Underneath It All: 10 Luxury Lingerie Brands With Social Purpose

For a product traditionally “made for ladies”, lingerie has historically not been kind to women. The hurtful and harmful “standards” in the industry range from the obvious, like deliberately-restrictive sizing and designs, and unethical and unsustainable production methods, to the slightly-more-subtle lack of representation of women of colour, queer, transgender, non-binary, disabled, and otherwise marginalized women. Thankfully, there are brands with a strong sense of social purpose that are out to change that world, in gorgeous lingerie, no less. Here are 10 lingerie companies you’ll feel good about slipping into.

A person with short dark hair wearing a black binder and black overalls

Origami Customs

1 / 10

Origami Customs (LGBTQ+ friendly and great for every body)

Founded in 2009, Montreal label Origami Customs offers a wide variety of customizable “underthings” designed to meet the needs and desires of people across the gender spectrum. From body-specific items like binders, harnesses and nursing bras — to totally customizable lingerie that’s non-gender-specific. Origami boasts a diverse array of options for the LGBTQ+ and non-binary communities and beyond. Plus, they offer a Community Bursary Program to fund gender-affirming products for those in need. Oh, and their designs are incredibly beautiful, to boot.

Whether you're planning to test-drive your lingerie in the bedroom or simply have an overnight guest, here are 10 interesting facts about (actually) sleeping with someone that might come in handy, too.

A woman with her arms casually over her head, wearing a coral bra

Knix

2 / 10

Knix (introducing the Thigh Saver)

Knix is best known for making periods bearable — dare I say, borderline enjoyable —for Canadian women since 2013 with their line of “leakproof” underwear. But they’ve expanded their wheelhouse since then, creating innovative materials to provide women with bras, underwear, and other lingerie items that are actually comfortable and size-inclusive, showcased on models of all shapes, sizes, and races in their campaigns. Their products are not only gorgeous and meticulously practical, but items like their Thigh Saver are sure to provoke a “how did someone not think of this before?” reaction.

A person wearing colourful lingerie and a black tank bra

Rebirth Garments

3 / 10

Rebirth Garments (making underwear accessible)

Where is the lingerie designed with people across the ability spectrum in mind? Sadly, it’s not easy to come by — unless you’re shopping at Rebirth Garments. Their bread and butter is lingerie that caters to trans, gender queer and disability-specific needs. When they say custom, they mean custom: there are no standard sizes, and every piece is made-to-order exactly for you and your needs, whatever they might be. While their community centres on queer and disabled people, they’re inclusive to a tee, also offering resources like a glossary on their website to further inform and educate shoppers that may be new to the community.

Ready to take your lingerie out for a spin? Check out these first-date stories that’ll make you cringe before you head out — it can’t go worse than this.

Everlane

4 / 10

Everlane (transparent about their production)

All of Everlane’s gorgeous offerings are created with three goals in mind: exceptional quality, ethical factories, and radical transparency. And they mean radical: they don’t stop at sourcing the best factories and high-quality, often-sustainable materials for their products. Everlane shares the complete production cost breakdown of their items (think, down to the cent-level) and detailed stories and reports on the factories they use, publicly on their website. Then there are the products they offer — they’re timeless, made to last, and often part of a larger social conversation, like their “no frills, no bows, no bulls**t” underwear campaign, or their Black Friday promotions, the proceeds of which benefit the workers in their factories around the world.

A person wearing a grey crop top and burgundy boxer briefs

Toni Marlow

5 / 10

Toni Marlow (defying gender norms)

Toni Marlow’s tagline says it all: for people who defy gender norms. The Toronto-based brand specializes in boxer briefs designed for LGBTQ+ and gender-non-conforming communities and made with comfort in mind. They’ve not only thought of breathable materials and cozy, easy design, but Toni Marlow guarantees their briefs won’t cause common annoyances like roll up, wedgies, panty lines, or the like. Got their stuff in your cart yet? They also donate $1 from every purchase to suicide prevention.

A generous heart is totally romantic — unlike these 10 things men think are romantic, but aren’t.

A woman with her hand on her hip wearing charcoal grey lacy lingerie

Cantiq

6 / 10

Cantiq (sexy lingerie for gender fluid folks)

After something lacy and feminine without the at-times-icky, heteronormative vibes? Meet Cantiq: delicate, sexy lingerie geared toward gender-fluid customers. Not only do their sizes range from XS to 3X (they also offer custom-made options for shoppers outside of their standard sizing), but you can buy any of their underwear “with room” in the front. As if their warm and fuzzy mission weren’t enough, their intricate lingerie is also dyed entirely by hand.

A woman with her arm wrapped around the back of her neck, wearing black lacy lingerie

Lonely Label

7 / 10

Lonely Label (real lingerie worn by real people)

Lonely Label goes beyond casting diverse models for its lingerie campaigns — not only are most of the “models” actually customers with a captivating range of backgrounds, genders, sizes, ages, etc. — but the brand takes it a step further to really illustrate their stories through their “journal featuring women around the world from all walks of life captured wearing Lonely in their way.” Their commitment to body positivity and freedom of expression is evident in the quote they highlight in their company story: “For women who wear lingerie as a love letter to themselves.”

RodeoH

8 / 10

RodeoH (entirely owned and operated by women)

RodeoH has been shaking up harness products with high-quality, minimalist and affordable options for LGBTQ+ and gender-neutral communities since 2012 — and is entirely owned and operated by women. They offer a wide variety of harness styles, materials, and sizes, including plus-sizes up to 3X. Bonus: they also boast a sizable number of sex toys and accessories in their website’s arsenal, so you can satisfy all your shopping “needs” in one fell swoop.

A woman wearing a wine-coloured silk slip

Universal Standard

9 / 10

Universal Standard (sizes and fits for every body)

“Let them rock loungewear.” That’s what Marie Antoinette famously said about people from sizes 4XS to 4XL who are just as interested in and capable of showing off silky, seductive nighties and cozy loungewear, isn’t it? She must have been talking about Universal Standard. The majority of women (67%, to be exact) wear a size 14 or larger in the United States, and Universal Standard is here for those women beyond offering a wide variety of standard sizing. Their Fit Liberty program is a stroke of genius: if one of their core pieces no longer fits you due to size fluctuation within a year of purchase, they’ll replace it for free.

Chromat

10 / 10

Chromat (inclusivity, empowerment and sustainability in the heart)

Becca McCharen-Tran’s background in architecture fed her unique approach to bodywear design when she launched Chromat in 2010. The line boldly declares the future is “inclusive, empowering and sustainable,” and backs it up with action: their products are made from sustainable, regenerated nylon that were once fishing nets and post-consumer plastic bottles pulled out of the world’s oceans at the hands of Chromat and their international diving team partners. They work exclusively with safe, ethical, fair-wage factories. They cater to shapes and sizes ranging from XS to 4X. And their items look like works of art.