that there is anything that can make people feel alone or not like anyone else,” the musician said.
“I always say that Valentine’s Day is on my mind every damn day of the year,” Self Esteem continued.
Self Esteem in pieces of luxury underwear from Bluebella.
In a recent Instagram Live interview with Bendell, the singer-songwriter added that she agreed to do the underwear campaign because her body was something she was ashamed of in the past.
“I got boobs early and generally I did [using] a minimizer bra immediately,” she explained. “My whole modus operandi was, like, just to hide them. And now I see how sad it is.
Self Esteem poses in pieces from Bluebelle.
“Fashion helps me have fun with things that I used to be ashamed of or think were wrong,” Self Esteem continued. “Underwear used to be a danger in the way I kind of grew up. I had a strange relationship with underwear where before it was a tool that helped me shrink and disappear, but now it’s the complete opposite and now I have a lot more fun and love it and talk about it a lot on the internet. So all of this is bigger than me doing a modeling job. This campaign for me is about that, it’s what my body is, and I enjoy it and I’m proud of it and it’s beautiful or whatever.”
The underwear brand’s Valentine’s campaign launches on Monday.
Bluebella was founded by Bendell from her bedroom in 2005 after the fashion entrepreneur couldn’t find underwear that fit her.
“I wanted to create a brand and product that was empowered, confident, sassy, contemporary and fashion-forward,” said Bendell. “For me, underwear is a self-expression of individual style and spirit.”
Self Esteem poses in Bluebella, alongside Emily Bendell, founder and chief executive of the British brand.
The business has since grown to include other categories such as socks, sleepwear and innerwear as well as outerwear.
“If it’s too beautiful to hide, why hide it?” Bendell said last year.
Self Esteem wear Bluebella.
Recently, Bluebella partnered with London-based Indian designer Ashish for a limited edition collaboration. The company also has wholesale partnerships with Victoria’s Secret, Revolve, Nordstrom and Selfridges, among others, in addition to its e-commerce. Last fall, Bluebella enlisted Clara McGregor, Ewan McGregor’s daughter, for its holiday collection and campaign.