Fashion Grad Launches All-Natural & All-Inclusive Loungewear Brand for Homebodies
The Modern Figleaf’s line of “loungewear for homebodies” promises more than just comfort and coziness – it’s also just as all-natural as the modesty-inducing plant it’s named after.
Founded by Fashion Design alumnus Alanna Klatt, the underwear brand’s complete line of colourful boxers, briefs and boyshort panties is made with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 cotton and bamboo fabrics – meaning it’s not only chemical-free, but also “luxuriously soft, highly breathable, and so comfortable you sometimes forget you are wearing anything.”
“My whole vision behind The Modern Figleaf was just to create a brand that was super comfy and safe for everybody to wear,” said Klatt, who graduated from Toronto Film School in 2013.
“The people that I really target are those who care about what’s going directly against their skin, who may have sensitivities, and who especially seek out natural fibres for their breathability.”
Unofficially established in 2015, The Modern Figleaf started out as post-graduation side project that Klatt juggled alongside her various work commitments as she navigated her burgeoning career in fashion.
But what began as a hobby quickly escalated into a full-fledged passion project, as the Fenelon Falls native graduated from playing around with drafting and fitting underwear patterns, to researching and testing natural fabric dyes using beets, turmeric, and greens.
“Since TFS until now, I’ve had 10 jobs in the fashion industry that have sort of lead me to where I am now with my underwear brand,” Klatt said.
“From jewelry and women’s wear, to custom and alterations – I’ve done a little bit of everything, but every single one of those jobs taught me something related to running my own business, which has been amazing.”
With The Modern Figleaf studio now based out of her midtown Toronto home, Klatt spends her days as a one-woman underwear designing, cutting, sewing, selling, and shipping machine.
“I pretty much do it all here,” she laughed, noting that she recently turned down her “perfect” fashion job, just so that she could focus all her attention on her business.
“There were no cons to the job, except that it was going to be taking away from the time I had to work on my business and that was enough. As soon as I said ‘no’ to that opportunity, within a couple of days, my business was up online and orders started coming in, so I sort of knew it was the right choice for me at this point.”
Moving forward, one of Klatt’s main priorities will be expanding her current line of styles to include more of the colourful prints and patterns she’s begun designing herself.
“The personal patterns are something new that I introduced last year…because I was having such a hard time finding cool prints for men,” she said, noting that she recently found a supplier who shares a similarly natural, sustainable and chemical-free approach to their fabric printing process.
“Everything about it just meshed so well with my brand, so I gave it a try and started designing a few of my own patterns – popular themes like video games, sports and outdoorsy type stuff. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Klatt’s other hope is that, within the next five years, she’ll have branched out beyond boxers and briefs to introduce tops, bra-lets and other lounge-worthy pieces into her collection.
“I sort of want to develop The Modern Figleaf as a complete loungewear brand that’s inclusive of every single person,” Klatt said, noting that, in addition to the listed XS to XL size range, she also welcomes custom orders to fit her clients’ exact measurements.
“I have friends and family of all shapes and sizes. Everyone’s proportions are not the same, and that’s just life. But everyone needs underwear, and as a business, you need to be available to every single person. So that’s the goal.”
To check out The Modern Figleaf’s line of underwear, visit Klatt’s Etsy shop here.
