Gunpowder & Lace LLC was founded by Shanyn Stewart, after witnessing a carjacking in East Cleveland, Ohio, and soon after, Shanyn received her conceal carry permit. At the same time, she also underwent weight loss surgery and as she lost weight, she wanted to improve her silhouette and carry her gun at the same time.
While wearing a compression bodysuit every day, she was also buying every holster on the market. Unable to find one allowing for professional dress and concealment of a weapon, Shanyn had an idea.
Holsters on the market were bulky and most were made of leather or nylon, which created their own set of problems. Out of this dilemma came the drive to design a holster into a compression garment, which would provide slimming attributes as well as allowing women to carry their firearms.
Because of the way Gunpowder & Lace’s garments hug your body, the garment and the holster become like a second skin against you. As Shanyn began to experiment, she tried different fabrics and weights, finally coming up with a design that provided support while allowing space for a secret compartment to secure a gun.
Shanyn began to test market her product and began speaking with other women who concealed carry as a lifestyle regarding how they carried their weapons. She soon realized there was a need in the marketplace for garments allowing ladies to dress femininely and protect themselves at the same time.
The creation of the support holsters inspired the birth of corsets, a lingerie line, and garter belts that can be paired with the thigh holster.
“I live in a world where ladies are still ladies and gentlemen are still gentlemen,” says Shanyn.“I love to look and feel sexy under my clothing. I believe if you feel sexy and confident then your physical aura will portray that confidence.”
The goal of our garments is to allow women of all shapes and sizes to look and feel sexy and confident while giving them the ability to conceal carry.
