Profile of Spanx: a company which revolutionised the shapewear industry

Spanx is a pioneering shapewear company based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, which was founded by inventor and entrepreneur Sara Blakely in 1998. Since it was founded, Spanx has revolutionised the shapewear industry and changed the way that modern women around the world dress. Today, Spanx produces innovative shaping apparel items in several product categories, including activewear, dresses, jackets, jeans, jumpsuits, loungewear, shapewear, shorts, skirts, swimwear, tops, trousers and underwear. Spanx serves more than 50 geographical markets worldwide and it has built its success supplying its customers through its wholesale channels and using direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels via its website and company-owned stand-alone stores. Spanx’s stated purpose as a company is “elevating women”, and its corporate mission statement is “to help women feel great about themselves and their potential”. Notably, Spanx is committed to helping women with its products and with its business practices. Interestingly, the company has an all-female board of directors. Spanx’s leading collections include Invisible Supima Cotton shapewear, OnCore shapewear, OnForm activewear, ReDefine denim, and Suit Your Fancy shapewear. Some of these collections employ ground breaking innovations, including FitSense denim technology and FitSense print technology. However, the company has yet to invest in innovations which promote environmental sustainability, and it should consider doing so in order to remain competitive.