Under.me is an underwear e-commerce startup from the absolutely gorgeous Israeli supermodel, Bar Refaeli. The site is filled with pictures of Bar, scantily clad in her own branded underwear. Seriously, she’s even all over the men’s side of the site – it’s like an exercise in ego, which shouldn’t be too surprising, considering the unethical way she avoided serving in the IDF. But this isn’t about my personal opinion of Bar Refaeli (which is actually rather blah) or the foolish choices she made when she was 18. This is about the e-commerce site and the underwear.

I bought some. Two sets actually. One set in gray and another in turquoise, two boy shorts and two sports bras. And I had some issues with the consistency of the goods. I should probably note here, my undergraduate degree is in Liberal Arts – Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, my first year in Israel I worked as a Merchandiser between Israeli manufacturers and American accounts. In other words, I know how these items should measure according to the information on the site, and I know how to determine the quality of the products. With that said, I think the pictures speak for themselves as to the difference in quality of the products.

I also got a pair of black leggings, which aren’t thick enough to wear out in public as leggings, but are perfect as tights without feet (and the URL says tights instead of leggings). Since under.me is an underwear and not a clothing brand, I’m going to assume that’s on purpose and go with it, as per the URL. Still haven’t worn them though, because I only noticed the URL now and was hoping they would be thicker.

Back to the gray set. It was nothing like the turquoise set. I documented everything as I got it out of the packaging. The tops were a completely different size, the gray was smaller than the turquoise.

The construction of the tops was completely different, and the gray had no logo or brand mentioned on it at all (not even on the tags), while the turquoise was properly branded and constructed as per the design on the site.

The boy shorts had similar issues. The gray was simply constructed wrong, with the ribbon on the outside of the short instead of the inside as it is on the turquoise.

And there was no branding on the gray either.

I wrote in a complaint. I wasn’t sure that they would take the goods I wanted to return, since in Israel underwear must be in a closed package in order to be returned. However, the Under.me customer service rocked, even though they were seriously annoyed that I publicized their lack of Quality Assurance on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds. They didn’t take back the gray, but they offered either a refund or another set. I opted in for another set in turquoise.

My guess is that the gray set was part of the MVP (minimum viable product). In other words, while under.me was determining if there was a market it probably bought overruns from another manufacturer. In this case complaints from customers would be a good thing, as they would confirm a desire for the product and show that the customer cares enough to say something. The Customer Service also mentioned that the gray set was from a previous season, which could be why under.me now has significantly more product on offer. (I’ve been watching the site since it launched.)

For this review I’ll do the turquoise only. As for fit and style – fantastic – husband approved. Overall Under.me has done a nice job creating a great designed, well made, and nicely fitting product. I will buy from Under.me again. The Under.me plaid pajama bottoms are totally calling my name.

The website is missing a few things (not very surprising for a MVP). It should have ratings and reviews. Under.me also shouldn’t be sending out past seasons’ product if it isn’t the same level as the current season. It should be on sale – but there is no sale section on the site. What I have noticed is since I made my complaint, Under.me has separated the new colors from the old for the sports tops. Clever, but they are still the same price, while the new colors are properly branded and of significantly higher quality and a better cut. It also doesn’t solve the issue of the gray boy shorts.

I will say that the packaging is great. Opening an Under.me package is like getting a present.

The site is easy to navigate and if you’re a straight guy or a lesbian who likes busty blondes there’s plenty for you to look at. Like videos of Bar in her Under.me underwear. If you’re a straight woman who would like some eye candy, you’re completely out of luck. I guess I’ll just have to go check out Robin’s Facebook page instead.

➤ Under.me

Image credit: AFP / Getty Images

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