Lingerie runs in family
USC senior Stevee Jo Eads wants you to Drop Your Panties, but just long enough to pick up a new pair from her lingerie brand.
“People get really shocked when they hear the name,” Eads said. “But we’re just young girls trying sell some pretty things.”
All in the family · Despite the fact that USC senior Stevee Jo Eads’ mother is a lingerie designer, Eads originally did not consider a career in design. After she had trouble finding well-priced lingerie that was simple and fun, however, she decided to try her own hand in the business. — Courtesy of Stephanie Weiss
Drop Your Panties was born during a discussion for the name of the line over dinner. Eads had already thrown out a bunch of cutesy names, such as UnderMe, for her brand, but it was her dad that told her to think of a name that made a statement.
The next name that came to mind was Drop Your Panties, and since then, the name has stuck.
Considering that her mother is also a lingerie designer, it’s almost surprising that Eads, a Manhattan Beach native born and raised in Southern California, only seriously started to consider a career in fashion about two years ago.
Eads, who was enrolled at USC after transferring from Southern Methodist University in Dallas her freshman year, said that a series of coincidences led her to pursue a career in lingerie. She still remembers what she told her mom when she first realized that this was something she wanted to do.
“[I said that] it’s so hard to find well-priced lingerie these days for people my age that’s simple and fun, that’s made well and made in the USA,” Eads said.
Eads’ mother told her that she should do it herself. Eads then sat in on a fitting with her mother and realized that she wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry.
From there, she set about creating Drop Your Panties, an undergarment line that focuses on making high quality and affordable products intended to be flirty and fun.
The business is now eight months old, with four distinct collections (Boyfriend, Liberty, Lucky Lace and Sugar) that will be carried by about 20 stores soon. Drop Your Panties also has an online store, which features the cheery orange logo and the streamlined design that reflect a sassy confidence that Drop Your Panties is meant to reflect.
Eads said she’s always collecting samples and combines what she finds with what she’s made in her “inspiration board.”
“Everything starts with your inspiration board. Twice a year, I’ll go to Paris and attend the Interfilière, the lingerie show, where I see the fabrics and new trends coming in. I also go to the trade shows in New York and Los Angeles,” Eads said.
Right now, Eads’ goal continues to be making lingerie for young women without compromising on affordability or comfort. She hopes that Drop Your Panties will be in 50 stores by the end of the year and 100 stores by the next year. Eads is confident that these goals can be achieved and is currently working to be written up in as many fashion magazines as possible.
She is also trying her best to involve the Trojan community in her enterprise.
“DYP came out of USC, so as many people I can involve in this project from USC, the better it is to me. USC is like family and that’s what makes it so special,” Eads said.
So far, Eads has recruited sophomore Kayla Moore and sophomore Katherine Montgomery as models from her sorority, Delta Gamma, and hopes that they will help market her brand.
Eads is also recruiting USC students for a DYP social media team and flexing her public relations muscle by to drive traffic to her website. Additionally, she’s also trying to come up with more creative ways to make the panty bag popular.
Drop Your Panties might appeal to young women that do ascribe to the philosophy of DYP, but there’s much more to be done before Drop Your Panties will have widespread recognition. Still, Eads is eager to continue innovating and improving her burgeoning brand.