Body Magazine
September 2008
allure looks to u.s. production

Allure Inside Out is based in Chagrin, Ohio. But Cathy Watterson says she still has work to do to make her brand full-blooded American.

Since launching her small company three years ago, Watterson has manufactured her sleepwear in China, where she says factories were more open to producing smaller quantities of products at fair prices.

Now that she's a bit more established as a brand - she attended her first trade show last month at New York's Lingerie Americas, and has found a home in a handfull of respectable boutiques - Watterson is looking for a U.S. manufacturer that will allow her the greater design control she needs to make her products into a missy-market staple.

"Just as I believe in the wonderful variety of boutiques with their owners' individual creativity, I want the opportunity to express my own designs with the cooperation of a factory here," Watterson said. "I found the China factories had a great attention to detail and quality, but I found there was disparity in following specs or problem solving."

To that end, Watterson is also looking for nationwide reps for Allure Inside Out, and for the right specialty stores to carry her product. Watterson, now 58 and formerly an interior designer, started Allure Inside Out for the same reason most women say they start lingerie brands: They could not find anything they liked on the market. Watterson wanted flattering, sexy sleepwear that toed the line between young and old. And in a world of nylons and polyesters, she wanted it made from natural fibers.

Allure Inside Out meets all the criteria, and in surprisingly lovely ways. It is at once fashion-forward and sophisticated, classic. Standouts from the collection include High Moon Encounter, a 100-percent silk jacquard nightshirt in cobalt blue with black trim, and Noir Swirl Midnight, a half-patterned, half-black top with a mandarin collar and coordinating pants in 100 percent silk satin.

"I think it's more of an attitude than a style," Watterson said. "I've had young women in their mid-30s love this just as much as women in their 60s. It's less about age and demographic than someone who's looking for this style and just can't find it. It's really hard to find."

For more information, visit www.allureinsideout.com.