ABOUT VPL
Originally started as a line of fashion underwear to be worn as outerwear, VPL (an acronym for "visible panty line") has been credited with leading the "athleisure" market, as Forbes called VPL "the latest luxury activewear to compete with Lululemon." VPL products have been sold over 100 stores in 25 countries, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Harvey Nichols, and Lane Crawford, frequently adorning the covers of magazines, celebrities on stage, movies and TV.
But VPL is more than just a fashion label.
Designed by women for women, VPL is an innovative product company with mission to empower women through business and a real commitment to sustainability.
Certified as a B Corporation in 2016, VPL advocates slow design and sustainable production. Amortizing design and development costs over years not seasons allow VPL prices accessible. Many VPL designs are patented to fight fast fashion, and we value innovation over seasonal fashion trends.
VPL products are made in small batches instead of mass production to avoid excess production and over-consumption. Working with women- and minority-owned factories in California (and paying fair wages), VPL developed a unique design and production process that utilizes excess fabric and minimizes the fabric waste. Its slow design and unique "upcycling" production process led VPL to win the 2012 prestigious CFDA/Lexus Eco Challenge. The savings from fabric utilization have been donated to VPL's education fund which provides classroom supplies and financial aids to students in the US and Japan.
In 2020, in response to the pandemic, VPL provided funding and resources for Fashion Girls for Humanity in order to create an open source platform for PPE, produce protective medical gowns and donate them to hospitals in the US and abroad.
VPL continues to be a force for social change, showing a way for many other businesses to make a positive societal impact.
More about VPL
VPL products were featured in movies, TVs and advertising campaigns, including New York City Ballet, The Hunger Games, and Gossip Girl. VPL was seen on the cover of Esquire featuring Scarlett Johansson, Health with Tracy Anderson, Vanity Fair with Madonna, as well as W Magazine on Victoria Beckham and Tilda Swinson, Vogue for Jennifer Anniston, Jessica Alba in GQ, and Christy Turlington in Harper's Bazaar. Lady Gaga and Rihanna chose to wear VPL on stage.
VPL's CEO Kikka Hanazawa is the founder of Fashion Girls for Humanity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to humanitarian relief. Both her non profit and business ventures have been featured in Wall Street Journal, BBC, Forbes, New York Times, Reuters, Elle, Vogue, WWD, and many other publications. She has been selected by Forbes Asia for 2014 Philanthropist List, and Fashion Girls for Humanity was the recipient of Asia Society's Game Changer Award. She is a HBSWANY 2020 Rising Stars finalist and a recipient of Harvard University's Retail & Luxury Club's FLAIR award in 2021.
