Dive Brief:

• In a move that broadens the brand's presence in brick-and-mortar stores, Thinx released a new period underwear line at Target at a more affordable price point, according to a press release sent to Retail Dive Monday.
• The new line, called Thinx for All, offers inclusive sizing for brief, bikini and hi-waist styles with absorbencies equivalent to three to five tampons, per the release. 
• Each pair will cost $17 and be available on Target.com and in some Target stores. Additional retailers like CVS and Urban Outfitters will also carry the line later this year, and other mass retailers will follow.

Dive Insight:

Following its entry into the activewear category in January, Thinx is expanding further by producing a new line that's more affordable and easier to access. The company said that the launch marks continued growth after the brand increased its earnings by over 48% in 2020.

Thinx's products first made their brick-and-mortar debut through a partnership with Nordstrom in early 2019. Retail concept startup b8ta also made a similar deal a few months later, selling Thinx's "period-proof" underwear in several store locations. 

Though the main idea of a DTC brand is to cut out the middleman, more digitally native brands have formed partnerships with big-box retailers like Nordstrom and Target to make their products available in physical stores.

Casper, for instance, has formed partnerships with over 20 retailers, a move that bets on brick and mortar as a long-term strategy. Target also sells several DTC products in stores such as Function of Beauty, Lively, Native and Quip — possibly because digital-first brands attract a new set of customers that wouldn't typically shop in its stores.

In Thinx's case, the company is not only making its products available in stores, but it also focused its new line on "a price point perfect for mass market retail." Despite the lower price point, the company said in the release that the new product line still has the same built-in technology that prevents leaks, blocks odors and wicks away moisture. 

"Over the last three years, Thinx has been slowly building up our retail partnership portfolio, first with premium department stores, then adding in sales channels within lifestyle and beauty, totalling over 300 physical points of distribution globally," said Lyndsey Arnold, vice president of Partnerships at Thinx. "Additionally, the new line allows Thinx to reach ten times our retail store distribution via several new partnerships."