The first thing that springs to mind when hearing the words ‘Fashion placement’ for me is Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. Banished from the office for a lack of stilettos, and the quote, ‘A million girls would kill for this job.’ The last five weeks at Panache have taught me that in this fast paced, dog eat dog industry, very rarely there is still such a thing as a wholehearted, honest and welcoming family company, and that experience in a business with these attributes is priceless.
With strong company values of fit, support and comfort, the brand know their customer inside out and flawlessly provide season after season of beautiful yet supportive lingerie. Every woman knows that good underwear is not only the foundation of every good outfit, but a foundation to feeling fantastic, and with four sub brands reaching out to every style, taste and personality, there really is something for everyone. My personal favourite of the four is Masquerade, luxurious and sophisticated; these styles are the crème de la crème of fuller bust lingerie, and feature detailing often missing in other D+ brands. During my time at panache, I’ve been working alongside the design team to design a matching masquerade set, and very excitingly have this made for myself.
Despite the laid back, friendly atmosphere at Panache, it is definitely not a brand to be underestimated in success and standing its ground in this glamorous industry. One of my highlights of the five weeks was the S/S14 catwalk show, a chance to get a sneak preview of the latest collections with the beautiful backdrop of Whirlowbrook Hall. I personally think that there is nothing more exciting than the buzz of a live catwalk show, and I was in no way disappointed by a Panache show. The inspiring feeling in the air never fails to push me towards one day seeing my own collection walking down the runway, and seeing some of the hard work that leads up such a big finale is hugely motivational!
I think the most valuable experience I have gained from my time with Panache has been a realistic insight into what it takes to make it as a designer, and the drive to get to where I want to be. I’ve been shown that being a designer involves a lot of hard work to create a collection perfectly suited to a specific customer, and how important it is to stay passionate about core company values from where it all began. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Panache team, and cannot thank them enough for the experience I am leaving with, although I can say after five weeks of working with fuller bust lingerie I am definitely leaving with boob envy!
Zoe Babington
