This Former Pole Dancer Is Making Elegant, Minimal Thongs

Just how minimalist can a thong get? The concept might be barely-there already but the German label Du Ciel by Maria Sinkovskiy has translated the flossy piece of fabric into something even more refined, resulting in an elegant but barely-there thong. The silk G-string with a matching bra that is “party in the back,” as in just three strings, and “business in the front,” which is more reminiscent of full coverage underwear. (It is available in both white and black.)

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Part of the allure of Du Ciel’s underwear is the mood around it. While dental floss panties can skew raunchy, Sinkovskiy’s creations have an elevated draw. (Much of this is thanks to how the pieces are shot: No-frills white-and-black images of a model simply standing in the underwear.) Sinkovskiy’s inspirations have a bit of history, too. You wouldn’t be hard-pressed to see a bit of the ’90s (“the cheeky part,” she notes) but also, she included images of the modernist interiors of Bauhaus architecture on her moodboard. “I was looking at sculptures and lines,” she said. Another big building block for the label? Sinkovskiy’s time living in Australia where she spent two years and worked as a pole dancer. “This is also a part where women inspired me, all shapes of bodies. All types of emotions,” she later wrote in an email. “And in this kind of business there are a lot of emotions.”

Sinkovskiy, 26, who is now based in Düsseldorf, launched Du Ciel in December of 2019. She had been laying the groundwork for the brand for a year but had discovered she had Stage 4 cancer, halting the design process. “I was in Australia at the time and I didn’t feel good for six months. Nobody could find out what I had,” she said. “I knew at some point I had to go back to Germany because the healthcare system is so much better than Australian system.” During her recovery time, she took time to think about Du Ciel. “Most inspiration came from laying in bed. I wanted to think of the emotions I wanted to put out. I wanted to create that piece that makes someone feel something and is a piece you are always grabbing. A person will feel sexy but also comfortable and cute, and also minimalist so they can mix it up with other things.”

Sinkovskiy notes that each piece is made from silk from France, something that influenced the brand name, which translates to “Du Ciel” in French. “You shouldn’t feel anything when you wear silk, it is very very soft,” said Sinkovskiy. “And that is the feeling I wanted to put out.” Sinkovskiy’s other silk underwear is flirtier than the thong: A pair of silk panties trimmed with ruffle and matching bandeau top. “It was very important to me to have a cute girl who wants the ruffles, and the other girl who wants something tougher,” says Sinkovskiy over the phone. “I have both types of girls who like each.” Also in the mix is a tank top made out of thin bamboo, which feels plucked from a ’90s-era runway. It has one strap that sprouts from the middle of the chest and curves around the shoulder. So far, that’s the only piece of clothes she’s created, but Sinkovskiy is planning to do more in the future, following the idea of emotion rather than season. “I want to do skirts and pants but it is step by step. I don’t want to do mass production and just do how I feel,” she says. “The pieces I am doing are a reflection of how I am feeling. I have no timetable.” Currently, Du Ciel is a team of two that includes Sinkovskiy herself and her seamstress, an older woman who hails from Greece. In the future, she hopes to add a third member who can develop knits.

Though it is a relatively new brand, Sinkovskiy has already had some fans. One includes model-singer Breanna Box. Sinkovskiy had sent Box a pair of panties. While in Paris during fashion week, Sinkovskiy saw what she thought was a fashion week gathering but was actually Box’s birthday party. “I was like, ‘I have to say I am from Du Ciel and say hi.’ She [Box] wore this beautiful dress at her birthday party. So I went up to her and said, ‘I am the one from Du Ciel.’ And she said, “Oh, really I have Du Ciel on.’ And in the middle of the street she pulled her dress up.” Box had been wearing a Dilara Findikoglu pannier skirt with hiked-up, frilly Du Ciel panties, which she later posted on Instagram. Call it fate.

To purchase, head to www.duciel.studio.

Originally Appeared on Vogue