Guide Book
Elma Valerio’s lingerie caters to the petite customer.
More often than not, when speaking of body positivity and inclusivity, our minds instinctively wander toward the curvy, plus-size territory. When it comes to the lingerie industry, however, both curvy and petite women frequently
struggle to find themselves within the department store’s standard size charts.
Elma Valerio, a lingerie designer from San Jose, is not only representing the petite client with a “smaller than B cup,” she has also turned the niche into a business. In 2015, she launched an eponymous brand catering to clients with proportions and needs similar to hers, working with women with a smaller cup size.
Valerio was born in Japan and grew up in Hawaii, spending summers with her Japanese grandparents, who taught her knitting, sewing and crocheting. In 2006, she moved to Los Angeles to study fashion design at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, focusing on costume design and lingerie. She also took couture and lingerie courses at Central Saint Martins in London. In 2012, she and her husband moved to Northern California for her husband’s new job. After five years of designing scrubs for a medical company, Valerio decided to start her own brand.
“I always thought that I would work in a large company and learn as much as I can about the industry before I started my own brand,” she says. “It was only when my husband took a new job that relocated us that I decided to create my own job.”
Valerio, ever the “lingerie addict,” started out on Etsy, building a clientele of “lingerie lovers and women who have a hard time finding their size.” She launched an online store in April 2015. The selection, ranging from $48-$240 for underwear, is dazzling; lacy bralettes, sophisticated garter belts, a variety of underwear, camisoles and bodysuits await, but they aren’t meant for
those seeking instant gratification. Most garments are made to order, and take three to five weeks to ship.
The road to the final product is also slow-paced: “The best way for me to be inspired is to just think about what excites me outside of my work, like a travel destination, a ballet or music performance I’ve seen, old movies and vintage styles,” Valerio says. “Sometimes I’d ask myself what would I wear if I was on the beaches of Bali, if I wanted to feel as free as a ballerina, if I lived in 1922 Paris.”
Valerio also offers a bespoke service, working with clients individually and
crafting designs according to their size and needs. “Once I narrow it down to style — strapless, a bra for sheer blouses — I’ll start looking through my fabrics, then start draping on the mannequin,” she says.
“Then come the final details — the straps and clasps, figuring out how is the garment coming on and off, as practicality is very important to me.” One of her most popular bras, the lacy and delicate Adelphi, has been manufactured in Pennsylvania since last fall, but the majority of the garments come from Valerio’s San Jose studio, where she keeps a collection of satin and lace fabrics purchased on her travels to Europe and Asia.
Elma Lingerie’s style is decidedly romantic and seductive, to fill a void in the market. “The petite segment is largely underserved in the apparel industry,” Valerio says. “You’re often left with choosing from sports bras, training bras or the ultrapadded spongy bras that add more cup size than you want.”
About half of her clients are in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan; the other half is in the United States. In the Bay Area, the Sophie, a black, minimal number with a Y-shaped back strap, is especially popular. While Valerio’s customer are scattered around the globe, she does have her eye on a number of “cool San Francisco boutiques,” including Azalea and Voyager.
“It’s inspiring being in the Bay Area as an entrepreneur,” she says. “There definitely is a feeling of wanting to bring people together and making a difference in this world.”
Said difference may very well be a couple of lacy triangles with a perfect fit.