Underdays didn't start with a business plan, it started with a disappointing trip to a lingerie sample sale. Five years later, co-founders Oria Mackenzie and Amelie Sala have built a wellness-driven underwear brand with a cult UK following, a skincare-infused fabric line, and a US expansion that's growing faster than either of them expected.
We talk about why underwear has been the most overlooked category in wellness, how they built loyalty from sticker drops and grassroots gifting long before they had a marketing budget, and why they've never chased "newness" the way most brands do, colour drops that sell out in 36 hours have done the job instead. Oria and Amelie get into the data behind the brand, the different customer personas they've mapped out, and what it actually takes to build trust without shortcuts. We also dig into UNDERskin™, their first bra collection, and what's fuelling their US growth.
It's a founder story about patience and research in a category built on quick fixes, and a look at what it takes to carve out space in a market Skims has dominated.
[04:18] From Fashion Industry Career to Founding an Underwear Brand
[11:39] Content Strategy: Posting 50 Times a Week to Educate Customers
[16:47] Influencer Gifting and Finding Your Ideal Customer
[19:31] Building Brand Loyalty Through Real Community, Not Quick Fixes
[24:03] Using Customer Data to Build a Stronger Brand
[28:30] Driving Hype With Colour Drops and Limited Editions
[32:36] Wellness Innovation and Expanding a Brand Into the US
Never miss an episode, subscribe to the Decode Sessions newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Tiktok for weekly industry insight.
Connect with us:
Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.
More episodes from "Decode Sessions"
Don't miss an episode of “Decode Sessions” and subscribe to it in the GetPodcast app.
