our story

Tomi and I started Apele because we want to help girls and women feel more confident in their daily lives. We grew up in a society where bodily changes were not discussed, so we created a company where we can share positive image information and solutions to empower girls and women. We know most anxiety is created during times of change because of the unknown!

There are 7 female stages that we have to transition into and we believe we have an effective solution for each stage as your body evolves. Our goal is to prepare you physically, emotionally and mentally for those inevitable changes. You will be prepared with Apele and our period underwear will make you feel attractive, desirable, and unstoppable.

With Love,

Co-Founders of Apele,
Natalie & Tomi

P.S. We are also here to help single dads, fathers, grandfathers, brothers and boyfriends who also might want to better understand girls, women and their periods.

DEFINITION

The genesis of Apele, pronounced Uh-Peel, is defined as the outer layer of the fruit, which is to protect the “forbidden fruit”. We designed a built in pantyliner undie, which is the peel, that protects you as it absorbs up to 1 teaspoon or 1 small tampon’s worth. Our logo, is a perched butterfly (symbolic of the evolved girl or woman) that has just gone through a metamorphosis from being in a cocoon (our comfort zone) and breaking out into the real world. This is a reflection of our own journey as we mature in life and growing is always painful.

FUNCTIONALITY

Our daily period underwear are designed with a built in pantyliner which serves to protect you from unpredictable leaks. We designed it for young girls who are waiting for their first period and women, who have untimely periods, spotting, discharge, urinary incontinence and sweat. Our intention is to reduce anxiety levels about the “when”, “where”,“how” and “what do I need?” By wearing our underwear, you are prepared for the unexpected. Our underwear is not just for that time of the month, it is designed for all mishaps. Never leave home without it and this is easy as our undies are rolled into a cocoon size bag for stow-away in your car or bag.

oUR PROCESS

We spent alot of time creating, designing, and perfecting our underwear. We travelled around the world to source our fabrics and experimented with multiple combinations of functionality. We finally found the perfect combination of 3 core layers: power mesh that pulls liquids away from you, into a leak resistant layer that minimizes leaks and the exterior is a performance fabric which stretches with you as you move. The balance of these high performance fabrics allows for our undies to be lightweight, soft and functional. The combination of fabrics will vary depending upon absorbency levels.

TEST TRIALS

After many iterations of our product, we partnered up with Professor Yasuhiro Yamakawa, The Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship for Women Studies at Babson University, for insights. We felt we could go to production but wanted to make sure our product worked. We experimented and conducted studies on our product with a group of college seniors at Babson, to ensure our product was met with authenticity and benchmarked with unbiased feedback. We are very grateful to Professor Yamakawa and the women who helped us discern our path and will always be revered in our hearts, as integral on our journey.

details

All of our products are made with love: ultra soft fabrics, minimal stitching and bonded edges as we want our underwear to feel like a second skin. Each undies weighs less than an ounce. We hired designers that understand the importance of the perfect fit so we tested our underwear in highly active scenarios. We experimented with various threads, stitching types, fabrics and multiple styles to optimize comfortability and functionality simultaneously. Lastly, we chose bright colors to uplift our spirits during that time of the month. Once we feel good about ourselves, we can feel good about the world around us. We hope our daily, revolutionary underwear will change the way you live and feel.