Founded in 2019 by veteran model Amber Tolliver, Liberté is a premium lingerie brand centered around thoughtfully constructed garments and undergarments. Liberté strives to inspire confidence by elevating everyday essentials to feel special and empowering, while not sacrificing on comfort and support.
Blending the time-honored crafts(wo)manship of early lingerie seamstresses, with cutting edge natural and high performance tech fabrics, Liberté is a modern lingerie brand for the modern woman, while also placing importance on the human touch and personalization that is so often lost in undergarment tailoring today.
Designed in New York from the finest Italian fabrics, and produced by highly skilled lingerie artisans internationally.
Blending the time-honored crafts(wo)manship of early lingerie seamstresses, with cutting edge natural and high performance tech fabrics, Liberté is a modern lingerie brand for the modern woman, while also placing importance on the human touch and personalization that is so often lost in undergarment tailoring today.
Designed in New York from the finest Italian fabrics, and produced by highly skilled lingerie artisans internationally.
Category
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Hello, hello, and welcome back to Shop Essence Live
00:03 in partnership with New Voices Family.
00:05 I am your host, Noni Donovan.
00:07 And Shop Essence Live,
00:09 we always bring you things to upgrade your life.
00:12 We upgrade your skin, we upgrade your hair.
00:15 Now it is time to upgrade our pandemic panties, okay?
00:20 I am definitely guilty of this.
00:24 We resort to what is comfortable
00:27 and we fall into that trap,
00:28 but taking care of ourselves,
00:30 sometimes it's also making sure
00:32 that our garments are looking nice,
00:35 even if it's underneath your clothing
00:37 to show that special someone.
00:38 So we're gonna be joined by Amber Tolliver of Liberté.
00:42 Amber!
00:43 Hey, hey.
00:45 Welcome to the show.
00:50 So-
00:51 - Hi.
00:52 - Welcome, welcome to the show.
00:54 I am so excited about this
00:56 because you, your line is just so,
01:00 it's just so luxury.
01:01 It's such a step up,
01:03 probably from what most of us are wearing right now,
01:06 myself included.
01:08 So thank you, thank you so much.
01:09 I'd love to hear about how you created
01:13 this amazing lingerie line.
01:16 - Well, I have been in the fashion industry
01:19 for over 20 years.
01:22 And I had spent over a decade in the lingerie space
01:26 working with countless brands.
01:29 And what I realized is that
01:30 no one was really taking the time to bridge the gap
01:33 between style, function, and size inclusivity.
01:38 And for me, it just, it didn't make me happy.
01:42 It didn't make me feel good
01:43 whenever I had to go and purchase new underwear
01:46 or a new bra.
01:47 And my background in fashion
01:50 had me endeavor to start my own brand
01:52 and to launch a company that did make sure
01:56 to prioritize style as well as function
01:59 and make it inclusive with sizing.
02:02 - I love that.
02:03 And you don't know too, too many black owned lingerie brands.
02:07 So that being inclusive, being size inclusive,
02:10 and there's no sacrifice of quality and style,
02:14 the bigger the sizes get,
02:15 which I think is really, really important as well.
02:18 So I wanna get into it.
02:20 I am a modest girl,
02:21 but I'm giving you guys a little bit here.
02:24 I have on one of them right here.
02:26 - Love it.
02:28 - It's such great quality.
02:30 So I'd love for you to talk through
02:32 the different pieces that you have
02:34 and we'll do a little toe and tell.
02:36 - Absolutely.
02:37 So you have the Bowery Plunge on
02:39 and that is meant to be quite low in the center
02:43 so that you can wear it under tank tops, V-necks.
02:46 And it's not your typical, you know, larger cup bra
02:51 that comes all the way up to your clavicles
02:53 and covers half your chest.
02:55 Okay, I'm not there yet in my style evolution.
03:00 And so that is, as you said, that's the Bowery,
03:05 sorry, the Bowery Plunge.
03:06 So this is what it looks like off body.
03:13 And what I really wanted to do
03:15 is allow women's bodies to speak for themselves.
03:19 And this idea of having pads and pushups
03:22 and like, I don't need any extra help.
03:25 I didn't want to enhance women.
03:27 I wanted to essentially just adorn them
03:31 with beautiful garters that made them feel incredible.
03:35 And so for me, one of the biggest things
03:37 that had me endeavor to launch Liberté
03:42 is that I was tired of women feeling like
03:45 they weren't a part of the club,
03:47 the cool girl club where Victoria's Secret,
03:50 not to name names, was all about this idea
03:54 of wanting to be very exclusive.
03:58 And I wanted to be inclusive.
04:00 And that meant allowing women to show up in their own skin,
04:03 feeling good about how they were in their own skin.
04:08 - Oh, I absolutely love that, right?
04:11 So it's not a coverup, it's not a morphing to change,
04:15 it's just a celebration of exactly where you are
04:18 and who you are.
04:19 So, so nice.
04:21 And I love this sheer detail here.
04:23 It's almost like a little design element.
04:25 So if you did have a low cut shirt on
04:28 and it shows a little bit, it's just like, it's fashion.
04:31 - Yeah, it's meant to compliment the outfit.
04:34 So even if someone did happen to see your bra,
04:37 you can incorporate it as a part of your outfit
04:40 or you can have it just be your undergarment,
04:43 but you won't be bashful or ashamed if anyone does see it.
04:47 So, you know, it works on both fronts.
04:52 - I love, and I feel very secure.
04:55 We have the underwire on the bra
04:58 that's not uncomfortable at all,
05:00 not cutting into the skin, which is very important.
05:03 - So one of the biggest things that bother me
05:06 as a woman who needs an underwire bra
05:09 is the underwire itself.
05:12 You can't cheap out on the underwire.
05:15 And so many brands do.
05:17 And so for me, I had every underwire custom made.
05:22 It is oval in shape so that the edges
05:26 don't cut into your body,
05:28 but it also has a really incredible flex.
05:31 So you can, like your body moves
05:33 and your underwire should move with you, right?
05:36 And it shouldn't fight you.
05:37 It should naturally move with your body,
05:39 flex and expand so you can flex forward and back
05:43 or, you know, side.
05:45 So it moves with you.
05:46 It will rock with you from morning till night.
05:49 And it allow you to feel supported
05:52 without feeling confined,
05:54 which was number one goal for me.
05:57 And really you just wanted to make sure that,
06:00 again, the function matched the same level of style
06:04 so that women weren't having to sacrifice one for the other.
06:08 - So good.
06:11 Okay, so you also have some other types.
06:14 I am putting up a promo code.
06:15 Amber also has a promo code for you guys,
06:19 which is Essence 15 for 15% off.
06:21 So make sure that you guys are checking that out.
06:24 - Yes.
06:25 You also have the Liberté Lace Demi,
06:29 which is by far, I would say my favorite going out bra,
06:34 although it's a fantastic everyday bra period.
06:38 It comes in three colors.
06:40 You have the midnight, this is the black,
06:43 and then the blush.
06:45 And as you mentioned,
06:48 the idea is to have every bra be the same,
06:54 and meaning the same style.
06:58 So if you're going from a 32C,
07:00 which is a fairly small garment,
07:02 to a 38H, exactly,
07:05 you're gonna have what looks like the same exact garment.
07:12 However, what you won't notice,
07:16 unless it's broken down,
07:18 is that the inner workings of the bra are different.
07:21 They are made to match what each woman needs,
07:25 specifically for her body type, right?
07:27 So a larger cup,
07:28 they're gonna need a little bit more reinforcement
07:32 on the inner workings of the bra
07:34 to make sure that the shape doesn't distort
07:39 or get weird or pointy.
07:42 I wanted women to feel like they were being brought
07:46 front and center and also supported.
07:48 So not only do you have the same look and feel,
07:53 you technically have the same strap, but in different sizes.
07:59 I don't know if you can see this.
08:00 As you graduate in size,
08:04 you graduate in the width of the strap.
08:07 So what the width on the 34D is smaller than the 38H.
08:12 The same goes for the back closure.
08:16 So there are three different component sizes.
08:19 And so you've got small for the smaller girls,
08:24 and then you add size for the larger girls
08:30 so that everyone feels like they're getting the support
08:32 that they need based on their size.
08:35 - So great.
08:36 I thought that was really, really, really important
08:39 just to make sure that, again,
08:41 there was consistency throughout the sizes.
08:44 The larger sizes weren't getting
08:47 the short end of the stick or to be the afterthought.
08:50 And specifically, I started the fit process
08:54 with the larger sizes as the priority
08:56 because so often they're left at the last afterthought
09:01 and they're just like, "Oh, it'll kind of fit."
09:04 And it's like, that's not sufficient.
09:06 I know that as I get older and everyone's boobs change,
09:11 you shift sizes, you get bigger, you get smaller,
09:17 you get different, whatever it is,
09:19 I wanted to support women throughout their entire journey
09:22 and make sure that it wasn't just specifically
09:26 for one section of their life
09:28 and just make them feel like,
09:32 "Oh, well, that was for a time and a place."
09:35 Liberté is here to give you the freedom
09:38 to feel supported throughout your entire journey as a woman.
09:42 And that's what I'm endeavoring to continue.
09:46 We will be launching new styles soon
09:49 and each and every style has that same level of dedication,
09:53 that same level of commitment.
09:55 And yeah, I just really, I'm here to support women
09:59 literally and figuratively through their journey.
10:04 - Oh, I love that.
10:05 And we love intentional design at Shop Essence Live
10:09 and you have so much intention with all the sizes.
10:12 If you can just tell us, what's the range of sizes
10:15 from the smallest to the largest that you have available?
10:18 - Yeah, so we go from 32C to 38H.
10:23 In 2024, we will be expanding the size range
10:27 to include 40 band as well as B cuts
10:32 and extra small to double XL for panties.
10:36 - Very nice.
10:37 And speaking of panties,
10:40 let's get into showcasing these gorgeous, gorgeous undies.
10:45 All right, so which one are you gonna highlight first?
10:48 - To compliment the bra that we just saw, the lace demi,
10:53 I have the Bowery lace hipster, which is so nice.
11:00 The scallop detail on the back
11:02 is really meant to lay beautifully on the hips.
11:06 - Beautiful.
11:07 - It gives you this idea of just this light,
11:12 easy, comfortable feel.
11:17 So it gives you that comfort that everyone's looking for.
11:21 Or you talked about pandemic panties.
11:24 - Oh gosh, yep.
11:26 - Concept of like everyone wants to be comfortable.
11:28 Well, yeah, me too.
11:29 I want everyone to be comfortable,
11:31 but just let's be clear, comfort doesn't mean
11:34 that it has to look like it's from circa 1982
11:40 and it's been brought up from the depths
11:43 of somebody's back closet.
11:46 No, I mean, look, before I launched this,
11:50 I was guilty of it.
11:52 My friend has been guilty of it.
11:53 And even though she knows, like, I'm here to help you.
11:58 I can help supply a better option.
12:01 And yeah, I just, I firmly believe that
12:05 lingerie is the first thing you put on in the morning.
12:08 It's the last thing you take off at night.
12:10 And I do not believe it is for other people.
12:12 I believe it is firstly for yourself.
12:16 I believe that setting the tone for the day
12:18 is of the utmost importance,
12:21 because if you are setting the tone with granny panties,
12:26 then that's, you're kind of like not,
12:29 you're not living your best life.
12:30 You're not treating yourself with the same love
12:35 and attention that you go forward into the day with.
12:39 So why not set the tone with yourself first?
12:43 I'm not a firm believer that like self-love
12:47 should be just for you.
12:50 Self-love is so that you can take that abundance,
12:53 that level of care, that abundance of love
12:57 and just excess goodness and take that forward, right?
13:02 Like you're not just supposed to keep that to yourself.
13:05 You feed yourself so that you can feed others.
13:07 You take care of yourself so that you can care for others.
13:10 But why so often do women skip the first step
13:14 in the morning and not care for themselves
13:17 and not take an extra just smidge of a moment to say,
13:20 "Hey, I love my body. I love how I look in this.
13:24 Let me start the day off on this foot."
13:28 And then carry that forward.
13:30 Women do such incredible things.
13:31 And I just wonder what they would do
13:34 if they prioritize themselves,
13:37 not in a selfish manner where the whole day
13:39 is dedicated to me, but like moments that bring joy,
13:43 moments that, the small daily pleasures
13:46 that allow you to feel excited and joyful
13:49 and content with a situation.
13:52 And so I think that is by far what I'm hoping to achieve.
13:57 - Amber came to drop the gems today, okay.
14:04 Can I just tell you, and that completely blew me away
14:09 'cause I was totally in the mindset of,
14:12 "Oh, for that significant other."
14:13 But you are completely right, how we begin our day.
14:17 Even I am so prescriptive of even like how I'm,
14:21 what my alarm clock sounds like.
14:23 Most of the time I don't use an alarm
14:24 'cause I don't like to be scared out of my sleep.
14:27 But taking it a step further,
14:28 what's the first thing that you put on your body every day
14:31 and the last thing that you take off?
14:33 And like, what is it that you wanna feel
14:35 when you put that on and that carries you through the day?
14:37 That's just so beautiful.
14:39 So we have to reward ourselves.
14:41 And we know as women, as women of color,
14:45 we're carrying so much all the time.
14:47 And there's like a level of like,
14:49 we don't wanna feel like guilty or selfish
14:52 or anything like that, but you are so right.
14:54 It is the more you take care of yourself,
14:56 the more your cup is filling over
14:57 that you have to give to other people.
14:59 So, so good.
15:01 Gems dropped on purpose and said,
15:03 okay, you have more undies.
15:05 - I do have more undies.
15:07 (laughing)
15:09 Right, for those who do not want to hipster
15:13 but are more of a thong girl,
15:15 we've got the Bowery Mesh Thong,
15:19 which is my answer to the dreaded VPL.
15:24 So on the back, the visible panty line.
15:29 - Oh, okay.
15:30 (laughing)
15:31 - So if you've got tight pants on,
15:33 so just so we're clear also,
15:35 the hipster does not show through
15:37 even the tightest of anything.
15:39 It does not show in the back,
15:42 so no one's gonna know what you're wearing.
15:43 But if you do prefer thongs,
15:45 that is, it's got a folded over mesh in the back
15:50 so that you don't have an elastic line.
15:54 The elastic is what gives you the visible panty line.
15:57 So there is no elastic along the back
16:00 that is completely smooth.
16:01 Therefore, you will not have any visible panty lines
16:04 and you can wear your tight pants,
16:07 tight anything or not, loose jeans,
16:10 apparently that's now the new trend.
16:14 (laughing)
16:16 And just be super comfortable
16:18 in how you're able to present yourself.
16:20 - This is so good.
16:22 And for anyone who is intimidated or scared by lace,
16:25 like I have been, this lace is very stretchy.
16:29 Like it's very stretchy, it's very comfortable.
16:31 Even the sides that are here,
16:33 if you look at the amount of stretch on this thing.
16:38 So this is very comfortable lace that you can wear for sure.
16:43 - This is not your rigid mesh lace
16:47 where you tug on it once and it rips in seven places.
16:51 I don't have time for that type of lace.
16:54 I'm a New Yorker, I rip and run from the moment I wear it.
16:57 - Yes.
16:58 - The lace has quite a bit of stretch in it.
17:04 You are not going to have any issues here.
17:08 And I picked it because of its feel.
17:11 It's super soft and therefore
17:14 it's not only going to stretch,
17:16 it's going to be cozy and comfortable
17:18 and rock with you like you're a New Yorker
17:22 wherever you are.
17:23 - I love, love, love, love.
17:26 I wanna remind everyone when you buy at Shop Essence Live,
17:29 you are buying directly from these Black-owned brands.
17:32 Liberté has a great promotion here.
17:35 If you're watching on essence.com,
17:37 we're gonna be flying up the links to these products
17:39 so you can shop right here.
17:40 You're watching on Pinterest,
17:41 we'll have the products pinned there
17:43 for you guys to shop right here.
17:45 And don't forget to use the Essence 15 promo code.
17:49 Amber, I feel like this is a turning,
17:52 this is a changing point.
17:54 - Right, right.
17:56 - We're gonna take care of ourselves from the jump.
17:59 And that means the first thing that we put on our bodies,
18:02 we're feeling good about ourselves.
18:04 - Not for the gaze of others,
18:06 but for the gaze of ourselves.
18:08 - Look, it can absolutely be for the gaze of others, but-
18:10 - Inclusive, yeah.
18:11 (laughs)
18:12 - It needs to be first for you,
18:15 so that you're comfortable,
18:16 which by far, I keep telling women,
18:19 the sexiest thing about a woman is confidence.
18:21 So if you're not comfortable in something,
18:24 I just, I don't know.
18:26 - That is good.
18:27 - We set up the confidence level
18:29 and then everything else from there is easy.
18:32 - We love it.
18:33 Okay, so you are also a member of the New Voices family.
18:37 So I'd love to hear from you,
18:38 what has been a great benefit
18:40 to being a part of that community?
18:42 - Absolutely, I am over the moon
18:46 about being a part of this cohort.
18:48 It's a lonely road to be a solo founder
18:53 and the entrepreneurial journey is not only terrifying,
18:58 but it's a lonely road.
19:00 And so to be a part of a cohort
19:03 of women that are also walking this path,
19:07 who are also taking this journey
19:10 and step for themselves, for their future,
19:12 for generational wealth, whatever their motivations are,
19:15 everyone's walking this path.
19:16 And it's a blessing to not feel alone in that journey
19:21 and in that choice to bet on yourself
19:25 and to take the risk of launching your own business,
19:28 to trying to get it off the ground
19:30 and grow it to scale into what you've always dreamt it to be.
19:35 And so it's incredible to not only have the community
19:38 because it really does take a village,
19:40 but additionally, it allows for you to ask questions
19:45 and to experiment and test things out in a safe space
19:51 and in a space where the repercussions
19:55 are not going to be live.
19:57 They're not, you can test things out
19:59 within the space and feel good about asking questions
20:04 that you're uncertain about
20:07 and getting answers from people who have the experience,
20:10 who have walked that path,
20:12 who have walked others down that path to success.
20:15 And it feels really, really good.
20:17 - So, so good.
20:20 So I have to remind you guys, bet on yourselves.
20:23 You might be home, you might be watching this,
20:25 and it's just like, I have a business,
20:26 but I'm nowhere near where she is.
20:28 And you need some extra guidance.
20:30 What you need to do is go to newvoicesfamily.com.
20:34 Go there, you join the organization, join the community.
20:37 It is completely free.
20:39 You have access to mentorship, seminars, cohorts,
20:42 just like Amber and Ella are in,
20:45 where you learn a ton, a ton of amazing,
20:49 priceless information, and it's all free, y'all.
20:52 It's free, 99.
20:54 So make sure that you guys go and check that out.
20:56 If you or somebody that you know has a business,
21:00 is an entrepreneur.
21:01 So Amber, this has been so great.
21:06 Can I just tell you guys, you need to,
21:08 if you're watching this, again, really great gift,
21:12 great gift for yourself,
21:14 but also a really great gift for someone else.
21:16 So make sure that you guys go and you check that out.
21:19 Anything else, Amber, you wanna tell them your website
21:23 and where they can get, follow you?
21:25 - Absolutely, so you can follow us on Instagram.
21:29 The handle is @liberte.
21:31 You can also shop at www.liberte.co, that's L-I-B-E-R-T-E.co.
21:36 And I'm also excited to announce
21:40 that we will be coming out with loungewear.
21:43 We have a signature candle
21:45 that is currently up for sale for holiday.
21:47 And this idea of gifting for other people and for yourself,
21:52 we're creating a holistic experience for you
21:55 to be able to start setting the tone for your day
21:58 in a holistic way.
21:59 So I'm really excited about that.
22:02 - Come on, and then we're getting loungewear too, okay.
22:06 - Loungewear, robes, pajamas, it's all coming in 2024.
22:11 - All right, so Amber is going to take care of all of us.
22:14 Make sure that you guys go and follow her
22:16 so that you can see anything new
22:17 that they're coming up with.
22:18 But when I tell you,
22:19 everything that we showed you today
22:21 is such a beautiful quality.
22:23 We'll have you feeling beautiful
22:25 as soon as you start your day
22:26 and a reminder of how beautiful you are
22:28 at the end of the day.
22:29 That was so, so great.
22:32 Amber, thank you so much for being on this week's episode.
22:35 Guys, thank you so much for tuning in to Shop Essence Live.
22:38 Remember when you buy here,
22:40 you are buying directly with these black-owned brands
22:42 and tune in every single week for more Shop Essence Live.
22:46 Thank you so much.
22:47 - Thank you.
22:48 - Thank you, Amber.