Lesbian designer Rebecca Szymczak branches out into feel-good lingerie.
Rebecca Szymczak knows a thing or two about fashion. As a former designer for DKNY and Nike, and currently creative director/vice president of design at Playboy Licensing, Inc., the Manhattan-based Renaissance woman (she holds a B.A. in design with a minor in psychology and is stunning enough to act as a model for her own innovative outfits) happily defies the stereotype of lesbians as anti-fashion.
Szymczak has now launched her own label, BEX nyc, which produces luxurious lingerie to make women feel sexy and comfortable. These quality garments will appeal to your inner vixen, and, as lovely as they are, it’s likely that under the admiring gaze of your lady lover you won’t be in them for long.
Born in the heartland of Pennsylvania and educated in the liberal cities of Amsterdam and Toronto, Szymczak, 30, has been out to family and friends since the age of 18, and out professionally ever since graduation. She has a fresh, liberated approach to fashion and at Playboy oversees the design and aesthetic of the somewhat controversial brand’s global product.
As a lesbian, she has no hesitation about representing the brand. “Since the 1950s, when the company was founded, Hugh Hefner has always advocated for women’s rights and civil rights. We also have many strong female executives, and our goal from a product standpoint is to design and distribute product that makes women feel good about themselves when they wear it.”
It seems perfectly natural, then, that Szymczak would feel comfortable designing lingerie that actually empowers women, rather than making them feel inadequate. “I truly believe underwear is the foundation of your outfit and will set the tone for your day. You can always wear sexy underwear that makes you feel beautiful.”
Inspired since childhood by Madonna, who she admires as a sexually empowered businesswoman, brand, and fashion icon, Szymczak aims to impart a little of the entertainer’s confidence through her own label. “BEX nyc pushes the limits of the average woman, making her feel daring, confident, and feminine all at once.”
But don’t think this is strictly for femmes. The label combines the details of men’s underwear with feminine and sexy silhouettes, and the clever packaging is designed to delight the purchaser as much as the wearer. Lesbians who are either boxer- or thong-reliant would do well to reevaluate the power of the unseen.
“If you thoughtlessly throw on your worn-out, cotton, back-of-the-underwear-drawer briefs, you’re inevitably going to feel less beautiful and less sexual than if you choose underwear that flatters your shape and makes you feel hot,” says Szymczak. “Whether it’s a great-fitting pair of boy briefs or a French lace thong, if you feel attractive in it you will exude that confidence all day.”
Her insider intimates tip? Clean out your undies drawer once a season and throw away anything you feel less than fabulous in. You might even find some worthy replacements in these pages.