Parade
Rated: Great
Price: $
Location: USA
Quick verdict
Permanently closed on October 28, 2025. Parade redefined accessible sustainable underwear for Gen Z with recycled fabrics, inclusive sizing (XS–3XL), and price points starting at $8, but the story ended badly. After raising $56 million in venture capital and reaching a $200 million valuation, the brand sold to Ariela & Associates (Fruit of the Loom's bra licensee) in August 2023 when cash ran out. Founder Cami Téllez departed making "not a single dollar." Quality declined, prices rose, and the brand permanently shuttered. The yourparade.com domain now redirects to Smart & Sexy, another Ariela brand.
Key info
- Headquarters
- Brooklyn, New York (25 Jay St, DUMBO)
- Founded
- 2019
- Product categories
- Underwear
- Price range
- $
- Key certifications
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Global Recycle Standard (GRS), BCI cotton, WRAP/SEDEX/BSCI factory audits, Carbon neutral (via Native offsets). Not B Corp certified
Parade sustainability rating
Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (We Avoid) to 5 (Excellent). How we rate
Rating breakdown
Genuinely innovative material portfolio: Re:Play (85% recycled nylon), Universal (seamless recycled/carbon-neutral), New:Cotton (upcycled cotton + TENCEL), Luxe Satin (recycled alternative to silk). OEKO-TEX and GRS certified across lines. Strong material transparency with proprietary fabric names and detailed composition data.
Factory-level audits (BSCI, WRAP, SEDEX, SA8000) were in place. Published a supplier code of conduct. However, manufacturing was in China with China is classified as high-risk for labour abuse, and there is no evidence of living wage verification. Factory names and locations were never publicly disclosed.
Carbon neutral as a brand (2021–2022 via Native offsets). Compostable packaging with biodegradable mailers. TerraCycle "Second Life" recycling program processed 30,000+ pairs. Eco-friendly materials reduced water and chemical impact, Goal of carbon positive by 2025 was not achieved before closure.
Detailed material breakdowns and certifications on product pages, Partnership with Sayari for supply chain mapping. Published eco-impact labels developed with Eco Age. But did not publicly name factory partners, and post-acquisition transparency deteriorated significantly.
At $8–$13 per pair pre-acquisition, Parade offered the most accessible entry point to sustainable underwear. Even at post-acquisition higher prices, the recycled material quality was competitive. However, customers reported declining quality-to-price ratio after the Ariela takeover.
What they do well
- Material innovation: eight proprietary fabric lines using recycled nylon, upcycled cotton, TENCEL, and FSC-certified viscose, each with specific sustainability attributes and certifications
- Radical accessibility: proved that sustainable underwear could cost $9, not $30, opening the category to a mass audience that previously couldn't afford ethical options
- Size inclusivity: XS to 3XL in underwear; bras in band sizes up to 46 and cups to G, among the widest ranges in sustainable intimates
- Community building: 75,000+ brand ambassadors, 70,000-person pre-launch waitlist, and a genuine cultural moment for body-positive, colorful underwear
- Recycling infrastructure: TerraCycle partnership created one of the few underwear take-back programs in the U.S.
Room for improvement
- Unit economics never worked. $56M in VC, $49M in gross sales, and never profitable, the growth-at-all-costs DTC model was fundamentally unsustainable regardless of the product's sustainability credentials.
- Acquisition destroyed brand identity. Ariela & Associates expanded to Target (400+ stores) and Amazon but lost the quality, community spirit, and founder-led mission that made Parade distinctive.
- Factory transparency gap. For a brand built on sustainability, never publishing factory names or locations was a significant omission.
About Parade
Parade launched in October 2019 with a 70,000-person waitlist and a thesis that underwear could be both sustainable and fun, founded by 22-year-old Columbia dropout Cami Téllez and Jack DeFuria, the brand paired recycled nylon and upcycled cotton with full-spectrum color, Gen Z marketing, and $9 price points. Celebrity investors included Shakira and Karlie Kloss. By 2021, Parade had sold over 3.5 million pairs, achieved carbon neutrality, and raised $43 million at a $140 million valuation.
The trajectory reversed sharply. A $13 million raise in August 2022 pushed the valuation to $200 million, but the brand was burning ~$14 million annually and never turned a profit. When additional fundraising failed in 2023, Parade sold to Ariela & Associates International, the Miami Beach-based intimates giant behind Fruit of the Loom bras, Curvy Couture, and Smart & Sexy. Investors were paid first; Téllez stated publicly she received nothing. Early employees with equity were similarly wiped out.
Under Ariela, Parade expanded to Target (400+ locations) and planned Amazon and Walmart launches, but customers immediately noticed declining quality and rising prices. The brand's vibrant identity faded into generic wholesale intimates. Inventory dwindled through 2025, and on October 25, the brand announced its permanent closure via Instagram. A 50% off liquidation sale followed, with customers noting the discounted prices still exceeded their pre-acquisition regular prices.
Parade's story is a cautionary tale about the tension between VC-fueled hypergrowth and genuine sustainability. The materials innovation was real; the business model was not.
Product highlights
Re:Play Thong
85% recycled nylon, 15% elastane; OEKO-TEX certified with BCI cotton liner; dozens of colorways
$9
Called "the comfiest thong on the market" by Teen Vogue; the brand's signature product and bestseller
Universal Seamless Brief
Carbon-neutral seamless underwear from rescued manufacturing waste; 100% organic cotton gusset
$8–$10
Industry-first carbon-neutral underwear line (launched January 2021)
Silky Mesh Bikini
Recycled nylon spun into superfine durable mesh; GRS and OEKO-TEX certified
$9–$11
Demonstrated that recycled materials could achieve luxury handfeel at mass-market pricing
Re:Play Triangle Bralette
Recycled nylon with adjustable straps; matching colors to underwear lines
$20–$28
Extended the recycled material innovation beyond underwear into everyday bras
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