CAREERS
LINGERIE STYLIST MONICA HARRINGTON SHARES HER 30-YEAR CAREER JOURNEY
Born in the Irish county of Cork, Harrington, 54, has travelled the world styling lingerie and worked with some of the biggest names in the bra business (Playtex, Triumph, Stella McCartney). She fell in love with the transformative power of lingerie and her work with women undergoing breast cancer treatment led her to become an ambassador for the charity Future Dreams.
I’VE ALWAYS LOVED FASHION AND DRESSING UP.
I did a little modelling in my early teens after being scouted while shopping with friends, including catwalk shows for brands such as Dunnes Stores and Ernest Perryman.
I WASN’T SURE ABOUT UNIVERSITY, BUT I DID CONSIDER BECOMING AN EMBALMER. It sounds odd, but I’ve always been fascinated with bodies. People tend to have open coffins at Irish funerals and I was so interested in the process of them being made up. But you have to be good at chemistry, so I decided it wasn’t for me.
DURING MY A LEVELS, I GOT A SUMMER JOB AT DEPARTMENT STORE ROCHES STORES. I was assigned to the lingerie department. I was transfixed by the transformative power of the right bra and knickers. Women went into the changing room with their shoulders slumped and lacking confidence, and after being fitted into the right lingerie they were beaming and standing taller.
PLAYTEX ASKED ME TO BECOME ITS IN-STORE CONSULTANT. I went to London for training, then I ran its department in Roches Stores. From fitting lingerie to counting stock to balancing books, it was my responsibility. It was a chance to show what I could do and the account went from strength to strength. I was asked to move to London to run Playtex departments across Fenwick, Harrods and Selfridges. I was 21 and thought I was the coolest thing ever, wearing trouser suits and heels, running across town.
AFTER A YEAR WITH PLAYTEX, I WAS APPROACHED BY TRIUMPH AND SISTER BRAND SLOGGI TO RUN ITS SELFRIDGES DEPARTMENT. Selfridges was starting to sell breast prosthetics for women undergoing breast cancer treatment. I put myself forward to be trained by a Macmillan nurse; I felt I’d found my niche.
I LOVED THE INTIMACY OF THE PROCESS. Women in the midst of treatment would come into my changing room. It was a privilege to hear their stories and give them confidence. Eventually, I trained Triumph teams globally in fitting bras
