What happens when you stop shrinking to fit and start creating from the body, truth, and soul outward?

After 25 years leading some of fashion’s biggest names, Gillian Ridley Whittle did something radical: she left.

“I remember walking down a corridor one Monday and saying, I hate today. I hate my life.” That moment of clarity became the first stitch in a completely new design, one that would become Peachaus, a brand built not on trends or seasons, but on soul.

In this heartfelt Be the Ripple episode, Gillian joins Sabine Hutchison to talk about rewriting the script of fashion, from a culture of burnout and performative perfection to one of authenticity, healing, and human care.

The conversation explores how bras, often dismissed as mere garments, can change how women feel about themselves. Peachaus’s fittings, held everywhere from offices to festivals, have become transformative experiences. Women rediscover comfort, identity, and confidence, sometimes after illness, trauma, or years of self-neglect.

Beyond comfort and design, Peachaus has become a safe space for women in recovery and transformation. During a recent fitting, Gillian met a woman who had just completed cancer treatment and reconstructive surgery. For her, the fitting wasn’t just about finding the right bra, it was about reclaiming her body, her femininity, and her sense of self after years of physical and emotional upheaval. “It was a privilege to be part of that moment,” Gillian shares. “She stood in the mirror and said, ‘Is that really me?’ That’s when I knew this was so much more than fashion, it was healing.”

As Gillian says: “We treat comfort as optional. But when you’re comfortable in your skin, everything else becomes possible.”

Peachaus is more than a label. It’s a movement, one that’s reframing fashion as a wellness act and proving that business built on empathy can still thrive.

Ripple Reflection:
When women reclaim comfort, they reclaim power.

Key Takeaways and Insights

• ✨ True reinvention often begins when discomfort becomes unbearable.

• 💡 Fashion can heal, not just dress, the body and spirit.

• 🧵 Peachaus reimagines underwear and loungewear around care, sustainability, and self-acceptance.
  🤝 Corporate “bra-fit pop-ups” redefine workplace wellness through empathy and body awareness.
  🌍 The retail system must evolve from “profit at any cost” to “human connection at every cost.”
  💬 “Your comfort zone isn’t where you hide, it’s where you come home to yourself.”

Timestamps & Segment Titles

• [00:00] Welcome & Why We Need to Talk About Comfort
• [03:00] From Burnout to Bliss — The Turning Point
• [07:00] The Birth of Peachaus — A Utopia for Fashion
• [10:30] Leaving Corporate Life Behind
• [14:00] Healing Through Creation and Stillness
• [17:00] Why Bras Are a Wellness Tool
• [19:00] The Taboo of Saying “Bra” at Work
• [21:00] Taking Wellness to Corporates and Festivals
• [24:00] Rethinking Sizing and Self-Perception
• [30:00] Transformative Stories from Bra Fittings
• [33:00] Identity, Care, and Slowing Down
• [37:00] The Ripple: Fashion as a Force for Good

Watch or Listen:

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