Fashion / Society

Redefining comfort and sex appeal: Why everyone wants to join the Culotte club

By Olivia Ekelund

Introducing the undergarments from co-founders Chloe Schuterman and Hedda Kleberg that are "so comfortable and so good for you" that you won't want (or need) to take them off all summer

There’s been something missing in our underwear drawers. Chloe Schuterman and Hedda Kleberg would know, being fashion connoisseurs that have grown up in the industry. If what they’ve now made with Culotte had already existed, they would have found it. So what exactly is Culotte? In Kleberg's words: “panties and basics that are comfy and great for our nethers, but at the same time flattering and fun!”

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Being "great for the nethers", or more formally, great for intimate health, was the priority. And one of Schuterman’s areas of expertise. “It all started with my thesis on how fashion material impacts our intimate health as women,” she explains. “When I was little my mum always said to wear panties made only of cotton, as that it’s so easy to get yeast infections and other problems otherwise."

Unfortunately, it’s not something that underwear designers generally keep in mind. Neither is comfort, with women’s bodies being endlessly bound and laced through history to 'enhance' figures. When the girls sat down to sketch the perfect underwear, they knew what they wanted to make. A basic set - top and panties - that could be worn round the clock, whatever the occasion. “Undergarments that are so comfortable, so good for you, and make you feel sexy," they describe.

So, the '24/7' set was born. Aptly named, they're designed to be worn whenever, wherever. And made from lyocell - “the absolute best for allowing the vagina to breathe” Schuterman says, “and it feels like heaven against your skin.” For the top, they wanted to create the perfect combination of bra and tank (both girls almost always go braless, but religiously wear camisoles). “One you could sleep in, go out in, work in,” Schuterman starts. “Under a blazer at work, or paired with party pants for a night out,” Kleberg chimes in. “Supportive enough to be worn as a bra but with a flattering cut and enough coverage to be worn alone.”

For the silhouette of this supportive dream-top, they chose the corset. “The corset was a terrible invention – torture for the women who were forced to be bound,” comments Kleberg. “We thought, ‘as female designers can reclaim that by creating a modern corset.’ One with the same flattering silhouette, but ultra comfortable. Designed to follow and adapt to the female form, rather than trying to change it.” For their second drop, 'Pointelle' (crafted from the textile of the same name) they wanted to make a summer version of their OG top, plus a headband, that together delivers that coveted feeling of warmer months spent by the sea.

“Pointelle for us is really a nostalgic material. It reminds us of summer mornings by the water,” Schuterman muses. “When I was little my dad bought two Petite Bateau pointelle camis in pink and white that I wore all day, every day, the whole summer,” Kleberg continues with a dreamy air. “It makes me feel warm just to think about it. It’s so nice against the skin, and timeless.”

Really, they’ve made exactly what we girls want on hand throughout any summer. Those pieces that you throw on in the morning, that make you feel cosy, cute, sexy, and that you don’t have to take off until you want to. Rework-able for every occasion, simply the perfect base through the long days and longer nights of our Scandinavian summers.