In the Studio with Peachy Den

It all started with one pair of trousers. Or rather, Isabella Weatherby’s frustration at a lack of trousers, ones that were well-fitting, stylish, practical and that she and her friends could turn to everyday. Driven by this aim, Weatherby developed, designed and produced what was to become the first Peachy Den product – all while still at university.

Today, from their offices tucked on an unassuming side road in the middle of Hackney, Weatherby and her team are busy setting the style agenda for a generation of women. From that single pair of trousers, Peachy Den has grown to a fully-fledged ready-to-wear brand, rapidly become a cult favourite in the wardrobes of Londoner’s. Beloved for its ‘90s coded, flattering and subtly functional designs: each piece is still developed by Weatherby and her team to give women what they really want when it comes to clothing.

When Liberty heads to Peachy Den’s Hackney studio, its signature sense of insouciant cool is apparent from the moment the buzzer sounds. Open plan, modern and relaxed – walls are bedecked in ‘90s and ‘00s mood board references and development sketches, racks of samples are ranged around the room ready for review and an in-house atelier cuts, crafts and refines Peachy’s designs in meticulous detail. Alongside this is a sense of friendly camaraderie and community – something Weatherby has carefully cultivated both in her team and the brand more broadly.

To this day, Peachy Den’s commitment to putting its customers’ needs first sets it apart from other similar brands. Weatherby describes the brand as being in constant dialogue with its customers, whether through focus groups, conversations at its shop or at Peachy FC (its women’s football team). This conversation means that Peachy Den’s products are more than just “cool”, they cater to the real-world needs of women’s clothing: adjustable waists, customisable details and comfort embedded alongside intensely desirable design.

Tell us a little bit about the story of Peachy Den, how you came to be.

I come from a very non-traditional fashion background. I studied politics at university, and the desire to have my own business was more based on the need for one individual product. It all started with one pair of trousers, a really simple shape, form-fitting, straight leg, velvet. It was born from the desire to make a pair of trousers that I loved and I knew that all my friends would wear.

With little to no experience, I had to learn the basics of how to design and produce a garment, market it, create storytelling around it. I feel like my naivety was actually probably a blessing, which really propelled me to work really hard and get stuck in and build Peachy Den up.

Why did you start with trousers? And how did you go about setting things up?

It was a very simple style based on a vintage block, I found a local seamstress in Leicestershire and produced 50 units to begin with in a navy. Once we sold that first batch of 50, we used the cash to reinvest in the stock and grow out through another colourway.

For the first six months, it was literally that one pair of trousers that we couldn't keep in stock. Trousers are what I believe is still our bread and butter. There's nothing better than a perfectly fitting trouser.

We are now really trying to learn from our customer and integrate different leg lengths and trying to add lifestyle elements to our trouser names. For example, we’ve just introduced the Travel Trouser which sold out within a day. The Travel Trouser was based on our original trouser block, in a way that feels more relevant to right now and what our customers are looking for. Adding that lifestyle element to the name really helps our customer to understand how that piece lives within their wardrobe.

Have you always been interested in fashion? How did that become part of what you do?

It’s hard to pinpoint where that came from, but there's always been a deep appetite for fashion. I have so many crazy scrapbooks from when I was literally eight years old, just going through all the magazines and cutting out my favourite looks and adverts.

Building Peachy Den was fundamentally a way to fulfil the needs of myself and my friends, but it was also underpinned by this deep obsession with clothing and knowing that whatever outfit I put on in the morning fundamentally changed how I felt that day. I think that's super special.

How would you describe the Peachy Den aesthetic?

Peachy Den’s aesthetic has evolved over time. It's blending this girlhood era with sporty techniques and fabrication. It almost has a feminine tomboy element to it, where you contrast the feminine designs with unusual textures or fabrics. We use a lot of cupro, recycled nylon and seersucker, and we like to sheer a lot of our cottons and nylons to add that femininity to more classic fabrics.

We produce in quarterly drops, and each collection really aims to harness the nostalgia and comfort found in the iconic design aesthetics of the ‘90s and noughties. That Brit-pop girl fashion culture.

Alongside our capsules we have a “uniform” collection which exists throughout the year, which really aspires to grow with our customer as she moves and journeys through her life. These are staple items with longevity in mind. Pieces like the Deba skirt and top, or the Cindy, that we design into year after year: they've the backbone of our aesthetic

What is your definition of ‘peachy’?

Our definition of peachy is simple: it's a state of being, an irrepressible sense of fun, optimism and ease. That feeling you get when you put on a great outfit and feel like the ultimate version of yourself. When your football team wins, your crush finally asks you out, or after a dreamy Saturday afternoon in the park with your pals.

Can you tell us more about Brit-girl style?

Words that spring to mind when we are designing around that Brit-girl is playful, energised, cheeky and iconoclastic, but at the same time paired with a natural sense of ease and individuality.

We want to focus on that ease element here, because at Peachy Den we really celebrate this level of ease when you get dressed. It doesn't need to feel so performative, but very much true to who you are. If you combine that with a British wit and edge, then , that perfectly sums up what we're trying to do with that Peachy Brit-girl.

How would you sum up East London style?

London is such a melting pot of cultures and every corner has its own style and own uniqueness. East London has a sense of playfulness, not afraid to lean into colour and uniqueness.

We see a lot of Peachy Den around East London, which is amazing for us to see as a team. It still feels surreal to leave the office or the store and see so many girls walking around in Peachy, and it does make me feel so proud.

Do you have any longstanding references?

We've learned over time that our customer has this need for familiarity, but also an obsession with newness. They really find that nostalgia and comfort within the iconic design aesthetics of the nineties and noughties. That was when I was a teen too, and it feels incredibly poignant.

Our muses really change season upon season, for example, the Lennox trousers are named after Annie Lennox. We’re really trying to identify those female powerhouses within each storytelling arc for the season.

Talk us through the design process. How do you go from that inspiration through designs and development to the products that we end up seeing?

Fundamentally, I've always tried to anticipate what our girl will want next and how to capture the mood of the moment and design the perfect pieces for our girls. It's such a hands-on experience in the office, there’s an open-plan discussion around each piece, and I think you can really feel that our pieces are designed by women.

We integrate functionality within each product. For example, we don't design miniskirts, we only design skorts. With all of our jeans, we make sure there are adjustable elements to the waist, whether that's a back belt or side poppers. It's about allowing flexibility within the product.

How are you aiming to do things differently as a business at Peachy Den?

I believe that the power is in harnessing the feeling of how we see the world as women, and how we tell that story back to our customer.

We are female founded, female run, and femininity is at the core of our company. It's about capturing this feeling and redefining the narrative of the modern woman and fundamentally encouraging women to be unapologetically themselves.

What also drives me is the desire to build a brand that not only thrives, but challenges the status quo and creates a space for more women to succeed. I've learned that there's never enough women in the room, but women are much more likely to hire women, to put women in leadership positions and to pay women more. That underpins what we're doing here.

If I can inspire members of the team or women outside to create their own companies as well, this is also fundamental to what we do. I really try and celebrate smaller businesses which are female founded and shine a spotlight on them.

Tell us a little about the community aspect of Peachy Den? Why is this important to you?

Our community is really intrinsic to our DNA. I've always said that we have to treat our customers as our friends and have a dialogue with them. In terms of the storytelling, we aim to create culturally resonant cinematic statements that define Peachy Den's world: playful, intimate, British, and iconic. These elements underpin how we also showcase our community.

We have Peachy FC, which we have two [football] teams at the moment, and I play in one of them. It's just amazing to see. We designed the kit with Adidas and then we've been able to partake in grassroots football. All the girls are customers who signed up from a social call-out. It's so nice to give back in that way and also meet customers and make friends with them. It's part of us.