In (seemingly) the blink of an eye, Knix has gone from burgeoning period underwear startup to full-blown apparel brand. As we come up on our 10 year anniversary, we're reflecting on all the milestone moments that have led us to where we are today.
When we first entered the scene, exclusivity seemed to dominate the lingerie and intimates space. Inclusive sizing and body diversity were hard to come by and tall, lanky modelsΒ reignedΒ catwalks and glossy billboards.
While other brandsΒ touted exclusivity and profited off of insecurities spawned by impossible beauty standards, we knew from the very beginning Knix would stand for something different altogether. We're a club not a clique; our bras and underwear (and, eventually, so much more) would be for every body.Β
We dared to talk openly about periods, smash taboos, and feature real, everyday people in our campaigns. From shining the spotlight on women over 50 to talking about blood, sweat, and pee on national television,Β we can't help but feel proud of our trailblazing antics.Β
To celebrate, we're looking back at our most iconic campaigns of the past decade β and we're just getting started.Β
Age Doesnβt Matter
βThis Underwear Brand Doesnβt Give a F*ck About Age,β reads a 2020 headline from AdAge. And, well, theyβre not wrong. The premise behind our Age Doesnβt Matter campaign was simple but poignant: mainstream media tends to neglect women over a certain age.Β
βWe want to celebrate women of all ages and really honor the fact that weβre beautiful at any age,β said fearless founder and Knix President Joanna Griffiths. The commercial and social media campaign featured women spanning their 50s to 80s and starred only casting call customers. Confronting ageism in the lingerie space has never looked so good.Β
Confidence Tour
If you cast your gaze to the fall of 2022, youβll recall we invited 40 customers (and their besties!) to have their own supermodel moment at our Confidence Tour. Mothers and daughters, lovers, a mom breastfeeding her baby (literally iconic), and so many other memorable moments took place on the catwalk where attendees got to strut their stuff.Β
βGrowing up, my body was always criticized. So I owe this experience to my healing journey. Today, I was able to share my body confidence as a new form of self-love,β a participant, Vena, remarked. The campaign stemmed from our belief that one single night has the power to connect, transform, and empower. Confidence really is contagious.
Life After Birth
What began as a photography exhibit that tackled taboos surrounding the birthing and postpartum experience morphed into a movement and, ultimately, a book. Life After Birth: Portraits of Love and the Beauty of Parenthood, published by Rizzoli, draws on the collective stories of 750 everyday people (and big celebrities) and offers a raw, unfiltered look at the birthing journey and early parenthood.Β
To this day, all proceeds for the book are donated to the Black Womenβs Health Imperative (BWHI) to support the NOURISH program β a Postpartum Doula training program created in partnership with Knix that supports the needs of Black birthing families.
Big. Strong. Woman.
Look, we made a movie! In celebration of International Womenβs Day (the 2022 edition), we championed living unapologetically free β free from gender norms and social conventions β with our short film Big. Strong. Woman. The campaign, starring Ashley Graham, was an ode to female strength.Β
While girls and women are scarcely encouraged to embody characteristics like βbig and strong,β we have no choice but to be. When confronted with glass ceilings, gender barriers, and the strength it takes to bear life, we chart our own paths and choose to love ourselves anyways.Β
Every Body in LeakproofΒ
Remember that time we made a rap video about blood, sweat, and pee? In case you missed it, the Every Body in Leakproof campaign was as playful as it was disruptive. Our goal was to change the conversation around womenβs bodies β natural bodily functions like sweat, periods, and bladder leaks are nothing to shy away from.Β
The rebellious video is full of euphemisms, like red paint splatters and splashy drumming against a yellow glow. Above all, its message is loud and clear: women shouldnβt have to apologize for their bodies. Oh, and Leakproof Underwear? Itβs for everyone.Β
Toronto Streetcar
Redefining what it means to be strong, beautiful, and badass starts with being seen. And we couldn't think of a more creative way to draw attention than giant billboards and city streetcars bearing real people with real stories and scars.Β
"My surgical scars, tattoo art, beauty marks and healing heart are part of Godβs portrait of me. Since confidence is currency, I need nothing else to take me to my destiny. The skin I am fits me perfectly," said home-grown talent and billboard superstar Jully Black.Β
Of course, no transit billboard moment would be complete without recreating Carrie's infamous Sex and the City moment (sans splash).Β
Every Woman Is an Angel
At the height of a certain lingerie brand's popularity, we launched the #EveryWomanIsAnAngel campaign to celebrate the fact that all women (trans women included) are angels. We closed off one of Toronto's busiest intersections for an outdoor runway show that featured some of the most remarkable women we know.
Jessie, who strutted her stuff on the catwalk in just a bra and underwear while eight months pregnant, says "Some people thought I was crazy, but I thought it was an amazing opportunity to show off that love and connection with my babyΒ β and my pregnancy curves and belly."Β
Rethink Breast Cancer
In October of 2018, we had the honor photographing five inspiring women living with orΒ currently battling breast cancer. Though each woman had a similar diagnosis, each exercised agency and bodily autonomy, making decisions that best suited their personal journeys.Β
Some opted for mastectomies and redefined femininity on their own terms while others underwent treatment and breast reconstruction. To this day, we remain in awe of the vulnerability, resilience, and strength these women put on display.Β
Catalyst Sports Bra Launch
Before the Catalyst became everyoneβs favorite sports bra, it was a work-in-progress forΒ years. Month after month, the Knix team prototyped, tested, and extended the sizing of its first ever sports bra. We knew we had to make it one of the best on the market β and we succeeded!
During testing, theΒ Catalyst Sports BraΒ beat out 800 other bras in terms of support and, finally, was ready to make its gravity-defying debut. To celebrate, we hosted a media event that drew on the expansive history of the sports bra and let folks in on the rigorous behind-the-scenes work that went into developing our latest creation. The rest, as they say, is herstory.Β
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Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with us. We've come so far (10 years, already!) and, yet, these iconic campaigns feel just as true to our brand's DNA now as they did then.
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