POSTER GIRL x OnlyFans Is Too Sexy For Old Rules
“The line between creator and audience is blending. Creatively, that feels far more interesting than the idea of fashion being this untouchable thing behind closed doors.”
POSTER GIRL has always done things their way and entirely on their own terms. Founders Francesca Capper and Natasha Somerville crossed paths at London‘s Central Saint Martins, sharpening their craft at some of fashion’s most storied houses. In 2017, they channelled that collective pedigree into POSTER GIRL: an unapologetically feminine label built on sculptural shapewear, and a nostalgia-soaked attitude that’s earned them a cult following of bold, beautiful icons that celebrate their sexuality by answering to nobody but themselves.
Now, in partnership with OnlyFans, they’re taking that ethos further than ever with an exclusive latex capsule collection. We sat down with the founders to talk autonomy, breaking industry rules and why OnlyFans feels like the most natural home for a brand that has never needed anyone’s permission.
Continue reading for the full interview.
You’ve said the collaboration is about “Autonomy, self-possession, no intermediaries.” How does OnlyFans’ ethos connect with your own?
OnlyFans cuts out the middleman and lets creators decide how they want to present themselves, what content they share and how they monetise it. There is something powerful and progressive in that.
Where did that philosophy in POSTER GIRL come from? You talk about women retaining control of their image. Tell us more.
For us it’s basically: women being in charge, having fun, and looking hot on their own terms.
POSTER GIRL started from the idea that you can be glamorous, cheeky, over-the-top, whatever you want…as long as you are the one calling the shots. No one else gets to write the story.
Fashion has traditionally been gatekept by a very specific kind of power. How does it feel to be building something that actively dismantles that?
We are just a bit bored of the old fashion-success format that was pushed incessantly while we were students back at Central Saint Martins. There was this idea that you had to go through specific ‘support’ platforms, not have an online store, rinse your efforts on wholesale and only dress certain body types. It felt old then but now it’s just ancient.
Culture seems to be moving more from the internet outward, people are discovering smaller brands and independent designers through algorithm over department store placement. Girls who were once dismissed as “too sexy” or not classic model-material are the ones fronting campaigns and walking runways now. We feel like we intentionally went to break the tradition out of that feeling of suppression in the industry and it has ultimately created a whole new universe for us.
Latex is such a loaded material. What does it mean to you as your signature? And as a material you’ve been experimenting with more and more?
Believe it or not, latex is a material we have been working with for over 15 years. There has always been an obsession with it as so many factors make it incredibly unique compared to any other material. It is a completely natural fabric, made from tree sap. It can look so synthetic and almost AI-like that it feels very different to everything else, it’s also extremely specific to work with and there are not many latex makers out there. It has a fantasy world adjacency too, being overtly fetishized in sexual subcultures.
In a more commercial light, people instantly react to it. The texture and feel is so satisfying and once you are not scared of trying it, you quickly become as obsessed as we are! And creatively it’s just such an exciting material to work with because there are still so many ways to push it. We’re constantly experimenting with transparency, colour, texture and construction. It still feels new to us.
Sharing your creative process on OnlyFans feels vulnerable for a brand. What made you comfortable enough to open that door?
We see a parallel in how OnlyFans and POSTER GIRL approach femininity, with autonomy and self-possession at the forefront. The emphasis is on women retaining control of their image and their business, without intermediaries.
Our audience is loving to see more of our exclusive content. Sometimes people forget we’re a London-based brand, with all our latex pieces made in our own studio. And honestly, people are over the fake gloss. They want the real behind-the-scenes world, not just the final ‘poster’. It’s why OnlyFans feels like a natural partnership for us right now. OnlyFans puts creators in control of their own content, while fans get access to exclusive content they won’t see anywhere else. It’s a space where we can share a ‘behind the curtain’ look at our creative process and connect directly with our fans on a more personal level, which we love.
The decentralization of fashion, creators going direct to their audience… where do you think this ends up in ten years? Does the traditional model survive?
We think things will continue to morph and adapt as technology and our environment evolves. Thinking of how much the consumer market and access to niche brands has developed in the past 5 years alone is wild. Everything feels much more open now. The line between creator, audience, muse, customer, it’s all blending together. And creatively, that feels far more interesting than the old idea of fashion being this untouchable thing behind closed doors.
