Susie Taaffe created Skanties, a mid-thigh underwear hybrid, to solve three problems: thigh chafing, uncomfortable elastic that creates muffin top, and synthetic fabrics that cause infections. She spent eight years prototyping before realizing other women had the same frustrations.
Chapters
Why did I make these? Because I wanted a product that didn't exist. And the beauty of that was I could combine all the parts I loved about clothing and underwear and delete the things I hated. Number one for me was I needed to stop the chafe. So that's why they're mid-thigh length. They are long enough, not like boy shorts or boxers, which are all too short. Anyone who thinks that they're stopping chafe has never had chafe or a woman's body. They're designed for men's bodies, so we need them to be mid-thigh to make sure they go down far enough to get all the bits that rub. So that was number one. Number 2 was I hate digging in elastic at the top of— like, I just hate it. It makes me not feel good about myself because if you've got muffin top, as I like to call it, which is the digging in elastic, And not a smooth line, and you put a dress on and you can see it, it instantly for me turns on a negative thought pattern. My stomach's not flat enough, my stomach's not thin enough, etc. I was like, we don't need to change your stomach, we need to change the underwear. And that was why a super soft, flat waistband that can stretch and flex— I, I designed it off I'm not sure. I'm old, but in my 20s, yoga pants came out for the first time and they had these big wide double fabric waistbands. And I was like, I want that on the top of this underwear. And because it's double fabric, that's what gives it the structural hold to make sure that it is not digging in like hard elastic. I'm not sure who keeps inventing all of these shorts for women with the thick elastic on the back, on the band, which I Clearly designed by a man because I haven't met a woman who has a nice soft skin that that thick elastic works for. Maybe like an elite athlete or someone with a minimal percentage of body fat, but most women, the thick wide elastic does not work. And then I added in the breathability. Actually, not for me. The original pairs that I made didn't have the cotton panel and I did wear underwear underneath them. And then a friend said to me, oh, I couldn't wear them because synthetic fabric anywhere, even with a cotton barrier, will give me an infection. So I was like, okay, right, I can solve that. I can solve a problem for other women and add it to the solutions I had made for myself. And I was like, okay, I need a serious cotton panel. Like, and I worked with my tailor at the time. And we developed a super ginormous cotton panel. So it is literally like the cotton underwear is sitting there, but you have the soft, silky, stretchy, thin fabric and the nice wide waistband at the top. So it was the best of 3 worlds joined together. And I am so thankful that my friend did tell me about that because I've had so many customers ask me, are they fully breathable? And Everyone that is highly sensitive in that area has loved them. So, and also I do too. It means I only need one pair of something now. So I'm really glad that that design iteration came in before I actually launched the product commercially. I also wore these for myself for 8 years. I designed and wore these for myself before I even made them into a business because I didn't even know other people had the same Hatred of underwear areas that I did. So a few people asked me, how do you wear skirts and dresses without getting chafed? And I said, well, I wear these. And they said, where do I get them? I said, well, you can't. And I was like, light bulb! Maybe there is a commercial viability. Maybe there are other women in the world with chafing and that don't like digging in waistbands and that need breathable underwear. And I was right, there are. Well, so it's such a taboo subject. No one sits around, especially not back in 2008 when I originally made them, and talks about chafe. Like, I think social media has done a great job at bringing out these things are real. What normal bodies experience is chafe. But back then they didn't, so I didn't have anyone to turn to. Anyway, I am blabbing on this video. I made them for myself and I love them, and I know you will too.
