Buy One, Give One — Underwear as Social Enterprise
A Social Mission in Cotton (2017)
Y.O.U Underwear was founded in 2017 in London by Rob and Lucy Gillbe, inspired by a sobering statistic: underwear is one of the most requested but least donated items at homeless shelters and refugee centers worldwide. The couple built a brand around a simple, powerful model — for every item purchased, one item is donated to someone in need.
The buy-one-give-one model wasn't new to fashion, but Y.O.U applied it to arguably the most essential garment category. Underwear is the foundation of dignity — its absence or inadequacy affects confidence, hygiene, and self-worth in ways that other garments don't. Y.O.U transformed every purchase into an act of practical compassion.
Fairtrade and Organic
Y.O.U's products were made from Fairtrade-certified organic cotton — a dual certification that ensured both environmental responsibility and fair labor conditions throughout the supply chain. The brand was one of the few in any fashion category to achieve both certifications simultaneously, demonstrating that ethics and sustainability could be integrated at every level.
Distribution Network
Y.O.U built partnerships with over 100 organizations distributing donated underwear to people experiencing homelessness, refugees, survivors of domestic violence, and communities affected by disaster. The brand's giving was systematic rather than sporadic — integrated into the business model rather than attached as an afterthought.
Accessible Pricing
Crucially, Y.O.U priced its products competitively with conventional underwear brands. The model demonstrated that social enterprise didn't require premium pricing — that buy-one-give-one economics could work within a mass-market price architecture. This accessibility was essential to the brand's mission: impact required scale, and scale required affordability.