Underwear Thesis: Cuup Review
Is CUUP worth the hype (and the $$)? Here’s the truth.
Welcome back to Underwear Thesis! Today’s highly scientific underwear review is all about Cuup, a brand that’s been requested a TON for this series. This brand is known for their great colors, minimalist modern aesthetic, and self-proclaimed innovation (especially for the Flexiwire underwire in their bras). Tons of people swear by Cuup’s bras, but what about their underwear? Let’s find out!
Quick note: this is based on my original blog post written in 2021. Updates have been made & I am sharing the review here to create the ultimate Underwear Thesis forum for you!
My Totally Unfiltered Review of Cuup Underwear
Styles Tried and Price
The Bikini – modal, leopard, size 3/M – $20
The Tap – mesh, cerise, size 3/M – $24 (no longer available)
The Tap – modal, clay, size 3/M – $18 (no longer available)
The Highwaist – modal, vine, size 3/M – $20
Fabric Quality + Details
Grade: B
I definitely preferred the underwear made with modal (which is a synthetic) because it was super-soft against the skin. The gusset in each pair is made of a bamboo blend that is supposedly wicking and antibacterial. Also it’s open at one end, which you know I appreciate! The fabric itself is really, really nice.
The mesh is my least favorite of the fabrics simply because there is a rather stiff trim applied to the edges of the waist and leg openings. Cuup calls it an “ultrasonic line bonding.” I found it to be too stiff and not really that comfortable, nor does it help the underwear to stay in place (which is a selling point they list)! The mesh itself is nice and lightweight, but it’s just not my jam for everyday wear.
The stitching on Cuup underwear is really interesting to me: there is a seam up the back of each pair. I suspect this is there to accentuate your butt’s silhouette. To me, it’s totally unnecessary and actually somewhat uncomfortable because there’s a bulky seam in my butt crack. COOL.
Manufacturing Quality
Grade: C
Given how nice the fabrics are, I had high hopes for the construction of the underwear from Cuup. And was a bit disappointed, especially given the pricepoint for each pair. Not only did the underwear arrive with loose threads, the stitching on the highwaist style became loose after just one washing!
I know I’ve already complained about the butt crack stitching (as I love to refer to it), but I found it especially egregious after a few wearings. The intersection of that seam plus the stitching at the bottom of the waist band especially creates a weak point. This then pulls the fabric and creates a small hole which I imagine will only get worse with more and more wear.
Ethical Practices and Sustainability
Grade: D
I found absolutely no mention of any sustainability practices on their website, so that’s disappointing. Additionally, I have loads of questions about their factories yet no answers. I understand that their whole M.O. is innovative fabrics. However, it is very much possible to create innovative fabrics while also being sustainable and paying a fair living wage to those making the product.
Inclusivity
Grade: C-
When it comes to inclusivity, I’m a bit confused. Their social channels show more of a range of skintones and sizes, but the product pages don’t. I found it incredibly difficult to figure out my size based on the product photos because it all looks to be the same model, yet each product page says “Molly is wearing a 6 (XL)” or something similar… yet the bodies all look the same. Then, when I continued scrolling down the page, there’s a “styling tip” listed which features a rail-thin white woman. None of those images were helpful in seeing how their styles would work on my body type! The ‘find my size’ feature of the site only applies to bras, so you’re left to rely on their standard issue size chart.
The only reason I didn’t give Cuup a D grade is because their size range goes from XS to XXXL, which to me, is the bare minimum a brand should offer.
Washability
Grade: C
As I mentioned before, my very first washing loosed some seams which is shocking especially given that this is an $20 pair of underwear. Even my cheapy Auden undies didn’t do that! The mesh washed infinitely better and still looks brand new after a few washings. Meanwhile, the modal looks wrinkly and almost saggy.
Fit and Comfort
Grade: F
Sigh… I HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES… and then hated the fit of every single pair that I ordered. First of all, The Bikini was a hard no. I tried it on and immediately knew I would never wear them because they were so skimpy. I wanted to return them, but they are not returnable. I ended up washing the bikini panties and wore them for one day, all in the name of science. It was a very long day, full of wedgies.
The Tap was equally disappointing because it is considered their most full-coverage pair of underwear. I probably should have known I wouldn’t love it because the product description also mentioned that it’s a “cheeky” style, meaning that its highly likely my butt would hang out… and it does. Which then equals a quick trip to Wedgie City, my least favorite place.
The fit of The Highwaist was the least horrible, but still not great. The modal made the underwear floppy which I believe is a result of how lightweight the fabric is. The underwear did not stay in place, at all. And by the end of the day, the butt was saggy.
And lastly, my biggest complain about the fit of Cuup underwear is that the crotch is pretty narrow. I didn’t feel like I got the coverage I wanted — and I’m sure you can imagine how uncomfortable it is to get a wedgie in that region as well. Not great.
Overall thoughts
Grade: D
As much as I enjoy how soft the modal is, I don’t think it’s the right material to use for panties. For a bra, yes. But I’m very curious to see how long any of these pairs last with regular wearing. As you can tell from the photos, they are already wonky, wrinkly, and worn looking! And I took these photos after having washed them once.
My advice? Save your money and buy something else from the other brands I recommend… I was NOT impressed with Cuup’s underwear, especially given how many people love their bras. I do love the handfeel of their fabrics and how soft they are. But at the end of the day, there is wayyy better that is also more affordable, more sustainably made, and more inclusive.
What do you think of my Cuup review??? And if you’re a Cuup fan (or not…), leave a comment and let me know your opinion. I’d love to hear!