THE FRIDAY INTERVIEW: JACQUELINE KISSENPFENNING

This Friday Underlines speaks with Jacqueline Kissenpfennig, Board Member at Hess Enterprises and Director of Sygnature & Vollers. Hess Enterprises Limited is a family-owned company based in London, operating a portfolio of companies in sectors that include luxury goods, beauty, sports, art & entertainment, and beverages. We find out more about their plans for heritage brand, Vollers.

How did you become involved with Vollers?

Vollers has a fantastic heritage in the lingerie industry and it was a name we were already familiar with. When the opportunity came about for Hess Enterprises to become the new custodians of the brand, we didn’t have to think twice about it. We officially acquired the brand in early 2024 and have been busy developing four beautiful, new collections which we’re delighted to be unveiling at Wonderland.

And what does the Vollers brand stand for?

Vollers has a rich heritage and history here in the UK. In the 1890’s and early 1900’s, almost all women wore corsets which, at that time, were not regarded as a desired item of clothing, rather an essential item of clothing , regardless of their social standing,  that was both functional and beneficial. In 1899, Harry & Nelly Voller decided to take advantage of this and founded Vollers Corsets in 1899 in their front living room in Portsmouth. Their intention was to help slowly change the face of corsetry and add more femininity to this everyday item. This idea continued to grow and even through two World Wars, the suffragette movement and huge cultural and economic changes, Vollers continued to reinvent themselves, identifying what their customers wanted which allowed the long lasting success story of the brand. Founded 125 years ago,  Vollers Corsets still stands today as one of the UK’s oldest corset brands.

We are in a really fortunate position that we’ve been entrusted with a huge amount of artifacts, historic corsets,  papers and  documents from the Vollers archive. There’s everything from payment ledgers to original paper patterns to old newspaper ads. It’s been amazing for us to see the press cuttings from magazines and newspapers through the years featuring Vollers Corsets being worn by celebrities and models including Kate Moss, Paris Hilton and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. We’re now in the process of cataloging all the materials and we would be delighted to one day host an exhibition of Vollers’ history. We’re also looking at the possibility of donating some key items to costume museums worldwide including the V&A in London. We feel that it’s important that this incredible heritage can be shared for everyone’s benefit.

Who is designing the new generation of the Vollers product?

Utilising existing corset designs and manufacturing expertise with the knowledge passed down over 125 years of development, every piece from Vollers is proudly made in the UK with luxurious fabrics sourced from France, Germany and the UK, all with the highest attention to detail. We have a fantastic all-female team based at our atelier in Leeds including a team of skilled seamstresses, who are able to continue the tradition and expert knowledge in creating and sewing corsets, handcrafting each item to deliver an excellent quality product. Vollers of 2024 now comprises a full lingerie range, including bras, briefs, bodysuits as well as, of course, corsets. We continue to be committed to assuring that the passion and thrill of wearing a corset is core to everything we do and are dedicated to producing corsets and lingerie that not only live up to the Vollers heritage, but also continue to innovate and inspire. The new collections blend Vollers’ rich heritage and corsetry expertise, with innovative, contemporary designs, embracing modernity while honouring tradition, elegance, and craftsmanship.

What is different about designing these products as opposed to standard intimate apparel?

We have been fortunate in that we’ve been able to look to the Vollers’ archive for inspiration and then take selected design elements to incorporate into contemporary designs. We’re very much rewriting the corset’s story with a totally modern perspective. Our design team has expertly blended these traditional corsetry-inspired elements with innovative, modern design and craftsmanship.  We’ve been mindful of paying respect to the Vollers’ heritage and integrity whilst also ensuring that we’re creating a product that modern women will love to wear, so the collections not only include corsets and suspenders but also soft cup bras, bodysuits and thongs.

What are the highlights of the collection?

What a question! It’s so hard to choose because there really is something for everyone and for every mood. Each collection has its own distinct personality, whether looking for the ultimate in elegance and grace to showcasing your figure and being alluring with feminine power.  The corsets are, as you’d imagine, classically and beautifully-made with two of the collection showcasing and designed with a signature V wire (V for Vollers) to really make an impact. The beauty of the corsets, longline bras and bodysuits are that many of the pieces can actually be worn today as outer garments as well as under armour. All of the corsets,  bras, bodysuits and briefs are very wearable featuring some stunning colours and impeccable craftsmanship.

The four new collections comprise of: Anastasia, Aria, Clara and Vivienne and the RRPs range between £95 up to £350 with each individual piece being elegantly housed in a signature designed satin dust bag. Sizing ranges: Corsets from 22’ – 36’, Briefs, Underwire Bras from 32 – 38 A – DD, Suspender Belts and Briefs from S – XXL.

Anatasia – delicate black and white lace enhanced with inviting black mesh this collection is designed for the femme fatale; Aria – the belle of the boudoir with gorgeous deep blue satin intertwined with lacy accents;  Clara – elegant and sophisticated but still sensual with intricate black embroidery to create that hourglass figure and Viviene – a showstopping collection in panels of layered satin and mesh, alluring and desirable.

Describe the person who will be wearing the ‘new’ Vollers product: what is their style?

Vollers is for all lovers of luxury, comfortable lingerie. We offer exceptional pieces, hand-made in the UK, using high-quality materials and refined techniques and craftsmanship that withstands time’s test without compromising on comfort or style. The beautifully designed collections are mindful of providing different styles and personalities designed for modern women who wish to look and feel her best. So depending on your mood, there’s everything from seriously impactful yet traditional corsets and suspenders to comfort-inspired soft cup bras and thongs.

In terms of retail, we want to launch in our heritage markets of the UK and Eire, and will then look to expand into Europe, the USA and Middle East. We want to work with and be represented in retailers that understand the time honoured tradition of our brand and can translate the story to their customers whilst also allowing them to respect the high end luxurious fabrics used and sourced from companies such as Solstiss, Maison Leveque and Wiesner.  The ideal Vollers retailers are very much high end luxury department stores and lingerie boutiques.

How will the brand translate to a new generation of wearers?

Vollers has always been on the forefront of corsetry trends, lingerie fashion and design. Just like the revival of the corset in the 1980s and 90s when almost every model and celebrity was wearing Vollers’ corsets. Today we see corsets on every catwalk, in every wardrobe and on every red carpet. We can all remember just a few months ago at the Met Gala, corsets were worn not only as underwear but proudly being shown as outerwear. For this new generation, the collections will certainly speak for themselves and will lend themselves to this ever revolving desire.  We will continue to be committed to assuring that the passion and thrill of wearing a corset is core to everything we do and that not only live up to the Vollers heritage, but also continue to innovate and inspire, blending modern wearability which will appeal to lingerie lovers of all ages, shapes and sizes.

Sustainability is a big issue – has this been addressed in the new collections?

Sustainability is important for the Vollers brand and for Hess Enterprises in everything we do. At Vollers we believe in sustainability to our core. We will offer exceptional pieces with every piece handmade from start to finish by our skilled seamstresses in our UK atelier, and our production process is fully transparent. Each piece of fabric is hand-cut to minimise waste, and we use UK based suppliers wherever possible.  Each order is made to order swiftly, to ensure that we only produce what is needed, again avoiding waste and over-production. As we manufacture everything in the UK, we offer a free repair service on every Vollers garment, so our customers know that what they are paying for will be of the highest quality and last a lifetime. Our small scale production ensures that each piece is made without negating the time and allowing us to ensure ethical sustainability and manufacturing.

A Typical Week in your life

There’s never a typical week for me! I live and work just outside of London and oversee two of our portfolios, that of our luxury division, Sygnature, under which Vollers sits, and our skincare division, with which we plan to launch our first collection in the foreseeable future.  I  travel weekly to meet up with the teams for each company, within the UK and across Europe as required. I also have an executive board meeting once a week in London to review the Hess Enterprises strategic goals within all portfolios.  When it comes to the Vollers team we meet up face-to-face once a fortnight and also speak to each other several times a week on Zoom.

Outside of work, I love spending my time with my family, traveling overseas, fine dining, and exercising, especially with a focus on yoga and meditation.

Your next big challenge?

Unveiling the new Vollers brand has been an extremely exciting and challenging project to work on. However, with the phenomenal team that I am so proud of working on the new brand – designs, manufacturing and concept – working on Vollers has been an amazing experience.   The next challenge in terms of Vollers will be to work with the team to continue to build the brand and introduce exciting new collections that we already have in the pipeline and watch the brand continue to soar.

Other exciting challenges and launches that I am currently working on at Hess Enterprises,  include a niche, artesian fragrance brand that contains a collection of aspirational and evocative scents developed with unique and rare ingredients and a wonderful skincare collection that is science-led and nature-driven providing anti-aging products that deliver results.

What do you hope to achieve?

Hess Enterprises’ vision is to represent brands and teams within our portfolio that embody real innovation and sustainability, staying true to their heritage whilst being modernised, and prove positively disruptive in their specific industry. This is exactly what we’re doing with Vollers, blending Vollers’ rich heritage and corsetry expertise, with innovative, contemporary designs, embracing modernity while honouring tradition, elegance, and craftsmanship.

Vollers is taking part at the Wonderland Show from 14-16^th July and will be running corset-tying workshops every day from 2.00pm.