Our Story
Why Under, Matters
At Lingerie Letters, we believe all bottoms are beautiful! Women deserve to feel comfortable in their own skin, and what they wear directly against their skin should feel good too.
Our goal is simple: to design and create beautiful, high-quality, perfectly fitting women’s Knickers, handmade in Cape Town, South Africa, to help our Lovelies feel cute, confident and comfortable — or, as they like to call it, secret happy.
Since 2012, we’ve been making beautiful bottoms and sending a little happiness straight to Knicker drawers all across South Africa through our unique Monthly Knicker Subscription.
Behind The Seams
All aspects of our production — from fabric sourcing, pattern making and sampling to cutting, sewing, wrapping, packing and shipping — take place in our small studio in Cape Town, South Africa. Each pair of Knickers is carefully cut and sewn by hand. We work with a changing selection of carefully sourced fabrics, elastics and trims, with quality always taking priority over quantity.
Over the years, we’ve worked with a wonderfully varied selection of fabrics and materials, including plain, printed and floral fabrics, Stretch Mesh, Dobby Mesh, Bonbon, ICE FDY, ICE DTY, Stretch Lace and Galloon Lace, combined with carefully selected elastics, trims and gusset fabrics such as Viscose Lycra.
Every Lingerie Letters design has its own combination of styles, fabrics, colours, prints, textures and trims. Because we work in small batches rather than mass-producing our Knickers, materials change from design to design — helping make every Lingerie Letter a little different.
Slow Fashion, Small Batches
We don’t mass-produce our Knickers. Instead, we make our designs in small batches, using carefully selected fabrics, elastics and trims. We also make use of end-of-line materials whenever possible, helping us reduce waste while creating something beautiful from limited resources.
Because fabrics and materials are limited, our designs are not routinely remade. This small-batch approach means every monthly Lingerie Letter brings something new to discover, while helping us avoid unnecessary overproduction. It also means our limited-edition designs remain just that — limited edition.
And because our designs are made in small batches using limited fabrics, you won’t receive the same pair twice while your subscription remains active.
Our Knicker Styles
Our Knickers come in a variety of styles, from fuller-coverage shapes to barely-there favourites. Depending on the month’s design, our collections may include:
Full Coverage Styles
- Hipster
- Brief
- Bikini
- Tanga
Barely-There Styles
- Cheekie
- Thong
- G-string
- T-string
Each style has its own fit and feel, so whether you prefer a little more coverage or something barely-there, there’s a Lingerie Letters style for every bottom.
Our Monthly Knicker Subscription
The Lingerie Letters Monthly Knicker Subscription is for women who love a little surprise. Every month, your Panty Pen Pal, Lily, chooses a new limited-edition Knicker design for you. Your Lingerie Letter arrives with your surprise pair of handmade Knickers, along with Lily’s latest Knicker-themed poem.
You choose your subscription plan, coverage preference and size — then Lily takes over! Your coverage preference determines the range of styles Lily can choose from, while the exact design, fabric and colour remain a surprise.
Choose from:
- Full Coverage — a surprise Hipster, Brief, Bikini or Tanga
- Barely-There — a surprise Cheekie, Thong, G-string or T-string
- Best Of Both — two matching pairs every month: one Full Coverage and one Barely-There style
- Surprise Me — let Lily choose your monthly Knicker style
Shop the Monthly Knicker Subscription
Our Pre-paid Knicker Gift Subscription
Want to give the gift of a Lingerie Letter? Our Pre-paid Knicker Gift Subscription is a fun and unexpected gift for someone special.
Choose a 3, 6 or 12-month gift subscription, and she’ll receive a surprise pair of limited-edition handmade Knickers each month, along with Lily’s latest Knicker-themed poem and special Lingerie Letter packaging.
Pre-paid Gift Subscriptions automatically end after the selected term, so there’s no ongoing subscription for the recipient to cancel. They also save 10% compared with the equivalent monthly subscription payments.
Shop the Pre-paid Knicker Gift Subscription
The Past Pairs Boutique Shop
Not every pair has to be a surprise! If you prefer to choose your own style, fabric, colour and size, the Past Pairs Boutique Shop gives you the chance to shop previous Lingerie Letters designs as regular once-off online purchases.
The Boutique Shop features a changing selection of limited-edition handmade Knickers, including styles such as Hipsters, Briefs, Bikinis, Tangas, Cheekies, Thongs, G-strings and T-strings, depending on what’s available. All Past Pairs are designed and handmade in small batches in Cape Town, South Africa. Because we work with limited fabrics and trims, individual styles, sizes and quantities are limited, and designs are not routinely remade.
So if you prefer the fun of choosing exactly what you want, Past Pairs are for you. If you love the excitement of not knowing what Lily will choose, the Lingerie Letters Subscription is for you.
Proudly South African
We’re proud to design and make our Knickers right here in Cape Town, South Africa. From pattern making and cutting to sewing, quality control and packing, our production takes place in our small studio. Your Knickers are then sent out by door-to-door courier throughout South Africa. We’re a small South African business, and every order helps keep our little Knicker dream going.
Quality Control
In business, things don’t always go as planned:
- Textiles can colour-bleed — if they’re not suitable for use, we don’t use them.
- Gremlins creep into machines — sometimes our overlocker hates us!
- Sewing mistakes require unpicking — probably our least favourite part.
- Creased fabric needs ironing — time-consuming, but necessary.
Rest assured, we carry out regular quality checks throughout the process — from sourcing, cutting and sampling to sewing and packing — to make sure every pair is crafted with care and attention to detail. Because only the BEST for your booty, Cutie!
Stay In The Loop
Sign up to our Newsletter
Be the first to know when new Knickers pop up in the Past Pairs Boutique Shop, get reminders about monthly subscription cut-off dates, and receive occasional exclusive discounts, giveaways and other Lingerie Letters news.
Follow us on Social Media
You can also follow Lingerie Letters on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X for sneak peeks, new Knicker designs, monthly unboxing videos, special offers, sales and behind-the-scenes snippets from our little Cape Town studio. Because our Knickers are made in small batches and Past Pairs have limited sizes and quantities, our newsletter and social media are the best ways to keep up with new Knickers, Past Pairs and special offers.
Follow us on Instagram | Find us on Facebook | Follow us on TikTok | Follow us on X
Small Business Love
We can confidently say we have the most amazing customers! Thank you to all our Loyal Lovelies for your continued support, for shopping small, for supporting local and for keeping our Knicker dream alive. We wouldn’t be able to do what we love without you. Every pair you buy, every Lingerie Letter you receive, every order you place and every time you tell a friend about us helps support a small South African business making beautiful Knickers by hand in Cape Town.
Thank you for being part of the Lingerie Letters love story.