World's First Incontinence Lingerie Collection Hits the Runway

World's First Incontinence Lingerie Collection Hits the Runway

Great news for all those people who are excited by the fashions they are seeing at New Zealand Fashion Week. The world's first designer incontinence lingerie collection strutted out in style at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland today.

Confitex launched its global brand in a solo show featuring its premium Hi-Life range. And what a launch it was. This is the first time, anywhere worldwide, that incontinence underwear has graced a catwalk as a designer range. The very idea has been the one 'everyone's talking about' coming into the event, with New Zealand paper the Herald on Sunday last week even questioning whether a runway was the right place for incontinence.

Confitex's Hi-Life Collection debut showcased 30 looks ranging from day-time wear, to softer evening lingerie, to the first G-string designed for light incontinence. The brand's resounding message of 'don't hold back from living your life' is bound to lift the spirits and lifestyles of the one in four people globally who suffer from incontinence.

A bladder behaving badly is no reason for people not to make the most of every day, says designer and co-founder Frantisek Riha-Scott. "Our underwear is beautiful, environmentally responsible and made for people with a love of life and adventure."

Confitex's patented textile-based technology is a three-layered system that provides absorbent, waterproof, pad-less washable underwear for men and women. Developed by New Zealanders Dr Mark Davey and Frantisek Riha-Scott it took three years of research and development to create the underwear range that actually looks like real underwear.

"Our consumers refuse to live in a padded world. Why on earth should they? Not everyone wants to feel 'protected'. We've developed these products for people who love style and design and who want the clothes they're wearing to express who they are.

"People who happen to have incontinence should be able to enjoy their lifestyle, freedom and independence. Our goal is to give those that want it the means to get out there, do what they want to do and see who they want to see," says Dr Davey.

Media enquiries contact:
Confitex CEO Dr Mark Davey
Mobile +64 21 242 8024
Email mark.davey@confitexunderwear.com

Confitex Designer Frantisek Riha-Scott
Mobile +64 21 995 982
Email frantisek.riha-scott@confitexunderwear.com

PHOTOS 

• Confitex Highlife collection image 5 (0.8 MB, JPG)
• Confitex Highlife collection image 6 (1.1 MB, JPG)
• Confitex Highlife collection image 7 (1.0 MB, JPG)
• Confitex Highlife collection image 8 (1.1 MB, JPG)
• Confitex Highlife collection image 9 (1.0 MB, JPG)
• Confitex Highlife collection image 10 (1.0 MB, JPG)
• Confitex Highlife collection image 11 (1.0 MB, JPG)

BACKGROUND

Incontinence - the silent epidemic
The global market of people with incontinence is in excess of 340 million and is growing at 6 to 7 percent a year.

Incontinence affects one in three women and one in ten men. It can start early for women – in their 20s and 30s, usually after childbirth. For men, the problem is usually medical and related to prostrate health over the age of 50.

Incontinence is largely a hidden problem that people are embarrassed to talk about. Traditional pads and nappies are unsightly, embarrassing and utilitarian.

Unique textile technology
Confitex combines patented textile technology with high-end fashion design to create a revolutionary product for this rapidly growing market:

Fast-drying sports fabrics wick moisture away quickly from the body, leaving the wearer dry
No plastics or pads
Absorbs high levels of moisture, available in various absorbency levels and designs
Odour-free and made of breathable fabrics.

Pad based underwear has a short shelf life with high temperatures decaying the plastic liners in washers and dryers. Confitex technology is machine washable and lasts as long as normal underwear.

Saving the world one nappy at a time
Nappies and pad-based briefs make up as much as 15 percent of waste in landfills and worse, take up to 500 years to biodegrade. Those who experience incontinence can use four to six pads a day.

Confitex not only keeps approximately 1,500 pads per person per annum out of landfills, it also offers significant cost savings. The annual cost of using pads for moderate sufferers can be up to $2,000 a year versus the cost of several pairs of underpants.

Company background
Confitex was founded in 2012 by Dr Mark Davey and fashion designer Frantisek Riha-Scott. They first started developing their technology for athletes short on toilet time - both being keen alpine ski-racers. They took their designs and started making underwear for incontinence sufferers.

Dr Davey says they discovered "the products out there were awkward, medical and undignified. We wanted to give people underwear that looked and felt like underwear."

Confitex products went on sale in March 2015. Uptake has been so rapid that Confitex already has an Australasian distributor, Pharmaco, to service the healthcare and retail markets, and is currently expanding into North America, Europe, the UK and Japan. Market penetration is conservatively estimated to be 2 to 5 percent within 18 months in their main markets.

www.confitexunderwear.com






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