Some stories take time to come to life. Naked in Paris was never meant to be rushed—it was a feeling, a quiet longing, a love letter to the beauty found in simplicity. Captured through the soft lens of Ewa Kwiatek, the images weave together the essence of romance and nostalgia, brought to life by gorgeous model Mia. At the heart of it all is Petra Lenssen, whose vision turned a secret dream into something real.
Brand owner Petra Lenssen shares: “Thinking back now, “Naked in Paris” was probably the only good thing that came out of a very long 2 year Melbourne lockdown for me. It all started very innocent and like most passion projects, with a very well curated Pinterest board + a secret Instagram page, none of which my friends or family knew about. It was initially called @butmentallyimhere and it was literally a collection of my thoughts, people’s art, sensational vintage garments and beautiful places, where I would have rather been in that period of time… writing this feels bittersweet. This little secret corner of the internet, was a place where I could dream, a place I could escape the harsh reality of a global pandemic.
“It was a way of life, it was art, it was a deep longing for the way things once were, it was romanticising the little moments of every single day.”
A few months later, the Australian borders finally opened, cafes were full of life again and suddenly the online world didn’t seem so important anymore … and so it stayed there, waiting quietly, as a silent reminder of the ideas, feelings and desires I once had. Fast forward to my pregnancy and the very early hazy sleepless nights with a newborn baby on my chest.. there I was again.. in the middle of the night, my phone in hand, feeling somewhat isolated from the world again, breastfeeding my little human on demand until the sun came up .. but this time around, there was a feeling that this little secret project, maybe doesn’t have to be so secret anymore. It wanted out.
It stayed there for almost another year and a half, until I felt like I was ready to bring it to life. My background is in visual arts and I spent over 15 years in the fashion industry, as a full time model. One they it all clicked and suddenly it all made sense. I knew fabric, I knew fit. It’s all I have done since a very young age of 15. It took 4 long years all together to bring all the things, people and pieces necessary together to be able to share NIP with the world. Because for me, NIP was always more than a ” label”. It was never meant to be rushed or forced. It was a way of life, it was art, it was a deep longing for the way things once were, it was romanticising the little moments of every single day. It was simple, but beautiful. Just like life itself. We launched in November 2024 with 7 essential pieces, handmade from 100% pure cotton pointelle and are currently working on Chapter Two, which is very exciting!
Our first campaign was shot spontaneously on our overseas trip to Mallorca. First came the house – I fell in love with the way it felt, when I found it online. The magnificent green shutters. The original oil paintings. The wallpaper. It was perfect! The location felt almost as important to me, as the garments were. I told my husband Ross, that I don’t care if we have to eat two minute noodles for a week, this was it. And so we booked this enormous 8-9 bedroom palace, in the middle of Sollér, for our family of 3, which at that time felt kind of comical.
Then came Ewa! I found Ewa, the photographer via an instagram post and immediately felt and saw how special her art was. Soft, feminine, fluid, ethereal. We started chatting and I knew pretty soon she was perfect for the job! On the day of the shoot, the air felt hot and humid as we opened the old green shutters in the early morning light. The day was filled with ice long blacks, upbeat girly chit chat, the Polaroids clicking away & Billie Holiday gently playing in the background. It felt like a movie scene, it was everything and maybe more.
We finished the day off with a bottle of a chilled French Rosé to celebrate the start of something really special. The start of a new journey, new experiences, new opportunities and new friendships.
Ewa Kwiatek also contributed to our new C-Heads print volume 39. The issue is a love letter to the simple joys, the human warmth, the in-between moments that often go unnoticed.
MODEL: Mia – @miacbell
BRAND: Naked in Paris – @nakedinparis.intimates
BRAND OWNER: Petra Lenssen – @petraprimrose
PHOTOGRPHY: Ewa Kwiatek @ewakwiatek
