You’ve probably heard the saying: “How we spend our time is how we spend our lives.” What’s true for time is true for money, too. How we choose to spend our hard-earned dollars is what ends up in our homes, on our bodies, in our bellies, and in our memory banks.
When we think of where to spend our precious resources, underwear is often relegated to an afterthought. However, it’s one of the most vital items that we own! In terms of comfort, underwear and bras can make or break an outdoor adventure or an entire day. Who hasn’t had a hike ruined by a soaking wet bra that chills us to the bone, or a pair of underwear that gets all bunched in in our nooks and crannies?
What’s more, the garments we choose to place next to our most delicate of areas may impact our health. Naturally moisture-wicking fabric helps keep our PH balance in its preferred state—and items that are free of forever chemicals can save us from health scares in the long-term, too.
Consider these benefits of investing in quality underwear for your mind, body, spirit, and our larger world.
#1 Paying Workers Fairly
Spending a little bit more on your undergarments means investing in a society where everyone from farmers to sewers is paid fairly for their work. When you buy ethical wool rather than petroleum-based fabrics like polyester, you are supporting family-run ranches, instead of massive oil corporations. At BRANWYN, we only use ZQ-certified ethical Merino wool, which guarantees herders and ranches receive good wages and working conditions.
Our factory is also EDEX-, LEED, HIGG INDEX, and OEKO TEX 100-certified to pay fair wages, provide lunch, and adhere to an 8-hour work day. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with many factories around the world. But we would never ever compromise employees in order to drive prices down.
#2 Good for Your Health
Naturally sustainable Merino Innerwear is an investment in your health—both in the short- and long-term. “Merino wool underwear has a unique range of desirable characteristics as it is soft, breathable, exceptionally absorbent and moisture wicking, temperature regulating, odor resistant, naturally antimicrobial, flexible, resilient, naturally elastic, and hypoallergenic," says Dr. Eden Fromberg, founder of Holistic Gynecology New York (read more here). All this can mean keeping your lady bits comfortable and happy, while helping to prevent yeast infections and UTIs.
Plus, our Innerwear is guaranteed to be completely free of forever chemicals. Studies show that clothes made synthetically that carry high loads of BPA and PFAs can disrupt our hormones and increase the chances of breast cancer, spontaneous miscarriage, birth defects, obesity, and Type II diabetes, according to the Environmental Working Group. But you never need to worry about that with BRANWYN. We even have completely free third-party testing recently just to make sure—so that you can wear our Innerwear with total peace of mind.
#3 Gentle on the Environment
Everything BRANWYN is and does is founded on a foundation of sustainability—that’s why we started making naturally sustainable underwear in the first place!
Natural fibers like Merino wool are more difficult (and expensive) to produce than petroleum-based polyester, but they are infinitely gentler on our planet. Our ethically sourced ZQ Merino wool requires the sheep to have ample room to roam, as well as high-quality food and clean water. All of this is more costly, but we believe it’s more than worth it for our Mother Earth.
Our commitment to the environment continues throughout our supply chain. Our seamless knitting machines mean less fabric waste, while our nontoxic dye is an investment in our rivers, oceans, and lakes. We consider everything down to the packaging. For example, instead of using the free plastic bags suppliers offer to ship our product, we spend extra to use only biodegradable materials in our shipping.
All of this adds up to Innerwear which feels amazing and you can feel amazing about. We think that’s worth the investment!
#4 Heirloom-Quality Longevity
Like a favorite sweater passed down from your grandmother, investing in excellent quality will ensure that your underwear lasts. Natural fibers like Merino almost always outlast synthetics, especially when they are properly cared for. (We recommend using a laundry bag, a mild eco-friendly soap, and hanging to dry).
When it comes to BRANWYN’s Innerwear, we make longevity paramount and are proud to include a one-year guarantee. We use ethically sourced Merino wool, crafted on the best Santoni seamless knitting machines, so you can hold onto your Innerwear for many years to come.
Great quality also prevents landfill pile up. The Council for Textile Recycling estimates that average Americans throw away 70 pounds of clothes each year—but we want you to love your Innerwear so much you could keep them for generations.
#5 Minimal Cost Per Wear
The concept of cost per wear (CPW) is a way to consider the true cost of an item. Like a car that gets “cheaper” the longer you keep it on the road, CPW of clothes calculates how much mileage you expect to get out of your item. In this calculation, you simply divide the times worn by the price. Say a good quality, well-constructed jacket is $100. You might wear it for the next 10 years, making the CPW minimal. A trendy coat that’s $30 might only last a season or two. In the long run, the pricier jacket might actually save you money.
Investing in quality undergarments that you can wear nearly every day for years will end up “costing” just pennies a day.
Just check our reviews for how often BRANWYN women wear their Innerwear. “I’ve been wearing the bra for over a week as I travel and explore the PNW,” says Amanda P. “Definitely an investment piece, but much cheaper per wear in the long run than constantly going through bras you can barely tolerate,” adds Ali H.
What do you look for when investing in your Innerwear—or anything else you purchase? We’d love to learn from you. Please reach out any time at info@branwyn.com. Mad love!
