Dive Brief:
- Intimates brand Knix announced on Thursday the launch of its new Sexy Mesh Capsule collection. The capsule, the company said, highlights its mission to provide intergenerational products, but this time “with a sexy, sheer mesh twist.”
- Knix debuted the collection in partnership with its new global brand ambassador, Gabrielle Union, who announced in March that she would be part of the company’s new ad campaign and other initiatives.
- The mesh collection includes a bra ($54), a bodysuit ($75) and light leakproof high-rise underwear ($26), according to a company press release. It comes in black, white and citron and can be purchased online and in Knix stores across Canada and California.
Dive Insight:
Knix’s latest innovation to bring “sexy” to leakproof underwear builds on the brand’s emphasis of inclusion, functionality and comfort.
The period underwear in this capsule can absorb liquid equivalent to 1.5 regular tampons, according to the company. The sheer mesh bras come with adjustable straps and wireless support and come in sizes XS to XXXXL. The bodysuit includes double mesh paneling suitable for both underwear and outerwear, the company said.
Knix founder and President Joanna Griffiths said she launched the direct-to-consumer brand with the goal of transforming an underwear market that she felt had become one-dimensional. She wanted a brand that mirrored the world’s diversity.
In 2013, Knix introduced leakproof underwear, according to the brand’s website. Two years later, the company released its first wireless bra. Earlier this year, the company relaunched the wireless bra after working on it for two years.
Over the past five years the brand has continued to expand its offerings and audience. Knix launched the first period underwear brand for teens and tweens, Kt by Knix, in 2017.Last year, the brand introduced leakproof shapewear. The company also released a new Knix and Kt by Knix swim collection in February.
“I created Knix because I was tired of brands limiting women to one narrow image,” Griffiths said in an email to Retail Dive on Tuesday. “We're more than just sexy or sporty; we're multifaceted. Knix for life is about defying stereotypes no matter the stage or age you are in.”
Knix launched as a wholesale brand but in 2016 changed strategies by pulling out of hundreds of retail locations and switching to a DTC model. The DTC brand opened its first U.S.retail store three years ago in Santa Monica, California, after opening its first store in Canada in 2019.
In fall 2022, Knix was acquired by Essity, an international health and hygiene brand, in a deal that sold 80% of the brand’s shares for $320 million. The acquisition valued Knix at $400 million.
Among Knix’s top competitors is Thinx, which last year expanded the distribution of its more affordable line and two years ago rebranded its teen line.
