Article: What We Look for Before a Brand Joins Primary
What We Look for Before a Brand Joins Primary
People sometimes ask how we choose which brands make it into Primary, out of the very large number that could. It is a fair question, and one I think about with almost every piece we carry.
The honest answer is that we look for the same handful of things, regardless of the brand's origin, price point or aesthetic.
Construction, first. We look closely at how a piece is actually made — the seams, the fabric weight, the way a cup is built rather than simply cut. Else's lace is structured and considered in a way that holds up under inspection, not only in a photograph. Maison Close's silhouettes carry the same level of attention, in a more directional register. Understatement's Support construction — the reinforcement, the boning placement, the strap width — is exactly this kind of detail, done properly rather than gestured at.
Genuine sizing, second. A brand that claims to be size-inclusive needs to show us the construction behind that claim, not only the size chart. This is precisely where Understatement earned its place — a fuller cup is a design decision from the first sketch, not a late addition.
Craftsmanship with intent, third. Nette Rose brings colour and a lighter hand without losing rigour. TA-CT strips a piece back to its essentials without it feeling unfinished. Nany Blouses brings the same care to sleepwear that we expect from a bra. Bye Bra solves a specific, practical problem properly, rather than half-solving several. Love and Swans brings occasion wear with real embellishment, not costume. Each brand earns a distinct role in the range — we are not looking for six versions of the same thing.
And restraint, fourth, though it is the hardest to describe. We look at how a brand represents its own product — the imagery, the language, the promise being made — and we ask whether it matches the way we want to speak to you. Understatement's own campaign imagery, unretouched and photographed on real women, made this an easy yes.
This is the standard behind everything in the lingerette, not only the newest addition to it. We built Primary because the category deserved a more considered alternative to what was already on offer in Australia. Every brand we add is judged against that same intention, Understatement included.
— Samantha
