At Virtue, we’re cheeky. We like to say that our favorite part of a jockstrap is the strap, not the jock–and that’s why developed strap-centric intimates for every one. But of course, there’s more to Virtue’s creation than that. It’s time for the story beneath the straps.

Virtue is the creation of fashion designer Yotam Solomon, who’s been named superstar fashion designer by E! News and spent years working to push the boundaries of traditional shapes and silhouettes in fashion.

When I started my career, I always thought about what I could do when it comes to changing traditional silhouettes and influencing people’s perception of what fashion is,” says Solomon. This eventually led him to the question, “How do I create intimates that are unexpected?”

For a long time, jockstraps have been gatekept traditionally for men–either straight men who wear them while working out or gay men who wear them being worked out. For Solomon, that seemed like narrow thinking. “I’ve always been fascinated by unique elements that have functionality you wouldn’t expect them to have,” he says. “A good example is the straps on our briefs, because there’s twelve ways of wearing them that you can explore more as you explore your own desires.” 

That’s why we refer to our briefs as athlingerie, because there’s so many uses for them that they defy categorization. Are they shapewear that plump your butt? Functional underwear for every day? For a sexy night out? Are they fetish wear, with straps that can be used as a choker, handcuffs, or intimate ring? Yes, yes to all. 

When it comes to the actual design process, Solomon is focused on the functionality and making sure it works for everyone. “For me, it’s a very visual process. A concept comes to mind, I sketch it, but my favorite part is creating prototypes. That’s when you start learning about what you actually want to do with the design. Then you get to test it. Nobody loves testing products as much as I do. To me, that’s when the magic happens. It’s the most crucial, critical step–seeing them on different body types. When you test it, you start realizing all of the things you need to fix that ultimately become exciting new elements of the product. Feedback is the most important thing.” 

Solomon’s commitment to feedback is one of the reasons a sense of community with Virtue is so important to him. “I recently had a trans woman tell me how well the compact worked for her, and how it accommodated her need to tuck comfortably. That made me very happy, because creating this product is more complex–it’s not as straightforward as designing for just a male and female figure.” Creating genderless intimates is not an easy task, but it’s an important one–for the future, for every community, and for the planet. Read more about our commitment to genderless intimates in our blog post “Our Genderless Fashion: Navigating Beyond Unisex.”

“It's actually defining a whole new category moving forward,” Solomon says. “And ultimately that makes me the most excited. It’s functionality that helps people have new, honest conversations and explore a bit more about their own sensuality, their decisions, and the way that they get to enjoy themselves. That’s what Virtue is.”