Behind the Seams: Meet our HERO Fabric!
tl;dr:
Traditionally, lace says “lingerie,” silk says “luxe,” but I wanted to reimagine what lingerie can be. How natural and bio-based materials can also scream luxury.
There is no perfect material. Everything we do, every choice we make, has an impact.
Circularity is my north star for development.
Introducing Seacell. It is über soft, silky in feel, antimicrobial, and made from renewable, natural resources in a closed loop process. It is luxurious; it is lingerie.
Lingerie can be both beautiful and responsible.
In France, the term ‘lingerie’ broadly means undergarments. Here in the states, ‘lingerie’ tends to denote lacy, frilly, barely-there undergarments.
When I first started dreaming up Petal + Ash, I envisioned utilizing materials like lace, that effortlessly lean into our U.S. centric view of lingerie. But as I dug deeper into these materials, and the impact they have, I realized this vision needed to evolve.
I wanted to create something beautiful, but I wanted to do it in harmony with, not against, our bodies and our planet. In the early days, I did tons of material research, from laces made with an elastane alternative offering accelerated degradation to silk from a regenerative farm based in China. (And tons of other materials.)
Before I go further into my choices, I want to state that there is no perfect material. Everything we do, every choice we make, has an impact. It’s about making the best choice for the need at hand, and doing so in a way that limits impact as much as possible.
I’ll be honest, I loved the lace. It was a better version of a beautiful, conventional option. While it would degrade in a landfill much faster than conventional lace (think 5 years versus 200), it was still—to a certain extent—synthetic-based (and therefore derived from fossil fuels). Using synthetic-based lace, even a better version of it, ultimately felt misaligned with my vision for how Petal + Ash would come to market.
After exploring lace, I turned my attention to silk—a natural, breathable, and biodegradable fabric. I found a beautiful silk jersey, with a luxurious feel, from a farm operating through amazing regenerative practices. But ultimately, the environmental impact of shipping from Asia to the U.S., and some issues working with this particular fabric made it also unsuitable for our debut line.
Neither of these fabrics were bad. They each bring a necessary solution to the market. They just weren’t quite right for Petal + Ash at this time. Circularity was my north star for development, rooting me in natural and bio-based (derived from materials of biological origin, often easily renewable) fabrics.
Balancing beauty, comfort, and sustainability created a unique set of constraints, pushing me to think beyond traditional materials. And constraint breeds creativity.
After months of searching, and a pause in development, I finally found our hero fabric: Seacell. A bio-based fiber, Seacell is über soft, silky in feel, antimicrobial, and made from renewable, natural resources in a closed loop process. It is luxurious; it is lingerie. I knew this beautiful and breathable fabric, combined with thoughtful design, could be the foundation for lingerie that women would want to wear, day after day, with comfort and confidence.
Closed-loop systems diagram of Seacell fabric production. Image via Smartfiber website.
Designing lingerie is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about how a piece feels against your skin, how it moves with you, and how it lasts over time.
Key design decisions:
Material: Seacell fabric for breathability.
Fit: A focus on soft cups and flexible structure for everyday comfort, with hardware and hook & eye providing maximum adjustability and thoughtful design.
Longevity: Designing pieces to withstand frequent wear without losing shape or softness.
Pivoting towards designing undergarments in this non-traditional manner hasn’t been without its setbacks. Testing these materials for fit, stretch, and durability has taken time and trial and error. One of the biggest challenges has been balancing higher costs without compromising on Petal + Ash’s north star and producing a product of quality.
Ultimately, it’s about sticking to the mission—designing lingerie that’s safe for the body and the planet, without compromise. I can’t wait to share more about how these materials come to life in our first collection—and how lingerie can be both beautiful and responsible.
Have you ever thought about the materials in your lingerie? What’s most important to you—comfort, style, sustainability, or a mix of all three?
