Helena Christensen collaborates with Triumph lingerie

After three years as the face of Triumph Essence, the model has added another string to her fashion credentials – lingerie designer

After three years as the face of Triumph Essence, Helena Christensen has added another string to her fashion credentials – lingerie designer.

In the midst of London Fashion Week, Helena Christensen jetted into London to launch her luxury collaboration with Triumph that consists of three gorgeous ranges – 'Poetica' (lots of girly lace adorned with Swarovski crystals), 'Ballerina' (uber feminine with a hint of 70s power glamour) and 'Dahlia' (romantic contrast colours with femininie tulle).

Just before she zoomed back to NYC, we caught up with the iconic beauty to find out all about it. Each range is very unique. Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind them? Well, I’ve always admired ballet dancers so the lighter pieces in the 'Ballerina' collection was sort of a little ode to them. The brighter colours in the 'Poetica' range were inspired by my childhood, which was a really happy time. The 'Dahlia' series has hints of eastern European photography and I’ve always loved black and nude tones together. Those pieces are sculptural and athletic but the lace makes a little more romantic. Do you remember your first bra? I don’t think I wore a bra at all until I was in my twenties, there wasn’t a need for it! I wasn’t even into fashion until I moved to Paris to work as model and suddenly a whole new world opened up to me. Did you enjoy the design process? Yes, and there was so much to discover about the technical aspect of a bra. I made mood boards with cut-outs, sketches, colours and fabrics so that I could ensure the my team knew exactly what I wanted. What was the most important factor for you? I wanted the fabric to be light and to be soft on the skin. It’s so uncomfortable when you wear lingerie that cuts in. I also wanted it to be almost seamless, so that they looked and felt like a second skin. Did you test them out yourself? Yes, every piece. Models have a specific body type so it’s often difficult to see what the lingerie would like on a more shapely body. I’ve got boobs and hips so it was important for me to test them out to make sure I would feel comfortable. I wanted them to be suitable for all shapes and sizes. Do you think well-fitting lingerie helps with confidence? Yes, on days you feel less confident the way you dress can definitely help you along. However, at the same time it’s got to come from within. We all go through mood swings and it’s important I think to appreciate those different moods. For me my confidence came from my upbringing. My parents instilled so much confidence in me and taught me to believe in myself while being respectful of others too. You mentioned you're flying back to your 12-year old son. What does he think of your career? He’s like half ‘I love you so much, you know, I’m so happy that you’re always there for me’ and then ‘oh my gosh will you please stop singing and just act cool.’ He’s so funny.

The Helena Christensen for Triumph lingerie collection launches in-store and online in January 2013.

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