The Gusset — Why It's Different and Why You Should Care
I started Cuurve because of a pad. Wearing one gave me a wedgie — it would shift, ride up, sit wrong, no matter what underwear I put on over it. I went through brand after brand and none of them were built to actually hold a pad in place. So I built my own.
Most underwear is built to one average size, then scaled up and down. The gusset — the panel between the legs — usually shrinks or stays the same width across every size, because that's cheaper to grade. The result: seams that dig, fabric that shifts, a fit that never quite sits right, whatever size you buy.
I measured mine instead of guessing.
Cuurve's gusset is 8cm wide. I measured briefs from four well-known high-street and lingerie brands, and their gussets were 5.5–6cm. Every Cuurve brief and pair of shorts uses the same 8cm gusset, in every colourway and every size. It isn't a marketing number. It's what I found putting a tape measure against my own shorts and a stack of everyone else's.
More width means more fabric, and more fabric means more space. A pad needs room to actually sit on, not just a strip of fabric it hangs off the edge of. The wider the gusset, the more surface there is holding it in place — which is the difference between a pad staying put and a pad shifting until it wedges.
What it's made from
Cosy Charlotte's gusset construction varies by colourway. Most currently use a bamboo blend, chosen for softness against skin and for holding its shape wash after wash. Blush, our closing lace run, uses a modal gusset instead — built to the same width as the bamboo-gusset colourways, so the fit doesn't change, only the fabric does.
We're moving the whole range to modal going forward, so future runs will carry a modal gusset throughout.
Cosy Charlotte itself comes in two outer fabrics: TENCEL™ Modal and ECONYL® Regenerated Nylon. Both sit over the same gusset construction. The choice between them comes down to feel, not fit.
Why it matters day to day
A wider gusset is designed to mean less digging, less rolling and less adjusting through the day — whether you're wearing them to sleep, through a long day at a desk, or through a day your body is doing something different than usual.
Sarah, a repeat customer, calls her Cosy Charlotte shorts "the nicest thing to sleep in" and says they feel "like a hug".
I didn't set out to build a period product or a medical product. I set out to build shorts that fit properly, for a body that changes day to day — because most underwear is built as if it doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
How wide is a standard underwear gusset?
On briefs from four well-known high-street and lingerie brands I measured, the gusset was 5.5–6cm wide. Cuurve's gusset is 8cm.
Does Cuurve's gusset change with size?
No. Every Cuurve brief and pair of shorts has the same 8cm gusset, in every size and colourway.
Is a wider gusset better for wearing a pad?
A wider gusset gives a pad more surface to sit on, so it is less likely to shift and ride up.
What is Cuurve's underwear made from, and where?
TENCEL™ Modal or ECONYL® regenerated nylon, handcrafted in small batches in Yorkshire, UK.