Exploring Life & Business with Kathryn McGinnis-Jacobsen of Darlin’ Lingerie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn McGinnis-Jacobsen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to Nashville in 2014 from Kansas City, unbeknownst to me I was spoiled in terms of bra buying. We had mom and pop lingerie shops sprinkled throughout the city and I could easily find great fitting bespoke undergarments that lasted more than a season.
When I moved here I struggled to find the brands that I loved. Bra buying is a bit like jean shopping, even within the same brand size and fit fluctuates. Shopping online felt like an expensive gamble, returns were much different than they are in post-covid retail. I kept waiting for a lingerie shop to open that offered what I was looking for in terms of sustainability, quality, fit, and style.
After dreaming about it and watching my bras fall apart over the years, I quit my job and took a crash course lingerie fit school in New York. By the end of 2017, I had secured a tiny space in Wedgewood Houston where rent was cheap, crossed my fingers, and opened the doors to Darlin’.
The first year was terrible, I had no idea what I was doing. I placed orders too focused on fashion and fabric, french silk and handmade in London was not what most Nashville women were looking for. I still have a few bras from my first year in business, they’re beautiful works of art that are less 9-5 and more 8-10. I listened to what my customers wanted that year and changed to daily wear options in sizes that were hard to find in big box stores.
By the end of 2018 I had found my groove and began planning for an expansion. In 2019 I tripled the size of the store, four months before Covid. By the time June 2020 rolled around, I had been learning how to build an online store with Youtube videos, pitchers of iced coffee, and more crossed fingers.
The online store garnered the attention of Vogue and Darlin’ was highlighted as a top southern boutique. From 2019-2024 we’ve been a finalist as a top North American Lingerie boutique within the industry. Last year Goop put us on their Nashville travel guide! I have been so thankful for the accolades, it’s taken a lot of pivoting over the years.
Over the years I’ve found my passion has grown into helping women love their bras again. Wearing the wrong size can cause back, shoulder, and neck pain. When a woman finds a size she loves it can change how her clothing fits, posture, and confidence. My best selling sizes are 34 F , 34 G, & 32 H. I have measured one 36 C in my entire career.
Darlin’s final pivot seems to have been leaving the neighborhood where the story began. November 2024 I left Weho and all of it’s endless construction, to the pedestrian friendly neighborhood of Germantown. It has been a wonderful change, all of the neighboring shops are female owned and operated. We are now on the second floor above Henrietta Red and The Golden Slipper and the fit couldn’t be more perfect.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think if you ask any business owner that has been in operation before 2020, they’ll tell you it’s been wildly inconsistent. From supply chain issues; like the Suez Canal fiasco that resulted in fabric shortages, to foam factories shutting down and molded cup bras being backordered for over a year, to price hikes and tariffs. My first years in business felt so difficult, but now with older eyes I look back on them fondly.
Social media has been a huge challenge within the lingerie industry, I’ve found myself stepping away from platforms because female figures violate “community guidelines”, even mannequins are flagged and removed. Working with lingerie in the south is a bit fetishized, often lumped in with adult stores, which has been interesting to see. I think we’re seeing a cultural change and I believe a bit of it can be attributed to AI.
Darlin’ serves so many walks of life, because at the end of the day we all need a good bra. It’s just that sometimes it has an extra strap, an open gusset, or lace in an interesting place.
I think the best lesson I have learned is to be adaptable, to listen to your customers, and to know that at the end of the day we’re all just doing our best.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Darlin’ Lingerie?
I am a bra fitting expert and love helping women fall in love with their bodies again! Women go through so many changes throughout their lives, and our bra sizes change with each season. From puberty, young adulthood, to weight gain and weight loss, pregnancy, breast cancer, breast reductions and augmentations, to menopause, and gravity. Our bodies are constantly shifting and I’m here to help offer support (both literally and figuratively) throughout whatever body we find ourselves in.
I like to think I’m known for finding solutions in a confusing industry and making sense of our measurements. I am mindful of multiple price points, sizes, sustainable options, luxury options, and making bra shopping a fun and easy experience.
I brought private appointments in during Covid, and never quit offering them. I started seeing clients that never would have stepped foot into the store during normal hours. So many of us have body image issues, and being in our underwear is a really vulnerable state. Having that one on one experience with someone who is struggling to love themselves again whether through body changes, break ups, or just a bad day is a service I will always offer. I’ve found this is a whole other level of retail therapy.
I also book celebratory appointments if you want to bring your girls in for a private party, your partner, or just a specialized lingerie styling service. I always say if you can dream it, we can do it. I’ve had parties bring professional photographers, catering, and games.
The selection in store rotates weekly, from t-shirt bras, pajamas, shape-wear, and accessories. If I don’t have the exact size or piece you are looking for, I’ll find it and bring it in! We currently offer sizes A-K in store, XS-4XL, and source from indie designers that specialize in great fitting intimates. Only Hearts, Else, Cosabella, Thistle and Spire, Fleur Du Mal, Natori, Scarlette Blue, Evelyn and Bobbie, and Kilo Brava are staple brands in store. I change our luxury slow fashion brands to showcase multiple styles seasonally.
The experience here is truly what sets Darlin’ apart from department stores. Not only do I want you to love what you leave with, I want you to love how it makes you feel. Underwear is the first thing we put on everyday, it should make us feel good and a great fit is the first step to loving your shape again.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you are starting a business, start small and don’t take on more debt than you can handle. Your customers will tell you what they want, and you have to listen to them. Be adaptable and open minded, a lot of times we think of business as being a rigid structure with forecasts and endless growth. You have to accept there will be highs and lows throughout your venture. Just because something didn’t work out the way you anticipated doesn’t make you a failure, as long as you learn from it. I think approaching disappointments as learning experiences helps us grow in the right direction.
Being in business is a bit like being rocky road ice cream. Some people love rocky road, some people hate it, and some people have a nut allergy and can’t try it anyway.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nashvilledarlin.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nashvilledarlin