Living between two worlds has been part of designer Sophie Simmons’ life since she was born. The designer was born to a French mother and an American dad, and she grew up traveling between Paris and New York City.
“I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere, but I also fit in everywhere,” Simmons says at her home in 12South.
Spending so much of her life between Paris and New York allowed Simmons to polish her skill in identifying and refining items for a niche audience. And somehow, almost paradoxically, that’s what gives her clothing designs such wide-reaching appeal.
For almost 20 years, Sophie was a successful designer with a New York company called Thread Bridesmaids, where she was at the helm of the movement toward cooler, more attainable fashion for weddings. Then she launched Dessous, a French-inspired lingerie line that was high-end but meant to be lived in, something you could imagine Charlotte Gainsbourg wearing while she’s smoking a cigarette. As a designer, it takes real talent to make panties badass.
After closing Dessous and moving to Nashville in 2009, Simmons focused on a different kind of challenge — becoming a mom.
“A woman’s hero moment isn’t a wedding,” says Simmons. “A woman’s hero moment is becoming a mother.”
After taking time away from fashion for about a decade to spend time with her son, Simmons decided she wanted to create lingerie that could act like armor for other heroic women. Her new eponymous line is made with that philosophy in mind. The Sophie Simmons lingerie collection — which includes rompers, camisoles and nightshirts — is sewn in New York with high-end Japanese cotton and custom French lace. But the essence of the garments, the understated elegance, is all Nashville influence. Simmons loves her adopted hometown, and says she’s here to stay.
“There is a real community here,” she says, “and because there’s a different quality of life, there’s also a different quality of friendships that can happen.”
Those friendships come into play with her professional life. The campaign for Simmons’ lingerie line features models who are also Simmons’ friends. A series of interviews with different Nashville women wearing her designs has just launched on her website. The first subject is textile designer Andra Eggleston, and upcoming subjects are set to include Nashville Fashion Alliance President Van Tucker, consultant Cara Jackson and writer Caroline Randall Williams, who graces this week’s Scene cover.
“There’s so much support in Nashville,” says Simmons. “I’m a little overwhelmed by it, to be honest. I never realized how much the Nashville community gets behind what they consider to be their talent. And how much they support it and want to see it thrive. Because the creatives who are driving the culture in places like New York are not given any kind of extra care, and this community wants to let you know that they’re happy that you’re here — and it’s heard loud and clear. Everybody shows up, and that doesn’t happen everywhere.”
