Why we went dark
Six months ago we did something most brands never would: we shut Rudie down. We stopped selling completely. Not because business was bad, but because we knew what we were selling was not good enough.
Our underwear was industry standard, and the industry standard, we had come to realise, is a quiet compromise: 20 to 30% synthetic woven into the fabric, chosen because plastic is cheap and easy. That fabric sits against the most sensitive skin on your body, every single day. We could not keep selling it in good conscience. So we stopped, and we finished the job properly.
Three years in the making
The shutdown was not the start of this, it was the final stage. We had already spent three years developing the replacement, thread by thread, sample after sample. Taking the plastic out while keeping the real-world protection you rely on is simple to say and very hard to do. The six months dark were how we got it over the line: stop selling the old, get the new one right, no half measures.
Hundreds of samples later, we had our answer. A body knitted from 92% organic bamboo viscose, soft, breathable and naturally moisture-wicking, with the synthetic content cut by up to 70% against the standard. Every pair is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified and made with no fluorinated chemicals.
What organic bamboo actually means
Bamboo grows fast, needs little water and no pesticides, and the viscose we knit from it is soft, breathable and naturally moisture-wicking. It is the opposite of the slick, warm polyester most period underwear leans on. Against sensitive skin, all day, that difference is the whole reason we rebuilt.
What is actually in a pair
We print the exact numbers on every label, because honesty is the point. The body is 92% organic bamboo viscose and 8% elastane. The gusset is a thin, multi-layer system: a soft cotton top against you, a bamboo terry core that absorbs and holds, and a leak-resistant barrier with a seaweed fibre layer. It is built for real life, comfortable all day, up to 12 hours, with no inserts, no pads and nothing to position.
How much it holds, honestly
Absorbency depends on the style, and we will never overstate it. The thong holds about 5 to 10 ml, roughly 1 to 2 regular tampons. The period brief holds more, and the high-waist brief holds the most for heavier days and overnight. Each product page shows its real range, in millilitres, so you can choose for your flow rather than ours.
The last 8%, and why we keep it
We tried everything to remove the final 8% of elastane. We could not do it without losing the fit and the protection that make the underwear worth wearing. So we kept it, and we tell you so clearly, instead of rounding down to a number that looks nicer on a label. That is the difference now: better materials, real performance, and the exact numbers to back it up.
You asked, so we made the bra
When we came back, thousands of you wrote in with the same message: do the bra too. So we did, and we held it to the exact same standard as the underwear, no shortcuts, no compromise. The Bamboo Bralette is knitted from soft, breathable bamboo with not a single thread of polyester in it. Wire-free, seamless and weightless under everything, it is the piece that finishes the set: the same honest fabric, now head to toe.
Better against your skin, lighter on the planet
Most period underwear hides 20 to 30% synthetic sitting against your skin all day. We cut ours to just 8%, so what touches you is mostly soft, breathable bamboo. And because every pair is reusable for years, one pair replaces hundreds of disposables and the plastic that comes with them.
This is Rudie now
Three years of development, six honest months to finish it, and thousands of you in our corner. The range is small on purpose and made to last. Start with the period brief, size up to the high-waist brief for heavier days, and add the bamboo bralette to wear the same honest fabric head to toe. Welcome back.
