

Lingerie brand Playful Promises is to collaborate with model Dani St James for its Valentine's campaign
Playful Promises has released its latest lingerie line, Ave Maria, for its Valentine’s Day campaign in collaboration with trans model Dani St James.
Emma Parker, the director and founder of Playful Promises, said in a press release: “So much of fashion is negative, and strives on fantasy ideals that women are supposed to aspire to. This is the antithesis of everything we created Playful Promises to represent – we are anti-fashion fashion.”
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Playful Promises has become known for its inclusivity and diversity in model choice.
“As the designer and founder of Playful Promises I was taken aback by the recent anti-women statements about plus-size women and trans women that recently came from senior figures at Victoria’s Secret”, announced Parker, referring to a statement made by Victoria Secret’s chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, in an interview with Vogue.
Playful Promises has previously received criticism from people on social media after announcing its Bettie Page lingerie collection in November 2017 featuring Violet Chachki, a gender fluid drag and burlesque star. But the brand didn’t hold back in its reaction to the negative opinions. Sharing its response in a series of tweets, it wrote: “We chose a gender fluid person that is not represented in the media, and certainly not in the lingerie industry.”
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The latest campaign encourages people to ‘celebrate your inner icon this Valentine’s’. The line’s own icon, Dani St James, shared pictures from the campaign on Instagram, writing, “THIS is how you do trans inclusive marketing in a non-patronising way.”
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The Valentine’s Day line is named Ave Maria (Latin for ‘Hail Mary’). Parker said: “We were inspired by the symbolism of the Virgin Mary, and how her image is subject to conflict, criticism and control, much like that of our trans sisters. Mary is a recognisable icon of womanhood, where all should be welcome, yet is also a stick used to beat women with in regards sexual morality and purity – we wanted to turn this all on its head. Fashion can be fun and thoughtful and for everyone.”
Playful Promises Valentine’s Day collection is available to shop now.