LUSCA reinvents the bodysuit with a tiny innovation!
Toby Morgan has always loved a bodysuit. The Sandy Springs resident of Jamaican descent says, “The bodysuit is the basic piece that you can start building your wardrobe around. It gives a sleek silhouette, and you can dress it up or down with an awesome blazer or jacket; cute sweat, jean or legging; and kitten heel or sneaker. The possibilities are endless.”
So Morgan was dismayed that decades after the fashion item became popular in the 1960s, it was still uncomfortable to wear. “I was confused why we were still using the pushbutton clasps or no clasps at all. There wasn’t a more comfortable alternative that I could find on the market, so I invented it—a magnetic clasp!” she says.
Morgan’s journey to debuting her fashion brand, LUSCA, unfolded over the course of five years. She’s a practicing lawyer of 15 years who now works for Intuit Credit Karma, so designing a collection wasn’t exactly in her wheelhouse when she started in 2017. And it turns out, inventing a totally new product was an even bigger challenge. A chance introduction to Felicia Loewy, CEO and founder of Assembly Line, a fashion brand development agency, proved instrumental in connecting Morgan with the right people in the industry. Loewy guided her through the launch process, from creating CAD designs to finding a manufacturer and sourcing fabrics.
While Morgan was developing LUSCA, which is short for “mollusca,” a marine phylum for shelled invertebrates native to Jamaica, Kim Kardashian’s popular shapewear brand SKIMS launched in 2018. But that didn’t dishearten her. “It just further solidified the bodysuit’s role in fashion. They are here to stay,” Morgan says.
In 2022, LUSCA introduced its first capsule collection of 11 bodysuits with magnetic clasps. It includes basic long-sleeve and sleeveless styles in grays, nudes, whites and light blue, as well as edgier looks in black mesh, vegan leather and animal print. Choose between thong and full-coverage options in sizes XS-XL priced between $160 and $200.
All of the body-hugging styles are available for purchase on shoplusca.com. This spring, Morgan scored a retailer win with the launch of LUSCA on online global marketplace Wolf & Badger. Having patented her magnetic invention, she also is actively seeking collaborations with other designers.
“I’m proud of what we created. Men have not been focused on the ergonomics of clothing they have been designing for us women. Our magnetic closure creates better functionality to use the restroom while wearing a bodysuit,” Morgan says. “I’ve had women tell me they can wear a bodysuit to a concert now because they can easily use a porta-potty!”
Beyond the potential for business growth in the year ahead, Morgan is excited about Atlanta emerging in the fashion world. “Designers in this city are a part of the evolution of fashion, and we are introducing new concepts and ideas to the world,” she says.
Morgan fell in love with the city for its culture, music and greenspaces when she moved here after graduating from William & Mary Law School in 2010 to be closer to her mom—and then fell in love for real. Alongside practicing law and entrepreneurship, she is raising baby boy Aries May with her fiancé, William May, and looks forward to planning their wedding in Jamaica where her mother has since retired.
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