ose little touches and finishes like designer elastics that feel branded and special,” she told Inside Retail. “We put a lot of love into the product.”

Gap in the market

Period underwear has come a long way since leading brands like Thinx and Modibodi launched around 10 years ago. But still, few if any players in the US$200.7 million global industry currently target luxury shoppers, which Quade sees as a big missed opportunity.

“There’s leakproof underwear in the market, but it’s not mainstream. There are still opportunities for other offerings and different versions,” she said.

She sees Femmze as catering to the type of customer who shops at high-end fashion boutiques and Net-A-Porter, and hopes to see the brand stocked in those spaces in the future.

“Once people see the product, it’s very easy to understand how it’s different from other products, so we need wholesale partners to assist us in that process,” she said. “And there’s no period underwear on those sites as yet.” 

Besides the high-end look and feel of Femmze, the brand sets itself apart through the use of low-toxicity dyes – in line with Bluesign and Oeko-Tex requirements – ethical merino wool – made to Woolmark standards with a traceable sheep-to-shop supply chain – and energy efficient manufacturing processes. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time developing a premium product that considers the supply chain. All our fabric suppliers – we only use a small handful – have a similar appreciation for the environment,” Quade said. 

Focus on product innovation

Another point of difference with Femmze is its “soft shapewear” feel. Less form-fitting than Spanx, the extra support is designed to soothe symptoms like bloating and aid recovery after childbirth.

“It’s not about concealing your curves, but it definitely leans into the activewear, performance brief space,” Quade said.

She sees Femmze as a wellness brand as much as it is a retail brand.

“We’re about to launch free online yoga classes to the community so they can go onto our site and do 20 minutes [of yoga] on the first day of their cycle,” she noted. “It’s not just about selling underwear. We also want women to feel great about their cycles of life.”

Going forward, Quade plans to grow Femmze by offering more lifestyle content and continuing to innovate her core product.

“There are so many incredible young individuals developing all new fabrications that have minimal impact on the environment, and that’s what excites me,” she said. “I don’t just want to be doing three-layer gussets. I want to be inventing things and working with young minds that are in that space.”