In the world of intimate apparel, where beige and black have long reigned, Claudia Ochoa's CLO intimo is painting a different picture - one drenched in the saturated hues of her native Colombia. Founded in 2003, the New York-based label is a love letter to the designer's childhood in Medellín, where she spent afternoons above her family's small sewing atelier, staging miniature fashion shows for local businesses. That early immersion in garment construction led to a fashion degree, a decade of honing her craft in Colombia, and eventually a move to New York, where she freelanced for Victoria's Secret - a brand that, in the early 2000s, was at the height of its push-up, padded domination. But Ochoa had a different vision: a padding-free, "elevated everyday" line that married Colombian sensuality with New York pragmatism. The result is a universe of bra sets, bodysuits, and nightwear in mesh, microfiber, and custom stretch laces - like the Selva range, whose pattern evokes Amazonian foliage, each piece finished with a signature semi-precious stone. The palette runs from neutrals to chili-pepper red and saturated sky blue. "There are vivid colors everywhere: birds, architecture, flowers," Ochoa says. Her upcoming FW26 collection, Salento La Montaña, draws from the town of Salento in Colombia's coffee triangle, famous for its multicolored homes. Standouts include a butter-yellow cropped lace camisole, a floral-print bodysuit, and a new red iteration of the Fortuna lace vest, designed to be worn as outerwear - a nod to Colombian women's long embrace of lingerie as street style. Made entirely in Colombia and available in sizes S - XL and 32B - 38DD, CLO intimo is sold at Anthropologie and over 60 U.S. stockists, with prices starting at $24.
Originally reported by LingerieBriefs