Nude Shades for Every Body
Visibility and Sustainability (2018)
Proclaim was founded in 2018 in Los Angeles by Tolu Ajiboye, a Nigerian-American woman who had spent her life searching for "nude" underwear that actually matched her skin tone. The experience was universal among women of color: the lingerie industry's definition of "nude" meant one shade — a pinkish beige that matched only a fraction of the population.
Ajiboye's solution combined inclusive shade range with sustainable materials, creating a brand that addressed two forms of industry neglect simultaneously: the erasure of darker skin tones from the "basics" category and the environmental impact of conventional underwear production.
The Shade Range
Proclaim launched with nine nude shades designed to match the full spectrum of human skin tones, from the lightest ivory to the deepest espresso. Each shade was developed through extensive testing with women of different complexions, ensuring that the underwear truly disappeared against the skin rather than creating a visible contrast.
This wasn't merely a cosmetic expansion. Nude underwear serves a practical function — it's meant to be invisible under clothing. For decades, women of color had been forced to choose between underwear that showed through light-colored clothing or underwear that didn't match their skin. Proclaim solved a problem the industry had been ignoring.
Sustainable Materials
Every Proclaim product was made from recycled materials — primarily recycled water bottles transformed into soft, durable fabric. The brand's production process used significantly less water and energy than conventional manufacturing, and all packaging was recyclable or compostable.
Cultural Significance
Proclaim's significance extended beyond its product. As a Black-woman-founded brand addressing the specific needs of women of color through sustainable means, Proclaim demonstrated that inclusivity and sustainability were natural allies — that serving previously ignored communities didn't require environmental compromise.