EBY Underwear Review: Reclaiming the Power of Panties

Stripping away from the male gaze, EBY is empowering women with their panties and with their microfinance program, helping women out of poverty one panty at a time.

EBY (Empowered By You) was founded by Renata M. Black and Sofia Vergara with the noble goal of creating comfortable, stylish panties while also helping impoverished women.

The empowerment brand drives their profits with purpose and donates 10% of proceeds to the Seven Bar Foundation–a foundation that aids the next generation of business women: the impoverished women of India. With features in Forbes and Women’s Health, this new-age underwear company is paving the way for a new era of sexy.

Price: $45, $36 for members

Save: Buy one bralette, get a panty for free! Your code will be revealed after you sign up for emails.

The EBY Bralette is the perfect seamless addition to your wardrobe. Featuring the same nylon and spandex combination as their underwear, it’s seamless, lightweight, and can be worn all day or night. Its design resembles a sports bra, and comes in several colors including nude, grey, and limited edition prints Blue Meadow, Parisian Summer, Sakura, and more.

The limited edition Cotton Bralette has a slightly different design but offers the same comfort.

EBY was created for both profit and purpose, striving to create a new mold for entrepreneurs. Founder Renata Black spent some time traveling after college, volunteering and meeting with locals. Through her travels she learned that people didn’t care about receiving free products–they wanted to learn how to make their own money.

This sparked a fire inside Renata, who met with Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is the father and pioner of microcredit, or microfinancing: small loans to poor people who don’t have collateral. This seemingly small act gives them a hand in self-sufficiency, something that may not have been possible before.

Renata lived in India in two years and built the Seven Bar Foundation, the very foundation partnered with EBY. Through Seven Bar, impoverished women receive microfunding to start their own businesses as a way out of poverty. And to take it a step further, each woman then finds another woman in need and passes on the torch to her, creating a beautiful flame of one empowered woman helping another.

Actress Sofia Vergara came aboard as a co-founder after meeting with Renata and hearing about her vision: an underwear subscription service shipped straight to your home that also helps impoverished women out of their situations.

Everyone needs underwear, especially everyday underwear. EBY is redefining sexy and seductive, creating underwear that is the perfect trifecta of high quality, flattering, and comfortable seamless underwear. And not only are the products great but the message of female empowerment is stitched into their pieces with every woman in mind.

When it comes to underwear, I generally don’t have any expectations. I keep my standards low because I expect them to either be comfortable but not great for wearing with gym clothes, or cute but too fragile to be worn often.

It was love at first touch for me when I tried on my EBY underwear. It’s impressive how soft the material is despite it being so thin. It has a similar consistency as the seamless panties from more popular brands but with more durability. I don’t know if it’s the combination of nylon and spandex, but the fabric is the same thickness as other seamless underwear I own.

The difference in feel is quite apparent though. I could tell the difference in quality between EBY and my other seamless panties from merely stretching them. I’ve had them for a while, but they didn’t bounce back like EBY did. The no-slip grip was a surprising and genius feature that provided the perfect amount of grip. It didn’t rub against my skin and wasn’t so thick it was visible through clothing.

I love that the three cuts are for different moods and purposes, and the patterns are fierce.

The only downside was that the cheeky and high waisted panties weren’t entirely seamless underneath all of my clothes. They paired great with almost everything I wore except for leggings and spandex. The panty lines were visible enough that I needed to change, but the thong was completely invisible with everything I wore it with.

The Bralette is like a luxurious sports bra. It’s supportive enough that it isn’t binding or restrictive, and the material is soft enough that it’s like wearing a second skin. I mostly wore it around the house or underneath cozy clothing while running errands. I didn’t like it for the gym because my workouts tend to be pretty high impact, but it can also be used for lower impact activities like yoga or pilates.

There are several factors that led to my positive experience with these products including:

• The incredibly soft material
• The fun prints and designs
• The no-slip grip which kept everything in place
• The flattering shape

EBY’s blend of nylon and spandex equate to a fabric so soft, it’s like wearing nothing. The only indication that you’re wearing underwear is the subtle rubber inner lining that keeps the underwear in place. It’s just enough to keep them from riding up yet thin enough it’s not bulky.

The performance based panties are made for comfort first and everyday wear. Even after several washes and uses including strenuous gym sessions, they look brand new. The no-slip grip is a game changer, and it’s surprising that more brands don’t adapt to this technique.

Without first feeling the products yourself, EBY’s panties and bralettes may appear to be pricey. At $15 per panty and $45 for bralettes, they are no fast fashion bargain. But if you have the chance to touch the fabric yourself you’ll be sold instantly. The spandex and nylon are buttery soft yet still flattering. How many pairs of underwear and lingerie have we owned that rode up, dug into our skin, or was suffocating in the name of sexy?

With EBY, you are redefining your own sexy and confident in their hot and comfortable pieces.

Since each product is created to be durable, they last much longer than the recommended six to twelve month shelf life for the average pair of underwear. And with the subscription service, you receive fresh pairs multiple times a year that can be gifted or kept for yourself. Good underwear is worth the investment, and is better for the earth.

EBY wants every woman to feel confident and powerful in their products, no matter their shape or size. The inclusive brand has sizes ranging from XS to 4X in all cuts and styles.

Rather than having a traditional sizing system, EBY has a size guide for their bralettes according to your bra size. From 32A to 40E, there is a bralette or panty for everyone, including the handpainted luxury items. The website is categorized simply and is easy to navigate:

• Panties
• Bralettes
• Luxe Collection
• Tops
• Packs
• Memberships

Like any other intimate item you have, you have to treat your EBY products with care. Their website suggest to treat them how we’d all like to be treated, with tenderness and care. This doesn’t require a lengthy care routine like handwashing and drying, but rather simply washing them on delicate and laying them flat to dry.

To be honest, I’ve been washing my EBY panties and bralette with the rest of my laundry and keeping the settings at the same “normal wash” mode. I’ve even been throwing them into the dryer with the same load and they still look and feel brand new, which is important to me. I’m a busy person so I like nice things that don’t require special care but are still durable.

Renata Black learned about microfinancing through the godfather of microfinance himself, Muhammad Yunis. Banks traditionally won’t lend to applicants that have little to no credit, no collateral, or sufficient income for the amount they’re requesting. This makes it extremely difficult for the poor to receive funding.

Microfinance provides small loans to individuals, starting from as little as $70. This small but powerful loan is known as a “first break,” and is paid back at a rate of 97%.

EBY and Seven Bar Foundation help women not only with funding, but with starting their own business so they can begin breaking the cycle of poverty and become self-sufficient. And once that woman has started her journey of independence, she finds another woman in need. This breaks the negative cycle and creates a new one for a prosperous community.

These loans are made possible with each and every purchase. 10% of proceeds from underwear sales go to the Seven Bar Foundation, meaning that you can easily empower a woman one panty at a time.

There truly isn’t anything negative to say about EBY, whether it’s the products or the brand. It’s so easy to get behind a company that is actually doing good in the world instead of slapping it onto their website as a marketing gimmick. Every woman needs underwear, especially underwear that is comfortable. Why do panties have to be either sexy or comfortable? With EBY, you don’t have to choose one or the other because EBY is both, and redefining sexy.

Renata Black was onto something when she discovered that impoverished people aren’t looking for a handout–they want a helping hand to teach them how to make their own money so they can continuously better their situation. It’s safe to say that all of us would like to lend a hand to these women in dire situations, but not all of us have the time or means to. With EBY, you can feel good knowing that not only are you purchasing quality panties, but you are also empowering a woman out of poverty.