People’s Champion Finalist: cheekfrills

Start-up name: cheekfrills
Founders: Katie Canvin and Lily Fortescue
Started in: 2014
Based in: London
Business description: Underwear e-commerce business

Shortlisted category:

Women in Business Award

The cheekfrills story:

As many women know, finding super comfortable knickers which don’t resemble Bridget Jones pants can be difficult. Enter cheekfrills. 

Founded by Katie Canvin and Lily Fortescue – the sister of Made in Chelsea star Rosie Fortescue – cheekfrills claims to be the go-to-brand for “perfect knickers”. Using factories accredited by Marks & Spencer and voted the most comfortable knicker in the world by the Sunday Times, cheekfrills’ underwear is designed to be softer, longer-lasting, and more fun than traditional knickers. They are even made from natural fibre sourced from Beechwood trees in Austria.

Since launch in January 2014, the business has managed to stock its knicker range – priced at £40 for a set of four – with over 200 retailers including Selfridges, NET-A-PORTER and Saks. It has also managed to go global with distributors in countries such as Israel, Australia and Canada.

In the fashion world, cheekfrills has quickly made a name for itself. It has been selected by the Victoria and Albert Museum for its 2016 Lingerie Undressed exhibition, chosen for Selfridges 2016 knicker bar, and even made the knickers for Poppy Delevigne’s hen party; which featured A-list guests Sienna Miller and Alexa Chung.

With a team of six currently, Canvin and Fortescue are putting a US sales team in place and anticipate rapid growth over the next year.

Why cheekfrills made our 60:

cheekfrills is well-on its way to becoming a top fashion brand and female entrepreneurs Canvin and Fortescue are great role models for starting a business. Having spent six years developing the product, the duo have scaled their underwear business from an idea to a global range popular with leading retailers and high-profile celebrities.

Where to find out more about cheekfrills:

Website: www.cheekfrills.co.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/cheekfrills
Facebook: facebook.com/Cheekfrills