The Interview: The duo behind underwear disrupter Stripe & Stare on creating 'world's most comfortable knickers'

Stripe & Stare has carved out a name for itself in the crowded lingerie market with one bold promise: the world’s most comfortable knickers.

Founded by Katie Lopes and Nicola Piercy, the brand is built around Tencel Modal, which the founders describe as a "miracle fibre" derived from sustainably sourced beechwood that’s softer than cotton, breathable and kinder to the planet. What began with six years of research and development has since grown into a cult favourite, stocked in Selfridges, M&S and Shopbop, boasting more than 60,000 five-star reviews.

Now, Stripe & Stare is entering a new chapter with the launch of Eco Lace - lingerie that was years in the making. Everything customers love about the brand’s cloud-soft comfort and everyday wearability is reimagined with a flirty, feminine edge.

In this conversation with TheIndustry.fashion, Lopes and Piercy discuss how they reimagined an everyday essential in a market long dominated by legacy players, the strategy behind their wholesale and DTC growth and what’s next for Stripe & Stare.

Can you take us back to the start? How was Stripe & Stare born?

Katie: I was a fashion buyer for brands such as Zimmerman, Rag and Bone and Alice and Olivia. I couldn't find underwear for my customers that was super comfortable for everyday, whilst not being frumpy. At one end, you had very male gaze-focused brands such as Victoria’s Secret and at the other end was granny pants.

This was in the aughts, so the heyday of brands such as Victoria’s Secret. Where were the cool, comfy knickers to wear every day that banished wedgies and VPL but looked great that women actually wanted to wear?

I spent the next six years researching and developing perfect knickers - talking to 1000s of customers, removing heavy elastic seams and replacing them with a flat lock stitched lace design to eliminate lines and hold the knickers in place. A big part of the research was the best fibres to wear next to your body - something that was incredibly soft and breathable with the planet in mind. That is why the range, still to this day, is made predominantly from TENCEL cellulose (wood) modal fibres over others such as organic cotton or bamboo.

You’ve both had very different career paths before co-founding the brand. How did your skill sets complement each other early on, and how has that evolved?

Nicola: We are Yin and Yang when it comes to our strengths and our skill sets, so it’s been really easy to divide and ‘stay in our lanes’. Katie’s background is in retail and fashion, while my experience was in finance and operations. Early on, Katie's expertise helped shape the brand's aesthetic and product development, whereas my skills were crucial for setting up the business structures and managing finances.

What was the biggest challenge in launching an underwear brand in a space dominated by big players and how did you carve out your niche?

Katie: Underwear is a market that, for many years, was dominated by a few players. When women find a brand of underwear they love, they are very loyal to it, so a challenge has always been to get women to try S&S. But, when they do, they are converted - our customer reviews remind us of this every day.

We genuinely believe we make the world’s most comfortable underwear from great fibres to have next to your skin, so our message is really easy. The world is very noisy, and it is hard to cut through. But, our message is simple, and we shout it every day - nothing great was ever achieved in uncomfortable underwear.

There have been many ups and downs along the way to creating a successful brand. When was the moment you thought ‘ah we’ve made it’?

Katie: It's hard to pinpoint one moment, but seeing our products in major retailers like Selfridges, celebrity fans like Oprah and becoming B Corp Certified. Mostly though it’s just reading all the amazing customer reviews we have every day and seeing how they really do make a difference. We have over 60,000 5 star reviews - that’s a lot of happy bums.

As entrepreneurs, there is never really a moment where you think you have made it - there is always more to do, what is next, how do we keep moving and growing but we do our best to celebrate the wins.

Stripe & Stare is known around town for having the comfiest knickers. How did you go about developing the ultra soft fabric and was this always the brand’s USP?

Katie: My R&D mission included looking at many different types of fabrics suitable for underwear. I would make small production runs and sell them to customers and constantly interrogate them about their likes and dislikes, taking all of this feedback into the development. A huge part of this was researching fibres landing on TENCEL - it is softer than cotton, wears better, breathes with the skin, is anti-bacterial - we think it is a miracle fibre and has every accreditation to back this up.

You’ve expanded beyond underwear into sleepwear, loungewear and have even collaborated with Rixo and Emily English. Should we be keeping our eyes peeled for any upcoming category expansions or collaborations?

Katie: Absolutely! We love collaborating with like-minded brands and people and are continuously exploring new opportunities for collaborations. While we can’t reveal too much but we do have exciting product launches in the next few months and a new collaboration in September.

Why did sustainability feel non-negotiable from day one, and how do you keep the prices affordable?

Katie: When I started developing the product, it was at a time when we were beginning to understand the damage fashion was doing to the planet. You cannot buy underwear second-hand, plus we wear it every day. In the aughts, less than 1% of underwear was sourced responsibly, so it was never the reason to be, but just the right thing to do.

We are committed to doing the right thing for the planet, our staff and our customers, which is why we sought B Corp accreditation to show our customers they could trust our messaging. It is super tough to keep the range affordable, but making it as accessible as possible is key - making something that can be worn every day and not saved for special occasions is also key.

There’s increasing scrutiny around ‘sustainable’ fashion. How do you ensure your supply chain and claims remain credible as you scale?

Nicola: Transparency and accountability are key to us, which is why it meant so much to become B Corp Accredited. While we’re not perfect, we always try to do everything better and always take our customers on that journey with us. We welcome more rigour around messaging - we try our best to be honest in the way we operate, and greenwashing does a disservice to companies genuinely trying to do things in a better way.

You’re stocked in major retailers including Selfridges, Shopbop and M&S. How do you balance wholesale and DTC?

Nicola: Balancing wholesale and DTC is about maintaining a strong brand presence across both channels. Our wholesale partnerships help us reach a broader audience, while our DTC channels allow us to engage directly with our customers and gather valuable feedback. Both are crucial to our growth strategy.

The US seems like a big growth focus. How are you approaching international expansion?

Nicola: We have always had a good organic presence in the US, driven by our wholesale partners like Shopbop. Being on Oprah’s Favourite Things list opened up that market further, so now it’s just building strategically on what we’ve learnt. At the moment, our focus is in the UK, where we still have huge headroom for growth, but we are also constantly pushing into the USA, although currently in an organic way and mostly through retailers.

Where do you see Stripe & Stare in 5 years? More categories, standalone stores, more third-party retailers, bigger global reach?

Nicola: We will continue to grow S&S and aim to be on millions of bottoms around the world!

Our growth has been extraordinary, but there is still so much room in the UK, so we are focused on UK DTC growth, certainly for the next 12 months. We are in discussion with some major international retailers and always look to partner with premium retailers when we launch in a new market.

We will remain focused on underwear and sleep - we would like to be famous for doing one thing really well. No plans for stores at the moment - we have so much to do via DTC and retail partners.