Y.O.U Underwear

I’m Sarah, and I’m trying to change the world one pair of pants at a time! I never thought I'd end up running an underwear business! It all started when I travelled out to East Africa in 2016 and did some community volunteer work as part of the Uganda Marathon. I was shocked at the number of women and children I met who didn't have access to something we take for granted every day – underwear. I believe that underwear should be universally available to people in all communities. To take steps towards making this a reality, I decided to create a business that sells underwear on a buy-one-give-two model. It’s really quite simple!

We Work With India's Leading Ethical Manufacturer Clothes are among the items most at risk of being produced through modern slavery. This is serious given that the fashion industry involves up to 40 million people – mostly women – worldwide. At Y.O.U Underwear, we work with India’s leading sustainable and ethical manufacturer. We know that the growers, spinners and makers who produce our underwear are paid and treated fairly. In 2019 we even visited the factory for ourselves! Our manufacturer employs approximately 1,000 workers across 3 factories. They operate under SA8000 certified social standards. This includes no child labour, working hour compliance, minimum wage compliance, overtime compensation and incentives, rights of Freedom of Association, and no discrimination for race, age, sex, political opinion or religion. Additional benefits include transport to and from the job site, company sponsored meals, a health plan, and funding for workers’ children’s education. Our manufacturer uses only GOTS Certified Organic and Fairtrade cotton, supporting small organic farmers, including those involved in the Chetna Project. Our manufacturer uses low-impact, fibre-reactive dyes that are safe and GOTS certified.These dyes use less water, less heat and produce less waste runoff than regular chemical dyeing processes. They contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances and meet all EU criteria for eco-friendly garments.

Our buy-one give-two model means that every time you buy a pair of Y.O.U underwear, we donate two pairs of underwear to Smalls for All! We are able to double our donations, and therefore impact, thanks to an amazing partnership with The Wandsworth Group, a business who believes in what we're doing and matches our donations. All our donated underwear goes to Smalls for All, a Scottish charity that collects and distributes underwear to vulnerable women and children across Africa and the UK. If you’re interested, you can read more about them! Through this arrangement, we have been able to supply underwear to thousands of vulnerable women and children in Africa in the UK.So far, Y.O.U Underwear has donated over 16,000 pairs of underwear to Smalls for All, and we aim to donate 23,000 pairs by 2023! Check out our 'pant-o-meter' to see our live progress.

Impact: Our goal is to donate a total of 23,000 pairs of underwear by 2023. Water: Our goal is to conserve 678,000 litres of water in 2021 Energy: Our goal is to conserve the energy equivalent of 623 lightbulb days in 2021 CO2 emissions: Our goal is to avoid emissions equivalent to 706 miles in 2021 We're also very proud to have submitted our application to become a B Corporation - a crucial business milestone for 2020! This forms part of our broader commitment to being a business for good.