Lammotte Johnson's hot new line of handmade intimate apparel, LMMTTE, has been getting lots of attention, with performers like DreamDoll scooping up garments as fast as Lamm can make them. Follow along on Instagram at @lmmtte

Your garments are so sexy and unique! Tell us what inspired you to start LMMTTE.

It is really quite personal. When I go into a store, I never find anything that truly caters to me —nothing that I can put on my body and fits correctly and looks the way I want to look and inspires me. I used to shop in the women’s section because I always felt that the men’s section never really provided for me when it came to size and overall aesthetic. But after a while, I thought “well, this section doesn’t really work for me either”. So that’s when I started making things—I started designing in order to create what I wanted to wear.

Did you go to fashion school or take design or sewing classes?

No! I first started by going on YouTube and learning how to hand sew, with a needle and thread. I made a lot of things that way for a while. Eventually, I got a sewing machine and that’s when I just kinda went crazy with making things. As I started posting things on social media, I got a lot of attention and positive feedback, so I just decided to go for it —and I’ve been really enjoying it.

It’s been an intense process because it all happened so fast and I started getting attention before I barely even knew how to make the clothes I was making.

Who are you designing for—what type of person?

I’m really into the figure and I’m all about expressing sexuality so my target customer is someone who is very confident and really into their sexuality; those who are really confident in themselves tend to come my way—a lot of exotic dancers and performers because they have to have that confidence and they have to put that out there. The rapper DreamDoll recently reached out to me and I created a custom set for her new music video.

How does your identity intersect with your work?

As a queer person of color, I want to break that boundary of what people expect from style in the queer community and showcase the fact that there so many different styles and different options — nobody should expect anything, but instead be open to what is there.

It’s not just about a cute little thong, it’s about people learning to respect other people and to learn to be more confident in themselves. Through seeing a brand like mine, people might begin to realize that the biggest bully in their life is themselves. We’re all so hard on ourselves and don’t see our own beauty and power.

Photographer: Landyn Pan 

Hair & Makeup: Chris Tabassi