Granny Panties of Yore Reinvented for a New Customer

ARQ undies have built a cult following based on their coverage, comfort and counterintuitive sex appeal.

In September 2019, Lydia Okello, a content creator who works primarily with slow fashion brands, received an email from a small underwear company offering to send a package of its products, with no pressure to post about them. Mx. Okello agreed, and within two weeks, a recyclable package containing a soft lilac bralette and a matching pair of vertiginously high-waisted panties arrived at their doorstep in Vancouver, British Columbia. “I was surprised underwear could be that comfortable right away,” said Mx. Okello, who was so sold on the underwear that they have since acquired eight more pairs, paid for completely out of pocket. The brand, ARQ, in McMinnville, Ore., sells just one style of nether garments: a borderline parody of granny panties with a rise so steep it inches past the belly button. (The company also offers three styles of bralette, a tank top and a bodysuit in an array of cheerful colors.)