The war on polyester is coming for your underwear. One brand’s answer? Wool

Back when she was too young to buy her own clothes, Kerry O’Brien remembers loathing hefty wool sweaters—especially turtlenecks. But her career as the founder and CEO of…

Back when she was too young to buy her own clothes, Kerry O’Brien remembers loathing hefty wool sweaters—especially turtlenecks. But her career as the founder and CEO of basics brand Commando gave her a new perspective on fabrics and fibers, including a love for wool and what can be done with it beyond creating itchy knitwear. Now, decades after her turtleneck terrors, O’Brien brought wool to unexpected new territory: panties.

Commando started out nearly 25 years ago by transferring some of the fabrics engineered for activewear to women’s intimates, originally building a brand on seamless, raw-cut panties made of a synthetic fabric. But the new wool panties, which are available online now and in select stores and retail for $38, inherently achieve a lot of what those nylon panties do artificially. “Nothing can really replicate the technical aspects of wool, what it does naturally,” O’Brien tells Fast Company.

This wool underwear debut coincidentally comes amid some consumers’ growing war on polyester, which also happens to be the most produced fiber on the planet. Abercrombie, for instance, recently drew controversy online over a mostly synthetic women’s sweater marketed as a “wool-blend.” More broadly, a growing number of fashion content creators are lauding the benefits of natural fibers over synthetics, citing environmental and health concerns.

(So are wellness and MAHA influencers, although a direct, causal connection between microplastics and sickness has yet to be proven). “Polyester” has even become an insult among Gen Z. This consumer preference is also showing up in search trends. Interest in “natural fibers” is up 60% over the past year alone, according to Google Trends. Zoom out further, and stats show the term is up a whopping 140% over the past five years.

Wool panties aren’t a new invention; they’ve historically been sold at wool-focused brands and more niche outerwear labels. But they might be on the horizon of becoming a more mainstream, fashion-forward panty as synthetic pushback continues. Why wool? Despite its often scratchy connotations, this fiber that most commonly comes from sheep has a lot of natural advantages.