The Gen-Z Underwear Brand Parade Is Shutting Down

Say good-bye to Parade, the Gen-Z underwear company that once shook up the intimates industry with its promise of inclusivity and sustainability. Founded in 2019 by then-21-year-old Cami Téllez from her dorm room, the company relied heavily on social-media marketing, showcasing inclusive bodies, and its community-driven creator program. In 2023, it was sold to lingerie manufacturer Ariela & Associates, which holds the master license to sell Fruit of the Loom. Parade announced on Saturday via an Instagram post that it will be closing its doors after six “incredible” years of telling its “own unique underwear story.”

The comments section of the post is a mixed bag of emotions from former customers and longtime fans of the company. Some people thanked Parade for being the first underwear brand to make them feel seen in an industry that’s notorious for promoting unrealistic body standards. “Genuinely so upsetting, the only brand that offered PR opportunities to anyone and everyone, I was literally able to keep myself afloat by making content while I was struggling,” one person wrote. “But where will the Dolls shop now?” another customer wrote.

Other customers expressed frustration in the comments section and accused the company of “selling out” on all fronts, from size inclusivity and sustainability to prioritizing profit over product by partnering with big corporations like Target and Coca-Cola.

“I mean, your core business changed. It became increasingly clear you DON’T care about your product or your customer, you care about your profit. Dropping the quality of items, losing the size inclusiveness, only highlighting the ‘right’ content partners, selling out to corporate partners,” one person wrote. “It looks like y’all are learning a painful lesson about what happens when greed takes over.”

Another person, who was allegedly part of the company’s creators program, said she isn’t surprised: “You guys played nothing but favorites when it came to posting creators’ content, not to mention most of the collabs weren’t even size inclusive and you sold out to Target. So like I said, it’s sad but I’m not surprised,” someone else wrote.

The news comes after years of bad press about Parade and reports that Téllez was partially responsible for her company’s downfall, including a Business Insider story that reported the issue plaguing the company was that it “positioned itself as a beacon for change” but ultimately became “just as cutthroat as any other startup.” And when Parade was acquired by Fruit of the Loom in 2023, customers wondered how the sale would impact its mission as an independent brand. Soon after, many people started complaining that Parade’s quality had decreased and its designs had become too mainstream.

“I guess, let this be a lesson to other brands to not turn your back to the people who made you successful just to fit in. Unfortunately, as another commenter stated, private equity companies often ruin unique brands when they don’t share the same underlying values,” one person commented.

Another former customer added, “You changed up classic underwear shapes into things that no one wanted. I was exclusively buying from you but then your quality also went to shit,” wrote another commenter. “Makes me feel better seeing other people in the comments expressing the same things that I feel.”

Parade has not yet responded to The Cut’s request for comment.