Italy’s Intimately launches with $1 million seed round led by BFC

Intimately, Italy’s adaptive lingerie brand designed for disabled women, has announced its launch with a $1M seed round investment led by Venrex and the first-ever investment by the British Fashion Council. Twenty-three-year-old founder Emma Butler started the brand in her Brown University dorm room to empower women who have a disability, to wear lingerie.

Additional investors include Away co-founder, Steph Korey, Peanut founder and CEO, Michelle Kennedy, Sarah Drinkwater on behalf of Atomico, and Alexandra Fine, founder and CEO of Dame Products. Before Intimately, shopping for lingerie was a dehumanising experience for disabled women. Butler noticed a gap in the market when her mother was diagnosed with a chronic illness ten years ago and was unable to find functional and fashionable clothing that she could easily put on unassisted. Options were not only limited, but adaptive intimates were marketed toward the elderly on medical websites, with full coverage and drab colours. Intimately challenges the stereotype that portrays disabled women as undesirable through a collection that uses magnets and loose grips to revolutionise the intimate industry by making fashionable and functional lingerie that anyone can put on, the company said in a press release.

The global adaptive apparel market will be worth about $400B by 2026. Intimately targets a niche of adaptive intimates that is virtually white space, uses new technology and patents to create the complex garments, and mobilises a community of disabled women to demand change in the fashion industry to include disabled shoppers.

Intimately, Italy’s adaptive lingerie brand designed for disabled women, has announced its launch with a $1M seed round investment led by Venrex and the first-ever investment by the British Fashion Council. Twenty-three-year-old founder Emma Butler started the brand in her Brown University dorm room to empower women who have a disability, to wear lingerie.

Designed from the thoughts and suggestions of disabled women from all over the world, this collection utilises the latest fashion technology to ensure intimates are easy to put on and comfortable. Using magnets, loop grips, Velcro, and extra room in the straps, Intimately reimagines how bras and underwear have been designed for hundreds of years. This time, they allow everyone to get dressed easily, according to Intimately.

“Lingerie shopping is an intimate experience that defines a woman’s femininity, personal identity, and self-assurance. Everyone, including disabled women, deserve to have an empowering shopping experience. Intimately takes a wholesome approach bringing confidence to disabled women; it’s more than just a sexy bra and underwear, it’s also the unique support from a community of women who understand what you’re going through,” Butler, said.

“We’re incredibly proud to support Intimately with the first formal investment from the Peanut StartHer Fund. Butler is a founder who is driven by purpose, with a goal of positively impacting the lives of women globally. Disability inclusive lingerie is just the beginning of her mission to transform the lives of women with disabilities, and we are proud to be on this journey with her,” Kennedy, said in a statement.

“When I first learned about Intimately and its strong mission, meaningful market opportunity, and visionary founder, it was clear that this was a special company, and I would be lucky to have the opportunity to become an investor. Butler’s passion is boundless and I’m excited to see where she and her team take this big opportunity from here,” Korey, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)