Fashion is one of the largest industries in the world, and plays a very monumental part of the GDP. This should come as no surprise, as fashion is able to intersect with so many other industries. The anime industry may not be the same size as the fashion industry, but it is still very much a prominent fixture itself, and the intersection of these two worlds causes wonderful things to happen. Anime clothing brands such as Bandage Brigade are amazing for focusing on the casual anime clothes one can wear, and Namiwear is doing fantastic things by combining anime and streetwear fashion. However, there is a market that has not been talked about and that is more on the lewd side. We’re introducing Bastet x Loves, which is a Black-owned and operated fashion company by CharaneLoves. It specializes in making “hot nerdy bodysuits and monokinis in mid sizes and plus sizes”. Charanne shared with us how she started her business, where it is now, and where she sees the company going in the future. 

Miruko dress drops at 5 est 🐰 pic.twitter.com/U9hZk7zvCh

— BastetxLoves (@BastetxLoves) November 6, 2022

How did you get started?

Charanne was already a cosplayer long before starting her business, and it is that hobby which led to her starting her own business. “I bought a few of the “one size fits all” outfits off of Amazon and they did NOT fit AT ALL! I already had been modifying or making my own cosplays to fit my body type anyway, so I figured why not make this too.” So then she made the suit for herself. It was a Chun-li set and when she posted it, people came to her asking where she got it from. People have been using her clothes for cosplay, swimwear, and as anime lingerie! 

Along with making clothes for mid-to-plus size people, she also wanted to highlight the mid and plus size friends and cosplayers who weren’t able to showcase and model other brands. “Since a lot of the people who asked were mid size like myself or plus size it gave me even more incentive, since there isn’t really a supply for sexy clothes for those sizes that actually fit I might add.” Many feel as if there is a lack of inclusivity for minorities within the community and fashion industry, but her business page gave her the platform to showcase them. “The business page gives me the power to showcase anyone that has bought my outfits no matter the size, follower count, sexual orientation, gender etc. I also have prided myself in genuinely grabbing random people when it comes to promos.” One of the beautiful parts about her doing these promos is that she understands her audience. Many of the people who buy her product have secondary sources of income they earn from modeling outfits just like this or creating video content while wearing them. This is what inspired the name and logo behind the brand “The concept came directly with the idea that as a sex worker of any kind you can make three times the money you made wearing one of my outfits. If you spend 50 dollars on a monokini from me you are going to be turning heads and definitely making money on whatever platform you are using.”

What are some of your challenges?

 There is a high demand for Charanne’s products too. Being one of the only places to get anime lingerie for mid and plus size women is one thing, but when you add in the high quality of the products, the demand exceeds the supply. “A lot of people may not notice but when I start to get too overwhelmed with orders, I slow down on advertising on my socials. I am only one person, with the help of my partner/business partner when it comes to things like designing and packaging, but it’s specifically just me when it comes to sewing.” Like any business owner, Charanne would love to expand but faces the challenge of letting someone else handle her products. What makes her products special is the amount of care, attention to detail, quality, love and affection that goes into her pieces. “I would love to expand, but as of right now, I don’t have anyone I trust to truly help with the process so for now I’m just keeping a comfortable workload.”

Charanne wants to grow and has plans to do so. Currently she is working on a program that will not only allow her to market her products to more people and give other plus and mid size cosplayers access, but will also create more opportunities for black cosplayers and models. Many will be excited to learn about or participate in this program when she finally unveils it. You can buy any of the body suits or monokinis by going to her website BastetxLoves. To keep up with BastetXLoves, please follow the business twitter page. Charanne also makes updates on her personal page so check out all of her socials as well! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about CharanneLoves, BastetXLoves, and the anime fashion industry with me. As always, thank you for making us your Otaku Hub!