HI I’m Laurie…
…Your lingerie design consultant, Van Jonsson Design was founded in 2012 to provide you with the knowledge to become a lingerie designer and launch your own brand.
As a lingerie designer myself I saw that there needed to be a space where lingerie design could be learnt easily, including the technical side; so you could start your own lingerie brand. If you are haunted by the infatuation to find the perfect fitting bra, I am equipped with twenty years+ of experience and I share everything I know, for you to begin and build your knowledge.
I am a total believer that you can be a lingerie designer no matter how much experience you have.
At the age of twenty-three I left my job as a designer and booked a one way ticket to Thailand where I would secure work as a swimwear designer.
It was whilst travelling and never have a comfy bra to travel in for long haul flights, (anyone with a DD or over can relate to the hassle of unclipping then re-clipping their bra up just to nip to the loo) and I was tired of just seeing one white or beige. I went on to launch my own brand 'Vanjo', which specialised in small backs/big boobs. With the brand being built upon the ethos that lingerie should be designed with intent and not just to look appealing.
Whilst running my brand Vanjo, I received multiple requests for advice, from people wanting to start a lingerie brand. So I began to write “How to become a lingerie designer”. During this time I got the opportunity to be sponsored by a lingerie company in Melbourne, Australia. I made the decision to move and design lingerie for other people again. So I packed up everything, carried on writing and went to be a designer in Melbourne. In a different country it was apparent that world-wide the accessibility to learn about the technical side of lingerie design just wasn’t there.
I can help you learn what you need
TAKE A LOOK BACK
2003 - ON A BEACH IN THAILAND
2000 ~ Graduated 2:1 contour fashion at DMU
Took a job as Lingerie/Swimwear Designer for UK high street stores
2001 ~ Started a blog called Lingerie Looks and Lace
2002 ~ Assyst grading trained
Started a side hustle business of taking up trousers
2003 ~ Bought a one way ticket to Thailand
Gained Dive Master Qualification
Freelanced as a swimwear designer
2004 ~ Travelled around the world and ended up in Ibiza to work
Drafted out a plan to launch my brand for comfy bras as had lived in Bikinis for over a year
2005 ~ Paper, scissors, stone game ended with me travelling to (& living in) Belfast
Attended Invest NI business course
Launched Vanjo
2008 FASHION SOUK
2006 ~ First lingerie brand to stock in Topshop with cup size over a DD
Enrolled with Princes Trust for a loan
Handmade 145 bras and 178 briefs for the order
2007 ~ Win Shell livewire Award NI for Young Entrepreneur of the year
Sold and handmade 488 items of lingerie
Featured on BBC news about lingerie design
2008 ~ Showed at fashion SOUK
Featured in Irish times
Gained two stockists in New York
Liberty prints
The soft bra would often get sold out in each season with the top three sellers being 32DD, 32F & 28FF.
2009 ~ Stocked in ten shops worldwide
Sold and handmade 527 items of lingerie
Showed at Harrogate Lingerie & Swimwear Exhibition
2010 ~ Closed Vanjo
Begin to write ‘How to become a Lingerie Designer’
Guest lecturer at Belfast Met college
2011 ~ Started a website called How to become a lingerie designer
Commissioned lingerie piece for John Hansard Gallery
Gained sponsorship for lingerie design company in Australia
2012 ~ Gerber grading trained
How to become a lingerie design is published
Sold books on Amazon
Return back to the UK
Meet my future husband
First copy HTBALD & first copy of TAOTB
2013 ~ Elope to Rome to get married
Learnt drawing technical drawings on Illustrator course at LCF
Began Masters course ‘International Fashion management’ at UEL
2014 ~ Had baby boy called Fox
Attempted to learn snowboarding
Set up Company officially and began to sell books on website
Wrote and published ‘Anatomy of the bra’
Took on two clients
2015 ~ Wrote and published ‘How to spec a bra and brief’
Took on three clients
2016 ~ Had baby girl called Flynn
Enrolled in B-school by Marie Forleo
Took on two clients
Featured in Daily Mail talking about popularity of Soft bras
Re-wrote and published 2nd Edition of How to become a lingerie designer
2017 ~ Wrote and published ‘How to write a tech pack for a bra and brief’
All of the books
Read and implement all that is told to be a Lingerie Designer
Took the year off taking on any clients to spend time with the double Fs (kids not boobs)
2018 ~ Wrote and published ‘How to sketch a bra and brief’
Took on six clients
Released new Vanjo styles
Stocked books with Bodils Wear
2019 ~ Had a baby boy called Bode
Wrote and published How to grade a bra and brief
Took on 22 clients
2020 ~ Lockdown begins
Wrote and published 3rd edition of How to be a Lingerie designer (with slight name change)
Learnt (attempted) to skateboard
Took on 14 clients
Opened up zoom calls with one-to-one clients
2021 ~ Stocked books with Madalynne
Launched computerised cost and spec sheets
Took on 23 clients
Began to write the Lingeri-e-course
2022 ~ Opened up three month mentoring program
Took on 20 clients
Enrolled in the Sales course by Elizabeth Stiles
Designed merch such as notebooks and mugs
2023 Plans: Re-write and publish 2nd edition of ‘Anatomy of the bra’
Launch Lingeri-e-course
Launch Sp-e-c-ourse about a bra and brief
Take on more clients
Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about
A look at what’s going on now…
Want to talk about boobs, bras and business?