Vicky's Notes · August 2026 · 3 min read
Made in Portugal: how we found our atelier
We wanted to make something personal and special: tucking underwear for trans women that felt secure, smooth, feminine and genuinely comfortable enough to wear all day. It sounded fairly simple at the beginning. It was absolutely not.
We learned that there are much easier ways to make a pair of underwear. We apparently chose not to do that.
Before we could think about production runs, packaging or finally seeing Vicky Baey out in the world, we first had to find someone willing to make it with us.
Three hours north, and a lot of closed doors
One of our founders, Beatriz, drove around three hours north from Lisbon to a small town called Trofa, looking for lingerie ateliers.
The plan was optimistic: visit a few manufacturers, explain the idea, find the perfect production partner and drive home feeling very accomplished.
The reality involved knocking on several doors.
When you are a tiny new brand, you do not arrive with enormous order quantities or years of sales data. You arrive with an idea, a prototype and an enthusiastic explanation of why one pair of underwear needs to do approximately five things at once.
Thankfully, Beatriz is fluent in Portuguese. Trying to explain fabric tension, front support and the emotional significance of a thong through Google Translate would probably have ended the brand before it began.
Even with the language covered, some ateliers were not interested. Some were not the right fit. Others understandably needed convincing that this very specific product, from this very small team, was worth taking on.
Then, finally, someone opened the door.
The family atelier that took a chance on us
The atelier we found is a family-run business in Trofa, Portugal.
They make lingerie using specialist techniques, work with high-quality materials and understand how a few millimetres can completely change the way underwear sits on the body.
More importantly, they listened.
We explained that we were not trying to make just another thong. It needed to create a flatter silhouette while remaining soft. It had to provide support without feeling severe, and feel feminine rather than medical.
Most importantly, it needed to be comfortable during real life, not only while standing perfectly still in front of a mirror.
That balance took time.
But thankfully, patience seems to be one of their materials.
The first sample was not the sample
Neither was the second. Or the third. Or, honestly, several after that.
There were fittings, comments and adjustments from our designer and fitting models, plus more messages than anyone should reasonably exchange on WhatsApp about a pair of underwear.
We changed the shape. We reviewed the front support. We adjusted how the fabric sat against the body.
Then one small change affected something else, because apparently underwear also enjoys creating a chain reaction.
More hold could mean less comfort. More softness could affect support. Something that looked perfect in a sketch could behave very differently after several hours on a real body.
The atelier worked through all of it with us. They welcomed our feedback, accommodated our changes and helped us understand what was technically possible.
They did not simply manufacture the idea. They helped us make it better.
Seeing where it was made
Visiting the atelier made everything feel suddenly real.
There were rolls of fabric, cutting tables, pattern pieces and sewing machines. People worked with the kind of calm precision that makes you realise how much skill sits behind something most of us pull on without thinking.
The Essential Tucking Thong is made using a soft Italian fabric composed of 82% recycled nylon and 18% elastane. But even excellent fabric can become uncomfortable if it is cut or constructed poorly.
The pattern, tension, stitching and finish all have to work together. That is what creates soft support and a smoother front without tape or separate inserts.
And then there were many
Seeing the first production run was slightly surreal.
Piece after piece was being cut and sewn. Something we had spent so long discussing was becoming a real product that another trans woman could wear as part of her everyday life.
It was an “OMG, we are actually doing this” moment.
When you create something for a community you belong to, the responsibility feels personal. We never wanted to make vague promises about confidence or comfort. We wanted to make getting dressed feel genuinely easier.
Made in Portugal, with a lot of patience
The Essential Tucking Thong is designed in Belgium and handmade in Portugal.
Behind that sentence are the three-hour drive, the doors that stayed closed, the samples that changed and the family atelier that eventually said yes.
We are incredibly grateful that they did.
They gave a very small brand their time, expertise and patience. They treated every adjustment with care, helped us solve problems and shared our determination to make the final product something we could all feel proud of.
And we really are proud of it.
Our first production run is intentionally small. It allows us to begin carefully, listen to the trans women wearing it—yes, that means YOU—and keep improving as we grow.
If you are working out which size to start with, our size guide story walks through the measuring part gently. More notes like this one live in the Stories journal.
There may have been easier ways to make a pair of underwear. But they would not have made this one.
Curious about how it is made?
Ask us anything about the fabric, the fit or the atelier. A real person from our tiny team will answer.
Write to us →Love, Vicky x
Ready to meet yours?
Soft support. A smoother front. Made for everyday tucking.