In her new memoir, Faherty co-founder Kerry Docherty describes a lifelong performance of selflessness. Her story of subsuming her own identity to build a brand alongside her husband and his twin resonates with a specific history in intimate apparel. For generations, foundational garments like the corset were designed not just to shape the body, but to constrict it into an acceptable, supportive silhouette for public life.
Docherty's role as the company's early fit model is a poignant detail. She literally wore the product, ensuring it conformed to a standard, while her own needs went unaddressed. This echoes the legacy of brands like Warner's, which in the early 20th century marketed 'freedom' corsets, promising less restriction while still upholding a structured ideal. The parallel is clear: the expectation to be both foundational and invisible.
Her narrative of reclaiming desire and creative voice through a charged, unconsummated relationship challenges these constraints. It brings to mind the mid-century designs of Helmut Newton's muse, the lingerie brand owner and photographer Alice Springs, who presented a more confrontational, complex vision of femininity. Docherty's candid discussion of intimacy and self-discovery continues that thread of using personal truth as a form of design.
'Selfish' is less a business chronicle and more an account of shedding a prescribed form. It examines what happens when the supporting garment - be it lace or a role - is finally unlaced.
Originally reported by WWD