How we choose fabric
There is no single best fabric for underwear. What works for a boxer brief worn through a humid working day is not what works for a bra meant to disappear under a fitted top. So we do not commit to one material and stretch it to cover everything — we pick the fabric that suits the garment, and we say plainly what is in each one.
Whatever the fabric, the test is the same: does it stay comfortable in this climate, does it hold its shape after twenty washes, and does it still feel right at the price we are asking.
These are the fabrics we work with, and what each one is actually good at — including where it lets you down. Every product page names what is in that garment; browse men’s underwear and women’s underwear to see what each piece is made from.
Natural fibres
Combed cotton
Cotton combed to pull out the short, weak fibres before spinning. What is left is longer and more even, which is why combed cotton pills less, holds its shape longer and feels smoother against skin than ordinary carded cotton. It breathes well and takes dye deeply. Its weakness is drying time — cotton holds moisture, which is exactly what you do not want on the most humid days.
Ring-spun and carded cotton
Ring-spun cotton is twisted continuously as it is spun, producing a softer, stronger yarn than standard carded cotton. Carded cotton is the plainer, cheaper grade — perfectly serviceable, but it pills sooner and loses its surface faster.
Organic cotton
Cotton grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. It feels no different from conventional cotton on the skin; the difference is upstream, in how it was farmed. Worth choosing if that matters to you, and worth knowing it usually costs more per piece for the same hand.
Pima and Supima cotton
Extra-long staple cottons. The longer fibre means fewer ends poking out of the yarn, so the fabric is smoother, more lustrous and considerably more durable. It is the premium end of cotton and priced accordingly.
Silk
Genuinely luxurious against skin, naturally temperature-regulating and completely breathable. It is also delicate, expensive and demands hand washing, which is why real silk stays rare in everyday underwear.
Regenerated and semi-synthetic fibres
Bamboo viscose
Viscose spun from bamboo pulp. It moves moisture away from skin faster than cotton and dries quicker, with more drape and a softer hand — the difference that matters in a Dhaka summer. It is less hard-wearing than cotton and does not like hot water.
Modal and micromodal
Viscose made from beech pulp. Modal is softer than cotton, resists shrinking, and keeps its colour through far more washes than cotton does. Micromodal is the same fibre spun finer, which is what gives premium underwear that almost weightless feel. Both drape beautifully and both need gentle washing.
Tencel and lyocell
Lyocell is a closed-loop version of viscose — the solvent used to dissolve the pulp is recovered and reused rather than discharged. Tencel is the best-known brand of it. Smooth, strong when wet, and better at moisture management than cotton, which makes it well suited to a hot, humid climate.
Synthetic fibres
Ice silk
Despite the name, ice silk is not silk. It is a very fine knitted nylon or polyester with elastane, engineered to feel cool on contact and to dry quickly. Seamless, weightless and faster-drying than cotton — the fabric for the hottest weeks of the year. It wants gentle washing and low heat.
Nylon and polyamide
The same fibre under two names. Strong, light, quick-drying and very smooth, which is why it dominates seamless underwear and moulded bra cups. It is less breathable than cotton, so it is usually blended or used where a smooth finish matters more than airflow.
Polyester and microfibre
Hard-wearing, colourfast and cheap to produce. Microfibre is polyester or nylon spun extremely fine, giving a soft, dense, smooth fabric that holds its shape well. Both wick moisture rather than absorbing it, so they dry fast but can hold odour more than natural fibres do.
Elastane, spandex and Lycra
Three names for the same fibre — Lycra is a brand of it. A small percentage is blended into most underwear for stretch and recovery: enough to keep a waistband holding its shape through the day, not enough to make the garment feel synthetic. It is the first component heat destroys, which is the whole argument against tumble drying.
Constructions and finishes
Seamless knit
Not a fabric but a way of making one — knitted in the round so the garment has no side seams to press into skin or show through clothing. Almost always nylon or polyester with elastane, because those fibres hold a knitted shape.
Rib knit
A knit with vertical ribs that give natural stretch and recovery without relying only on elastane. It hugs without gripping, which is why it turns up in vests and in bralettes.
Lace
A fine open knit, used where a garment has to look like something as well as work. More delicate than a plain knit — worth washing in a mesh bag.
Jacquard
A pattern woven into the fabric on the loom rather than printed onto the surface. It costs more to produce, and in return the pattern cannot crack, peel or wash away.
Mesh
An open knit used as panels for ventilation, or as a design element in bras. Maximum airflow, minimum coverage.
Anti-bacterial and moisture-wicking finishes
A finish is applied to fabric rather than spun into it, so it fades gradually with washing. Useful while it lasts, and we would rather tell you that than let you assume it is permanent.
How to wash it
- Machine wash cold, up to 30°C, on a gentle cycle.
- Wash dark colours separately for the first two or three washes.
- Turn garments inside out to protect the surface and the printed waistband.
- Use a mild detergent. Skip the bleach and skip the fabric softener — softener coats the fibres and is what kills the moisture-wicking in bamboo viscose, modal and ice silk.
- Put lace, jacquard, mesh and moulded-cup bras in a mesh laundry bag. Hooks catch on other garments and pull the knit.
- Hand wash silk, always, in cool water.
- Do not wring. Press the water out instead.
How to dry it
- Line dry in shade. Direct sun fades colour and hardens elastic faster than anything else.
- Avoid the tumble dryer. Sustained heat is what breaks down a waistband, and it is worst on elastane, ice silk and other synthetics.
- Dry bras flat, on their cups. Hanging one by a strap stretches the strap and eventually distorts the cup.
- Iron on low if you must, and never directly over the elastic or over lace.
Making it last
Elastic recovers if you let it rest. Rotating between several pairs rather than wearing the same one daily is the single biggest thing you can do to make underwear last — which is most of the reason we sell multipacks.
Sizing does as much work as fabric here: a garment worn a size too small stretches at the seams and gives out early. Our size guide lists real body measurements for every size we stock.