The Founder Who Solved the Problem No One Would Talk About
Joanna Griffiths founded Knix because she noticed something that the entire lingerie industry had ignored: millions of women leaked. After childbirth, during exercise, as they aged — one in three women experience some form of bladder leakage, and the only solutions available were clinical, ugly, and designed to make women feel like patients rather than people.
Griffiths decided that leaking was not a medical problem. It was a design problem.
The Insight
Born in 1986 in Toronto, Griffiths was studying for her MBA at INSEAD in France when she began researching the intimate apparel market. She was struck by a gap: the lingerie industry spent billions on push-up bras, lace thongs, and fantasy marketing, but virtually nothing on solving real functional problems that real women experienced daily.
Her research uncovered the scale of the opportunity:
- One in three women experience bladder leakage at some point in their lives
- The condition is particularly common after childbirth and during perimenopause
- Existing products were adult diapers and clinical-looking pads — products designed for an "elderly" demographic that completely ignored the 30-year-old new mother or the 45-year-old runner
- Women were so embarrassed by the issue that they rarely discussed it, even with their doctors
The Product Revolution
Griffiths launched Knix in 2013 with a core innovation: leakproof underwear that looked and felt like normal, beautiful underwear.
The technology involved:
- Proprietary moisture-wicking and absorbent layers built into the fabric
- No visible padding or bulk
- Designs that ranged from thongs to high-waisted styles — the same variety offered by conventional lingerie brands
- Later expanded to period underwear — the same technology applied to menstrual protection
The Crowdfunding Record
Knix's 2018 Kickstarter campaign for its wireless bras raised over $1.6 million — becoming one of the most successful fashion campaigns in crowdfunding history. The response validated Griffiths's thesis: women were desperate for intimates that prioritized function without sacrificing beauty.
Beyond Leakproof
Griffiths expanded Knix into a full intimate apparel brand:
- Wireless bras designed for comfort rather than shape manipulation
- Period underwear for teens and adults
- Swimwear with built-in leak protection
- Sleep and lounge collections
- The brand's size range — XS to XXXL — was inclusive from the beginning
The Marketing Revolution
Knix's marketing was as revolutionary as its products:
- Used real customers in campaigns, not professional models
- Showed real bodies — stretch marks, surgical scars, post-pregnancy bellies
- Addressed taboo topics — leakage, periods, aging — directly and without euphemism
- Built a community of women who felt seen by a brand for the first time
The Numbers
- Grew to over $100 million in annual revenue
- Acquired by Essity (Swedish hygiene company) for a reported $320 million in 2022
- Ships to customers in over 30 countries
- Over 3 million customers served
Why She Matters
Griffiths proved that the biggest opportunity in lingerie was not in making women look better — it was in making their lives easier. She identified a massive, underserved market that the industry had ignored because the problem was considered too embarrassing to discuss, and she built a brand that made discussing it normal.
One in three women leak. One founder decided they deserved beautiful underwear anyway.