From Texas to Thailand
Woodlands couple's foray into Panissara scarf-making is smooth as silk
Furry Fun Shoulder Scarf, $199, www.panissarasilk.comPanissara Silk
Dave and Ann Middleton, founders of Panissara Silk
Silk Celebration scarf, $299, www.panissarasilk.comPanissara Silk
Lui Scarf, $199, www.panissarasilk.comPanissara Silk
Silk Ruffles scarf, $129, www.panissarasilk.comPanissara Silk
Silk Midnight Elegance Scarf, $499, www.panissarasilk.comPanissara Silk
You really can’t blame David Middleton for making a mid-life career change, especially when it meant exotic travel and extensive collaboration with his new wife, Panissara “Ann” Middleton. After 28 years in the computer industry, Middleton said goodbye to software, joined creative forces with his wife and launched Panissara Silk, a collection of handmade scarves, shawls, sarongs, wraps and cover-ups with a soft shine woven throughout each piece.
Ask The Woodlands couple and they will say there’s a lot of love underneath the lush colors and silk layers. Love for Ann’s home country of Thailand and the people who painstakingly weave, dye and hand twist each piece. It’s also easy to see, this is a couple who embarked on this new venture as a valentine to each other.
“We said, 'What can we do together?' and had a lightbulb moment. We liked the idea of mixing Ann’s creative talent with my business experience,” Middleton says.
Working with silk first clicked in 2008 when, on a trip to Thailand, they were entranced by workmanship and beauty of the fabric. After coming back and searching luxury retailers for comparable fabrics, they decided to introduce a limited collection of scarves.
On their next scouting trip to Thailand, the Middletons were escorted by government officials, including members from The Queen Sirikit Institute of Sericulture, eager to show skills honed by generations of Thai people. It left a stunning impression on them and confirmed their desire to become a part of the fashion industry and keep the art alive.
“Six out of seven weavers are women in their forties, fifties and sixties. The younger women aren’t going into this. We work directly with the weavers who are so excited to show us what they make,” Middleton says.
Much of that pride comes from the hand-painting and painstaking twisting and knotting silk fringe found on some of the pieces.
The Middletons were deliberate in their launch, which includes Elegance, Inspirations, Metro, Sassy, Reflections and Lui collections. They gave scarves to influential people such as talk show host Laura Ingram, Good Day Houston host Debra Duncan, former first lady Laura Bush and local charities.
They also set their sights on a bigger shopping audience, hiring Craig Clovis Accessories out of Dallas to rep the line and increase its exposure, all the while, working on the next phase of Panissara — a resort collection to show in New York. The pieces are colorful, beautifully made and would be showstoppers in Miami or Palm Beach. Ann designed each of the pieces with local women in mind, too.
“Houston women want light, comfortable clothes that aren’t hot, but are beautiful,” Ann says.
Pieces in the resort collection start at $300 and reach $2,000 for evening wear. The shawls and scarves are found at M. Penner, where Ann holds truck shows and shows 50 different ways a scarf can be worn. They also created a collection of scarves for men that range from opera ready to dance floor dandy. The scarves range from $100 to $1,200.
Once the couple decided to start the business they knew the right name was important, so they chose Panissara, which is Ann’s Thai name. It means “at the top.”
Seems these business owners know exactly where they want to go.
