Like many entrepreneurial journeys, the story behind Vancouver-based underwear brand Huha began with a simple question: Isn’t there a better way to do this?
After struggling with a recurring string of UTI’s, Alexa Suter knew cotton underwear would be a better option. The problem was, they were harder to find than you’d think.
“I vividly remember being with friends and coming out of the bathroom and asking them, ‘Do you also hate your underwear?’” said Suter. “They all said yes, and for the rest of the evening I was in my head thinking and dreaming about how I could make underwear better.”
That moment became the spark. Suter started digging into materials, uncovering just how many everyday underwear options rely on synthetics that trap heat and moisture. She wondered why something so essential – and so tied to women’s health – felt like an afterthought in the apparel industry.
Within weeks, she was sketching ideas, researching fabrics, and talking to textile experts. And, quickly, what started as a personal frustration turned into a full-fledged mission: to create underwear that put women’s comfort and well-being first.
The Huha difference
What sets Huha apart isn’t just what’s in the underwear – it’s what’s left out.
Designed with women’s bodies in mind, the brand’s mineral underwear prioritizes comfort, breathability, and health. Using natural, sustainable fabrics like Tencel, Huha underwear is crafted to reduce irritation, support the microbiome, and move with the body rather than against it. The underwear lining is also uniquely knitted with pharmaceutical-grade zinc oxide, which is skin-soothing and anti-microbial.
“From the moment we launched on Kickstarter in 2019 it was clear that we had come up with something that women were searching for,” she said. “People were actually pulling out their credit card and validating the idea with their hard earned money. It was such an exciting moment.”
Equally distinctive is Huha’s real-talk approach. While other brands tiptoe around vaginal health, or moisture, Huha speaks openly and with language women actually use. The name itself, of course, nods to women’s anatomy, and the brand has never shied away from normalizing conversations about intimate health.
“Huha truly was one of the first underwear brands to start talking about underwear as it relates to feminine health, and I needed to break through, make a bit of a wave and be bold in making that argument,” explained Suter. “The market has definitely changed in the last five or six years where those conversations are a lot less taboo now than when we started.”
The ‘I made it’ moment
Now six years into running Huha, Suter admits doubt is still a big part of the entrepreneurial journey.
“I’m sure any entrepreneur will tell you, we are our own worst critics,” she said. “You constantly consider the worst-case scenario. It’s built into you – you have to know what your plan is if everything fails.”
That mindset was fully tested when Suter stepped onto the Dragons’ Den stage in 2023.
“I thought I was going to make a total fool of myself,” she joked.
But stepping into the Den turned out to be a turning point for the company, with Suter striking an initial deal with Arlene Dickinson.
That deal has now grown into the largest investment in the show’s 20-year history, with Dickinson’s VC fund District Ventures Capital recently announcing a $20 million investment into the underwear brand.
“This has honestly been the craziest experience. For a long time I didn’t allow myself to believe it was going to happen, but when it did there were some tears and celebration,” she laughed. “It’s that ‘I made it’ moment that I think every entrepreneur dreams about… that moment where, for the first time, you don’t have to be so scared anymore.”
With that milestone behind her, Suter is more focused – and fearless – than ever.
“For the first time, I didn’t have to live in worst-case-scenario mode,” she said. “I’m so much more sure of my instinct and intuition, and I can just put my foot on the gas, which I didn’t anticipate.”
Looking ahead, her sights are set on innovation beyond underwear. Huha aims to pioneer a new wave of skin-focused apparel, creating garments that support not just intimate health, but the microbiome of skin all over the body.
“Textiles touch our skin 99 per cent of the time,” she explained. “We want to be a trusted brand in this emerging space, making really good-for-you basics.”
For Suter, the next chapter is about building on the momentum, continuing to innovate, and giving women products – and a brand – that finally speak their language.
“I’m going to continue to focus on what I’m passionate about and what I really love, and for me, that’s the innovation space, that intersection of product and brand that I really love to live in,” she said. “I think if we can just do more of what we love to do, life is so much better.”
