" So, what is it like, working for Miss V? "
This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Miss Vivienne Lingerie, the Selkirk-based brand you probably already know, since you’re reading this post on the Miss V Blog. As a fashion and textiles student with a passion for both design and craftsmanship, this experience gave me the chance to observe first-hand how exactly a bespoke fashion brand works. Here’s a glimpse into my time at Miss Vivienne Lingerie.
But before we start, here’s a few things about me: Hi! I’m Adelaide, I am currently doing a Masters in Fashion and Textiles Design, at Heriot Watt University. I was born in France, and moved to Scotland when I was 17, and sometimes over the weekend, I dress up as a medieval person and shoot arrows at my friends (we do reenactment, no crimes committed here). I’m currently working on a project around protective garments in sports made using all sustainable fibers and materials.
Since this is on the Miss V Blog, I’m sure I don’t need to talk about what Miss Vivienne Lingerie does, but here’s a few reminders. We make bespoke, made to order, high quality luxury lingerie. The CEO, Vivienne, designs the collections and, since it’s a small business, also does pretty much everything else (as a lot of you know, she also got married very recently, and is now technically Mrs Vivienne). There’s Nicola, who comes in at the start of the week to expertly cut all the orders for the coming week (she recently went to Ibiza and brought the sunshine back with her), there’s Anna, who is in charge of marketing strategies as well as this blog, and there’s Emily and I, the interns. We help Vivienne with making the orders, basting pieces, packing and sending off your orders, etc.
My placement began in May, and when I arrived on the site of the new studio, and walked a path going through a rusty gate leading into a forest, I thought I was about to get murdered. When I got to the ACTUAL studio, though, I was greeted by Vivienne, and an amazing looking, colorful studio. We sat down, talked about what I wanted to do here, planned out my hours, and I got to work.
I then did some basic assembly, basting together orders like balcony bras, suspenders, knickers and thongs - all of which I can say I got better and faster at doing over time, I packed orders, nicely folded in their silk paper, with hand-written notes I managed to mess-up more than once - I’ll admit.
But the most interesting parts of my placement were the projects I worked on.
I had the chance to assist in conceptualizing Vivienne’s two bridal swimsuits - first time making swimwear for both of us - but we made it work and thanks to everyone’s ideas (and a lot of bows) - they both looked stunning. We also made a robe for Gillian’s wedding from her mother’s wedding dress, which was a very emotionally charged project to work on, making sure we kept the spirit of the dress in the robe, almost a conservation job.
And, of course, we worked on Vivienne’s very own lingerie and robe for the wedding, which I’m sure you will be seeing very very soon - stay tuned for that.
But overall, what will I remember from this placement? The 3mm french seams? How hard cutting the Rose fabric actually is? Likely not. But I’ll remember the people. I’ll remember sewing all afternoon while listening to true crime podcasts with Vivienne, or watching Parks and Recs over lunch break. I’ll remember the tough wedding-earring related decisions, sometimes punctuated by whinnies from the small pony living across the courtyard. The long conversations venting about that industrial sewing machine still not being fixed.
I will remember the laughs but I will also remember seeing the hard work and dedication that goes into managing a small business; needing to be active on social media almost daily, having to think about sales strategies to renew a formula successfully, shop opening after shop opening, and that warm feeling after having packaged and shipped a pile of orders in a day.
Anyways, the question was « What is it like, working at Miss Vivienne? » my answer would be: I loved it. And if I had to elaborate, I would talk about the incredibly kind people working there, about the patience everyone has for beginner’s mistakes, and I would talk about them debunking every rumor I’ve ever heard about fashion workplaces being toxic, by being very caring towards each other and myself.
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