From Fashion Director to Founder - with Gillian Ridley Whittle

Jackie is joined by Gillian Ridley Whittle, founder of Peachaus - an ethical lingerie and wellness brand built around comfort, community and genuine care for women's bodies. Gillian's CV reads like a who's who of British retail: Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Topshop and a four-year stint in Australia working for Target and Myer. But it was leading Topshop through the pandemic, watching it sold to Asos, and being made redundant shortly after, that forced a reckoning she'd been quietly building towards for years.What followed wasn't a pivot so much as a homecoming, back to an idea she'd sketched out on a beach in Melbourne in 2016, back to the belief that fashion could be a force for good and back to underwear: the category she'd fallen in love with at M&S and never quite let go of.Jackie and Gillian's chat explores the gap between external success and internal fulfilment, the anxiety Gillian had hidden behind a capable exterior for years and the slow, determined process of building something that actually aligned with who she is. It's also a masterclass in listening to your customers, from a blackboard outside a teepee at a wellness festival to bra fits in WeWork offices. and following the evidence wherever it leads.Coming up in this episode:From trainee buyer to Topshop Fashion Director, and what the high street lost when the golden era endedLeading Topshop through Covid, the sale to Asos, and what came afterThe anxiety hidden behind a high-flying career, and the moment something had to changeThe Pinterest boards, the deck and the six-year slow burn to launching PeachausWhy fashion can be a force for good, and what that actually means in practiceHow the name Peachaus came about, and the deeper meaning behind itThe pivot from online brand to bra-fitting service and why the customers made it obviousWhat a blackboard outside a teepee tent at a wellness festival taught Gillian about her businessWhy most women are wearing the wrong bra size, and the health consequences nobody talks aboutPeachaus's partnership with CoppaFeel and the move into women's workplace wellnessAbout My Guest: Gillian Ridley WhittleGillian Ridley Whittle is the founder of Peachaus, an ethical lingerie and women's wellness brand. With over 25 years in fashion retail — including director-level roles at Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Target Australia and Topshop — she launched Peachaus to put comfort, care and community at the heart of an industry that had lost its way. Peachaus now operates a bra-fitting service for corporate clients alongside its product range, and Gillian is building it into a national — and eventually global — movement.Peachaus website: https://peachaus.com/Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-ridley-whittle-89a62313/EXCLUSIVE PEACHAUS DISCOUNT CODE FOR 15% OFF: WILDPEACH15 Be a part of the show:Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/Send me voice messages, questions, or story ideas for a future show: You'll find everything you need HERE - https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/Quick voice message link: https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorkingProduced by The Good Studio - thegoodstudio.co.uk