Tight squeeze

Ritual Designs make corsets for 21st-century goths

by AMY GERMAN

Corsets may call to mind Victorian oppression, constriction, kinky erotica or even rib removal, but for local designers Sandra Chirico and Karen Simpson of Ritual Designs, this historical garment has become a lucrative endeavour. The partners, both graduates of the LaSalle College fashion design program, launched their company after being disappointed with what they perceived as a lack of creative expression both in school and, subsequently, in the world of sportswear, where they first started out.

“I just thought that I was a real crap designer when I started working in the industry, because everything seemed so simplistic that I had a hard time,” Simpson states. But both she and Chirico were more likely goth pegs in square holes, trying to thrive as newcomers to the industry, rather than “crap designers.” It was out of this frustration that the idea of Ritual Designs custom corsets was born.
Corsets were originally designed to reduce the waist, exaggerating the body’s curves with the use of tight lacing and boning on a bodice.

“The fat would get pushed down and your organs pushed up into your rib cage,” Simpson explains. “In really extreme reductions, your liver would get pushed into your side.” And while this may sound like some absurd form of torture, according to Chirico and Simpson, the process does not have to be entirely painful.

The ribs remain the same
Ritual Designs’ garments are made to measure to avoid the lung constriction generally associated with the corsets of days gone by. “We take the measurement of your rib cage, and that doesn’t change, unlike your waist, which can change more,” Chirico says.

Though most of their creations are made of PVC, the duo use everything from satin and brocade to canvas and a variety of other textiles. They also insist on metal boning to keep the pieces from bending. “A good corset should last anywhere from five to 10 years if properly taken care of,” Chirico says of their creations, which range in price from $160–450.

Though they operate out of an atelier on St-Denis that clients can visit by appointment, most of Ritual Designs’ customers come from their Internet site or from the gothic conventions the two attend. Besides corsets (for both men and women), they’ve expanded into skirts, accessories and menswear in three different collections with Asian and fetish themes, as well as lots of camouflage and reflective trim. Business has increased threefold since Ritual Designs launched almost two years ago, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Clearly, people never tire of suffering in the name of fashion (or, in this case, just looking like they’re suffering for fashion).

To get fitted and tied visit www.ritualdesigns.com or call 849-6391

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