About

"From the Cradle to the coffin underwear comes first" -Bertold Brecht

"Cuccia" is an intimate undergarment brand which has been manifesting since I was a kid playing dress up in imaginary realms and taking photos with my two sisters.  I would wake up every morning in a primary color room, dig through my mother’s underwear and Capezio dance wear and walk through the hallways with Nagel posters on the walls. 

I left my New York hometown at 19 to move to California where I received a BA in Visual Communication from Brooks Institute of Photography. 

After College I made extra money working as a fittings model in a large downtown Los Angeles garment factory for major retail brands. I tried on garments for several hours a day for many years while directing the seamstresses on how to alter and make better fits. I then became the graphic designer and assistant to the creative director at the factory where I collaborated with their garment designs and photography.

Around this time I started to photograph myself, often in underwear, which became a therapeutic practice that has helped me to reclaim my body, express my sexuality, and strengthen the relationship I have with myself. When I started photographing other women this way they always thanked me and told me how elevated they felt and how therapeutic the experience was just to be seen and celebrated. 

I found it difficult to find underwear shapes that I wanted to photograph that I felt could accentuate bodies the way I imagined. This lead me to develop Cuccia Intimates.

What drives me the most is the process of designing unique underwear shapes and choosing fabrics that feel “right” alongside creating imagery that is emotional and nostalgic of the imagery inspiring me since I was that little girl playing dress up.

I wanted to merge my passion for photography and design into something tangible and combine everything I love into one...Cuccia Intimate Wear.

"This is how I grew up. This is what comes natural to me.”

- Rachel Cuccia