Underneath it All—Confidence Begins with Araks
AMONG THE SLOW FASHION INDUSTRY, ARAKS STANDS OUT AS ONE OF THE FEW LINGERIE AND SWIMWEAR BRANDS THAT INTEGRATES MINDFUL, CONSCIOUS DESIGN WHILE MAINTAINING THE UNIQUENESS OF EACH GARMENT. A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH FOUNDER AND DESIGNER ARAKS YERAMYAN IN THE STUDIO THIS PAST SUMMER, CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF A QUINTESSENTIAL NEW YORK CITY MOMENT, MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE HAD TO SIT DOWN WITH HER TO DIVE DEEPER INTO THE CORE OF ARAKS: WOMEN, MINDFULNESS, AND COLOR.
words by HAVEN HATHAWAY
images COURTESY OF BRAND
THE HISTORY
I’ve unknowingly had Araks on my mood boards for years—from Scarlett Johansson lying on the bed in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation to Gigi Hadid’s chin-skimming bob video debut earlier this year, both wearing Araks. The words ‘Beautifully Natural’ grace their website and couldn’t be more fitting. No logos scream for attention, no silhouettes outlast their timelessness, and every woman who wears Araks can’t help but feel empowered.
Over 20 years ago, New York City-based designer Araks Yeramyan launched her eponymous label with a singular mission: to care for women. Lingerie became the perfect expression of this vision — an intimate, often overlooked territory that most artistic designers shied away from. But Yeramyan saw the potential and knew she had to claim it.
“It’s really about women and then color, and the environmental responsibility is weaved into it,” says Yeramyan. “Araks is setting yourself up from the first layer you put on to have you feel beautiful. People have so many things about their bodies, and I want them to feel beautiful in their bodies before their clothes are on.”
“Araks is setting yourself up from the first layer you put on to have you feel beautiful.”
— ARAKS YERAMYAN, FOUNDER OF ARAKS
THE WOMEN
Despite lingerie’s traditional association with the male gaze and utilitarian purpose, Araks flips the narrative, starting with the woman herself. For Yeramyan, the vision begins from a personal place: “I can’t design for anybody else other than myself. I go outside of the zone, but it has to be somewhere in the realm of my idea that I would wear,” she says.
While icons like Demi Moore, Rosalía, and Gwyneth Paltrow have worn Araks, the brand’s genuine appeal is its celebration of everyday women and their unique beauty. A scroll through their Instagram reveals something that connects deeply with you—whether it’s a striking color or a woman who feels familiar.
“As a lingerie designer, I don’t have to answer to too many people looking for newness. I have to push myself sometimes because I can’t go too long without newness, but I don’t make it so rigid that I’m developing things that don’t feel good to me,” says Yeramyan. She creates for the women who inspire her, ensuring she always delivers the highest quality lingerie and swimwear.
“As a lingerie designer, I don’t have to answer to too many people looking for newness.”
— ARAKS YERAMYAN, FOUNDER OF ARAKS
THE COLORS
Yeramyan often wears black, a color many believe designers favor because their minds are already bursting with color. For her, this couldn’t be more true. Her love for color radiates through her designs, where she aims for color to evoke deep emotion and feeling. “My favorite underwear since the beginning of time is the Isabella panty with the colored scallop. I get excited when I pull down my pants and see the different color combinations. It’s a little surprise of color to give you a little happiness when you take your pants off or put them on in the morning,” she says.
She tells a story about her father, who was an artist who never became an artist, who trained her from her childhood about color. “He gave me three colored pencils, red, yellow, and blue, and so I had to create all colors out of those colors, which gave me this obsession with color. He fed me with museums, covered my walls with art, and encouraged me as an artist,” she says.
The selection of color for her products is the foundation, and she spends the most time on it during the design process. Sometimes, she gets too excited and adds a color that hasn’t entirely caught up with the masses yet, but she says, “Gray, brown, and red are really important right now. Red is a very powerful color for lingerie and swimwear. I feel like that will always be exciting.”
The current palette blends Araks’ signature hero shades with trending hues like butter yellow and a rich, wine-spill red popping up everywhere. In a lingerie landscape dominated by brands like Savage X Fenty and Skims, Araks stands apart. “It’s hard to do color the way I do it,” says Yeramyan. Her latest source of inspiration, and the small brand she’s chosen to spotlight, is ceramics designer Ginny Sims, reflecting her “art first, design second” philosophy. Beyond its vibrant color palette and artistic influences, her brand is deeply committed to sustainable beauty, offering pieces that are not only visually striking but also environmentally conscious.
THE MINDFUL APPROACH
“My first focus is on the human, and then the environment. We have a line of undyed cotton organic underwear, and I would say that is, hands down, probably the safest to wear,” she says. Araks’ approach to sustainability is rooted in mindfulness—being conscious of their community and the planet. The brand has implemented practices to create meaningful change. “I’m always doing a little bit every season, from the smallest things like the hang tags we use or recycling our plastic bags, because right now, that’s our solution,” she says. She was once very rigid and stuck on the big things but slowly realized that small efforts make a difference.
“My first focus is on the human, and then the environment. We have a line of undyed cotton organic underwear, and I would say that is, hands down, probably the safest to wear.”
— ARAKS YERAMYAN, FOUNDER OF ARAKS
“One of our bigger impacts is fabrication. We are evergreen, which means we don’t change fabrics all the time, and we’re constantly using the same fabric.” She also focuses on upcycling fabrics each season, and whenever she does have to bring in a new fabric, it must have a major sustainable offer. “I never want anything to go to trash. I try to be less rigid and see how to make things work,” says Yeramyan.
One hundred percent of the collections are cut and sewn in New York. “I know the people that sew my garments are all on a living wage. They feel proud, joy, and love making the garment. That’s important. That energy goes into your garment,” she says.
THE NEXT STEPS
As the industry evolves, Yeramyan notes that increased awareness makes things easier, especially when caring for garments and striving for longevity. One key area of focus is the desire for clothes to be circular and long-lasting. However, lingerie and swimwear don’t typically have the same opportunity for circularity, making it even more crucial to care for them properly. “It won’t last forever, and neither is your swimsuit. They’re utilitarian things. They will not last. But if you hand wash it and are mindful, it will last a long time,” she says.
Araks has never felt pressured to chase trends. Their best-seller, the Gita bra, and the close second, the Beatrice bralette, are timeless yet playful designs. “My partner tells me he thinks people aren’t wearing bras anymore. That’s his take when he walks down the street; nobody wears a bra anymore. But now we sell more bras than panties,” she says. “So I think people are wearing bras more as layering pieces, or at least our bra as a layering piece.”
“Now we sell more bras than panties. So I think people are wearing bras more as layering pieces, or at least our bra as a layering piece.”
— ARAKS YERAMYAN, FOUNDER OF ARAKS
Recognizing the importance of the try-on and in-store experience when shopping for lingerie and swimwear, Araks recently opened a new studio space in Tribeca, New York City. This intimate and spacious environment allows customers to schedule one-on-one shopping appointments, enhancing their experience. Appointments can be easily made through the website.
If you’re looking for new lingerie, investing in a high-quality set is always a wise choice. Araks offers the perfect solution, elevating your self-care nights, energizing your busy mornings, and empowering you to conquer the day confidently.
FURTHER READING
