With National Underwear Day just over 2 weeks away (5th August 2023) Underlines chats with Charlotte Hanna, Product & Marketing Manager of Pretty Polly. Originally a British brand that was renowned for its legwear innovation, the company has very successfully expanded into lingerie and is once again breaking ground with innovation.
Pretty Polly is a brand with a long heritage, tell us more?
From hold-ups to push-ups, Pretty Polly has a rich heritage as a hosiery and lingerie brand established over 100 years ago in 1919. Famous faces such as Eva Herzigova, Laura Bailey, Sara Cox, Rachel Stevens, The Sugar Babes and Jamelia have represented the brand over the years in TV and in print advertising – as well as a fresh-faced Holly Willoughby wearing Pretty Polly lingerie in a very 90s advert in which she says “I am a sex goddess”.
The Pretty Polly story began just after the First World War when manufacturing technicians Harry Hibbert and Oswald Buckland formed a hosiery company to manufacture and sell ladies’ stockings. But Pretty Polly wasn’t just following trends, the company has always been at the forefront of innovation. Some of the company’s inventions over the years include the non-run seam-free stocking in 1959, hold ups in 1967 and the one piece seamless tights in 1968 and link ups: a knicker and stocking combination to remove the requirement for a suspender belt.
Why the move into underwear?
In some ways it was a happy accident! Back in 2016 a high street retailer approached us to think about introducing a lingerie collection and the rest is history. Pretty Polly has a strong history in the UK and excellent brand recognition and with hosiery sales in slow decline since the 80’s the business strategy has also been to look at ways to diversify and to stretch the brand – lingerie seemed the perfect fit. Within our wider business we have very well-regarded lingerie expertise. The strategy has always been to offer great quality, beautiful products to wear with confidence throughout the day.
And landmarks for the Pretty Polly underwear brand?
In 2019 Pretty Polly introduced the first biodegradable seamfree lingerie range.
In 2021 Pretty Polly introduced the Contemporary Rib collection a fabulous collection of lingerie made from a soft recycled rib fabric.
In 2022 Pretty Polly introduced their Period Pant a sustainable reuseable product.
And the brand’s sustainability credentials?
Pretty Polly’s Eco-Wear is a sustainable range of hosiery and seamfree underwear made from a minimum of 80% biodegradable and recycled polyamide. The biodegradable yarn has a beautiful softness and handle which gives the underwear and tights a sense of luxury with balance and comfort combined. Garments made with this innovative technology will decompose in approximately three years when properly disposed of in landfill reducing their environmental impact. The packaging is also biodegradable and recyclable.
A new launch for AW23 is our Geo Lace Lingerie range ranging from an A to G cup that is made using a minimum of 50% recycled yarn.
Your main target audience with intimate apparel?
Here at Pretty Polly we have broken our target audience into 4 groups:
- The Young Professional
Recently introduced to the world of work and a new found financial freedom that comes with it. In charge or her own spend, she chooses brand over private label to reflect her change of status. She looks to well-known brands with a good social engagement wanting to reach for something more aspirational yet still conscious of price.
- The Busy Mum
Fighting to get through the day in one piece. The busy, working mum tries to reconcile home life with work. With the line between home and work becoming increasingly more blurred, she looks to the brands she trusts to help her through her busy day.Her purchases are driven mainly by the practical and the comfortable but not wanting to lose her ‘pre-child’ identity, she is still wanting to feel feminine and beautiful.
- The Smart Cookie
She buys into brands as she trusts the overall quality and fit. Rather than buying private label, she prefers buying brands which give her the reassurance of the fit and the quality and where she can find all the everyday products she wants in one go. Savvy, she does not want to overspend and is looking for the right deal.
- The Conscious Friendly
Increasingly sensitive and educated to the impact of consumption, she enquires about the origin of the products she buys and welcomes the initiatives of the brands. She is gradually turning her back on the fast fashion industry and tries, as best she can to consume better with more considered purchases. However, she is not prepared to sacrifice everything and still looks for style and value when it comes to her clothing and lingerie.
Any new developments for Pretty Polly on the horizon?
We do have some really exciting new developments within our seamfree lingerie but it is early days and we unfortunately cannot share any more detail. Please be assured that Underlines will be the first to know when we can launch the news!
You can see Pretty Polly at INDX next weekend (Stand P100).
