On brass

Hardware on a corset is not decoration. It is the anchor. A laced or buckled corset generates outward pressure every time it's worn. Light alloy buckles bend. Stamped grommets rip out of the leather. Neither lasts.

Everything I use is solid brass, cold-set by hand. Each rivet is hammered onto an anvil so the post deforms against the burr — a permanent mechanical lock. It can't be unscrewed. It won't pull free.

Brass also ages. Unlacquered, it darkens with time. The leather darkens with it — oils, sunlight, wear. Eventually the hide and the hardware become the same color. They look like they belong together because they do.