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March 23, 2017  
Fashion Foreword

Back in the '90s, when I first got my period, my mother handed me a pair of tan Triumph knickers embedded with a layer of plastic to prevent blood from leaking through. They were the least comfortable undies I've ever owned, but wearing them seemed like the lesser of two evils: Stains on my uniform were mortifying, even at my all girls' school. 

That ugly, clinical pair came to mind when I first encountered Thinx. Thinx isn't the only brand making elegant, comfortable panties that effectively absorb blood -- Knix, Lunapads, and Dear Kates create similar products. But Thinx's real innovation is wrapping its products in a feminist message: It markets menstruation as beautiful, natural, and nothing to be ashamed about. The company also launched a foundation to help girls in the developing world learn about their bodies and overcome the period taboo in their communities. 

As someone who has reported on the brand for a year--and interviewed founder Miki Agrawal many times--I was disappointed to hear that a spate of former Thinx employees say that working conditions at the company were horrible. They describe low pay, poor health benefits, and an overall culture of fear about Agrawal's aggressive and erratic behavior. One former staffer even claims that Agrawal touched her inappropriately.

Over the last week, I've been wrestling with these two images of Thinx: one as a feminist icon that made me feel proud of my body and the other as a place where employees felt unsafe, sometimes even abused. Is it possible for a company to empower customers while simultaneously disempowering it's own employees? Can such a business last? Ultimately, I don't think so. No matter how great the brand, unhappy workers can't be effective for very long and competitors will soon have an advantage. (Take Nasty Gal, which went down, in part, due to poor workplace conditions.) At Thinx, which pitches itself as a values-driven brand, customers may soon find the brand's peppy feminist emails ringing hollow. What happens next at Thinx--and how Agrawal reacts to this crisis--will make or break the company. 


What do you think? Let me know at esegran@fastcompany or @LizSegran.

Liz Segran 
Staff Writer, Fast Company
"Many innovation centers are just a bunch of brilliant people, huddled in a corner, coming up with random ideas. I just don't think that's the best use of talent. I'd rather have my team focused on solving specific problems: within those guardrails they can go crazy. It also helps to have people with diverse backgrounds. We have a guy here who used to work in an animation studio. We work with bio-mechanists and industrial designers. Not what you'd expect at a shoe company."
- Scott Patt, VP of design and innovation at Cole Haan
Les Lunes, founded by two French women, creates clothing from sustainable, wrinkle-free bamboo fabric. The clothes are designed to look flattering on all body types. (via Instagram.)
Trends
  • Power Suit: Theresa May, the Prime Minister of Britain, makes the case that smart, powerful women can still appreciate fashion. She also points out that since people will comment on what she is wearing anyway, she might as well embrace it. (New York Times)
  • We Just Don't Know: We can't actually quantify exactly how polluting the fashion industry is. (Racked)
  • Changing the Definition: There have been many reports that this year's fashion season was the most diverse ever. But it is also true that the definition of diversity has also been expanded. (Business of Fashion)
  • The Well is Dry: Walker & Co founder Tristan Walker, whom we have profiled, says that raising money for e-commerce businesses has gotten more challenging. (Re/Code)
Lingerie brand Bluebella compiled data about the average body size of British women in 1957 and today. 

Did People Suffer For Your Cotton Shirt? DNA Tagging Lets You Track Its Origins

With a tiny marker on every grain of cotton, Pimacott can keep labels honest. Now if only the rest of the industry would catch up.


Thinx's Stance On Period Leave Could Have Been A Harbinger Of Bigger HR Issues

I thought it was weird that Thinx's founder, Miki Agrawal, had no thoughts on menstrual leave. Was it a sign of things to come?


How Mary Dillon Turned Ulta Beauty Into The Leading Cosmetics Retailer

The McDonald's and Gatorade veteran joined Ulta in 2013.


Former Thinx CEO Miki Agrawal Revealed Her Questionable Office Behavior Last Summer

In an interview in July, the company's cofounder admitted to taking calls on the toilet and revealing personal information in the office.


The Recommender: What Execs From Lola, Related Companies, And L'Oreal Are Loving Now

Trade-in luxury denim, a cult-favorite perfume, coffee for delivery, and more.


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