Let’s get this out of the way: Betabrand calls its synthetic fleece Vagisoft. Yes, it’s material named after a woman’s privates. And yes, cofounder Chris Lindland is aware of the product’s Beavis & Butthead-ness and occasionally fields complaints from people who aren’t comfortable with the concept–despite the fact that Betabrand markets the resulting garments as “so ineffably comfy, test subjects had to be removed from them with the Jaws of Life.”

“I just keep making it, but every now and then I have to answer for what appears to be a sophomoric joke,” says Lindland.

He keeps making it because, well, customers want it. Most recently, female customers crowdfunded Vagisoft back into production.





“I love moving forward, but the web is not letting go of it,” Lindland says.

Vagisoft showed its enduring appeal earlier this year when men’s “Vajamas” resulted in production demand four times greater than anticipated. Next, it reiterated its popularity as a runaway success on Betabrand’s newly launched crowdfunding platform. Called Think Tank, the platform has evolved over time to allow designers to submit ideas voted into prototypes, which the company’s in-house production team creates and posts online. If enough people pre-purchase the items, they get crowdfunded into production. Original ideas garner creators 10% of sales revenue. Helping to attract crowdfunders are discounts starting at 30%.

“It’s a way for us to let the feedback of our fans determine where we spend our money,” says Lindland, whose company counts quirky items such as a reversible smoking jacket and a hoodie inspired by a disco ball among its popular sellers.

Well before the close of its funding period, the Vagisoft Hoodie for women–designed, it should be noted, by female designer Sarah James–exceeded its goal of 85 pre-orders. With those and more in place, the hoodie will head into production at a factory in San Francisco, where all Betabrand products are made, and ship to backers in early November. Others with similar success include designer Tomo Saito’s Tokyo-inspired cargo pants and a fleece pea coat for men by Betabrand cofounder Matt Thier.