What Hanky Panky is known for
New York lingerie brand founded in 1977 by Gale Epstein and Lida Orzeck, first known for handkerchief-lace sets sold through Lord & Taylor; introduced its original stretch-lace thong in 1986 and remains women-owned today.
Hanky Panky was founded in New York in 1977 by designer Gale Epstein, a Parsons-trained designer known for repurposing vintage clothing, who made a handmade lingerie set for her friend Lida Orzeck out of embroidered vintage cotton handkerchiefs. The handkerchief-lace pieces caught the attention of retail buyers, and an initial wholesale order of 144 sets from a Lord & Taylor buyer gave the fledgling company its commercial start — and its name.
The brand's signature product came nearly a decade later: in 1986, Epstein, working as Hanky Panky's creative director, designed the original 4811 Rise thong in a stretch lace intended to be effectively imperceptible under clothing. The design became closely associated with the brand, and by 2004 the Wall Street Journal was describing its signature fabric as 'lace butter.'
Hanky Panky has stayed women-owned, with both founders still involved decades after the company's start, and operates a production and shipping facility in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York. The brand now sells in more than 70 countries and has sold tens of millions of units of its thong style over its history.
How ORBIS reads this city
Best for — New York's one-size stretch-lace thong in every shade, since 1977.
Mexico.
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