Nadia van Kaathoven is the maker behind Swoon Studio, a slow-sewn lingerie brand creating intimate pieces designed to be worn, loved, and lived in.
Swoon is a quiet rebellion against fast fashion’s empty churn. Each piece is hand-sewn in their local studio, with a focus on fit, fabric, and conscious construction—designed to be worn, repaired, and treasured.
It's lingerie for people who want to feel good in their skin, not squeezed into someone else's idea of it. Beyond the ready-to-wear range, Nadia’s Measure Twice service offers made-to-measure pieces and careful repairs, keeping garments in circulation and close to the heart.
And now, there's even more to love — from Monday 5th May 2025, Nadia will open the doors to Measure Twice, her new in-studio service in Miles End (SA) offering made-to-measure, vintage and bridal lingerie, as well as thoughtful repairs and alterations for all your favourite threads. Studio visits will run from 10am–2pm, Monday to Friday, creating a space for fittings, fine-tuning, and breathing new life into beautiful pieces.
Recently, Good Studios founder Bing Rowland had the pleasure of chatting with Nadia about the quiet art of lingerie, the beauty of considered craft, and why a perfect fit is about so much more than size.
BR: What’s your true north in your practice? That instinct or belief that keeps you steady when things get wobbly.
NVK: I’m not sure I could do anything else with my days. I've always had busy hands, and I’ve always been surrounded by makers. My baba’s Singer sewing machine lived in a tiny pantry; my parents ran a local manufacturing business where I grew up rummaging through fabric bins and making things out of billiard felt.
That’s probably what shaped my true north. I want to be surrounded by machines humming, rolls of fabric, pins and patterns—sewing and selling things made with my hands. I love the mystery of construction—the way all these hidden processes turn into something beautiful and wearable.
And now, more than ever, it’s about crafting consciously. Thinking about the full lifecycle of a piece, and choosing fabrics, trims, and threads with care.
BR: How do you know when something you’ve made is good different?
NVK: When I find myself reaching for the same sample in my underwear drawer, over and over again.
BR: What’s something about the craft of lingerie-making that you wish more people understood?
NVK: How dramatically fabric choice changes the final fit—even with the same pattern.
Elastane content, weave type, weight, stitch style, elastic recovery... it all matters. Fold-over elastic might stretch 80–100% with a softer recovery, while a traditional picot edge stretches less but holds tighter over time. Even the fabric dye can subtly change how something fits.
Every new material means trial and error: patternmaking, fitting, wash testing. Lucky for me, it also means an overflowing drawer of samples.
BR: What’s your most witchy ritual?
NVK: Turkish coffee reading. And talking to my sewing machines to tell them they’re doing a good job.
Sometimes they behave. Sometimes they need a little encouragement.
BR: What’s something you’ve had to unlearn since starting Swoon?
NVK: To never sew at night… unless I’m willing to unpick.
BR: What’s a song that never fails to bring you back to yourself?
NVK: Today? It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M.
BR: What’s one moment with a customer or collaborator that’s really stuck with you?
NVK: Honestly, any time I get to help someone who’s struggled to find underwear they feel good in.
At the studio, I run ‘Measure Twice’—a service for made-to-measure pieces, fittings, repairs, and alterations. There’s nothing more memorable than helping someone finally feel comfortable. Or giving an old, beloved bra a second life.
BR: How important is mindset in juggling business and motherhood? Any go-to resets?
NVK: I think I might always be figuring it out.
But a present mindset is essential. It rarely works when I try to do both badly at once.
BR: What’s a daily rhythm or ritual that keeps you creatively sharp?
NVK: (No more than two) moka pot coffees every morning—before 10am.
BR: And finally… what’s your idea of a bloody good day?
NVK: When my overlockers already have the exact colour thread I want to use.
(If you know, you know.)
Discover Swoon
https://www.instagram.com/studio.swoon/
Measure Twice is opening May 5th
7 Henley Street Mile End, SA 5031
Book your mending and alterations here.