Ladies, It's Time to Bid Farewell to Uncomfortable Underwear
Long gone are the days of uncomfortable underwire digging into your ribs or shiny sequins that make your skin itch like crazy. Despite a dramatic drop in prices as part of their semi-annual sale, a 10% decline in sales at Victoria’s Secret’s parent company L Brands is indicative of only one thing: people are tired of uncomfortable bras and underwear.
Victoria’s Secret has enjoyed a relative monopoly in the lingerie industry for years, flooding the market with images of thin models, especially with their yearly Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The decline in sales and popular appeal of brands like Victoria’s Secret, however, is indicative of a burgeoning movement towards comfort and inclusivity of all shapes and sizes in the lingerie world. Women are starting to leave padded, push-up bras behind and picking up comfortable bralettes instead.
Thankfully, a handful of new brands are producing sustainable, ethically-produced, and most importantly, CUTE underwear that defy conventional standards about undergarments and lingeries. Below, check out three brands that are killing it with their production process, design mentality and general approach to underwear. Better yet? They’re all women-owned businesses!
PANSY CO.
The brainchild of Rachel Corry and Laura Schoorl, Pansy Co. originated as a vision for what underwear could be and what it was not at the time: produced from organic cotton and in sunny California without a sweatshop in sight.
This vision was realized in the form of locally-made underwear sewn in a factory located fifteen minutes away from Schoorl’s apartment. The organic cotton is sourced in Texas and the natural rubber/elastic used to give the underwear its famous fit is made in South Carolina. Not only are the materials grown in the United States, the underwear is also dyed in Novato, California. Pansy Co. seeks to incorporate transparency at all levels in its supply chain and encourages customers to email them with questions.
Pansy Co. offers a simple catalogue of underwear that, unlike many mass-produced companies, does not overwhelm customers. The company offers bras (full and regular) underwear (low-rise and high-rise) in a wide range of sizes from XS to XXL. In addition to its undergarments, Pansy Co. offers apparel and accessories such as T-shirts and socks.
Images are taken from Pansy Co.’s Instagram.
HARA THE LABEL
Based in Australia, founder Allie Cameron created Hara the Label in response to the lack of brands that considered the importance of both design and sustainability. Having had experience selling vintage clothing online, Cameron became intrigued with the environmental impacts of clothing and was confronted with even more evidence of the detrimental effects of mass-producing clothes while traveling in India.
As a result, Cameron founded Hara the Label in 2016, offering undergarments made from organic bamboo and natural dyes. To ensure full transparency and control of the brand, all Hara the Label products are produced, packaged, and shipped in Melbourne, Australia. The brand has also teamed up with the Environmental Justice Foundation, which promotes projects that seek to secure international protection for climate change refugees and to protect ocean life as well as other important environmental issues. The brand also has a blog that speaks on issues such as climate change and de-stigmatizing menstruation.
As of now, Hara the Label carries bralettes, underwear, bandeaus, and bottoms in various sizes and colors. They also sell scrunchies and donate all of the profits from the scrunchies to The Malala Fund, which is a non-profit that invests in girls’ educations.
Images are taken from Hara the Label’s Instagram.
JONESY
Founded in 2015, Rachel Jones created Jonesy after recognizing a lack of stylish bralette options for smaller-chested girls in the underwear market. Jonesy seeks to stray away from definitive labels such as “sexy” and “cutesy.” Instead, it focuses on molding its products so that they are a reflection of each Jonesy customer. As stated on their about page, Jonesy’s mission statement is to “marry style and comfort in the best way possible.”
As with the previous brands mentioned, Jonesy incorporates sustainable and ethically sourced materials into their products. For example, 90% of their triangle bra is comprised of micro modal, which is a plant-based alternative to cotton that is biodegradable and environmentally-friendly.
As of now, Jonesy offers bralettes (crop, sporty, triangle) and underwear (high-cut and high-waisted)! Jonesy offers a wide range of size; they offer A-DD cups for their bralettes and S-XL for their underwear.
Images are taken from Jonesy’s Instagram.
Feature image via Jonesy.
