Background & Opportunity
Undress Code was founded by Izabela and Kacper in 2016. Its designs are developed in Warsaw, and the vast majority of its products are made locally in Poland. The brand entered the women’s lingerie, bodysuit, and ready-to-wear market, but its products did not fit neatly within traditional lingerie categories. Instead, the team used a distinctive visual identity and bodysuits designed to be worn openly as outerwear to differentiate the label and pursue the premium women’s fashion market. That positioning created both an opportunity and an explanation problem. Traditional department stores typically organize products around established lingerie categories, so garments that combine intimate apparel with outerwear can be difficult to place within existing buying structures. For a newly founded company with limited funding and little market recognition, the central challenge was finding buyers and channels that understood the product rather than forcing it into a conventional category. The original business plan was cautious. The founders expected to operate for several years before entering overseas markets. About two months after the company was established, however, Undress Code received an opportunity to exhibit at a Paris trade show. The team had only three weeks to prepare an approximately 8-square-meter stand, and the funds available for the project were limited. Accepting the invitation meant committing resources to international channels far earlier than planned. It also meant assuming the pressures associated with samples, presentation, order fulfillment, and production planning. Waiting would have allowed the company to continue accumulating experience in Poland, but it also risked losing a rare opportunity to meet international buyers in one concentrated setting. Undress Code chose not to wait. It placed overseas markets ahead of the Polish market and used a consistent brand presentation to communicate the difference between conventional lingerie and garments designed to be worn visibly. Its first show produced a Zalando order and entry into Galeries Lafayette. According to an interview published by November 2018, the brand then had its regular collection in 18 locations in France. Those early orders demonstrated that international channels would accept the positioning, but they also created new financing requirements. The team used loans to fulfill large orders while continuing to manage the fashion industry’s substantial upfront costs, production delays, and material supply risks. It did not treat the first trade show as a one-off event. Undress Code kept participating in international exhibitions, used showrooms, and joined export promotion projects intended to secure overseas trade partners and increase export revenue. The first international promotion project in 2018 had a total value of PLN 507,000, including PLN 405,600 in European Union co-financing. A Gulf-region expansion project conducted in 2021—2022 had a total value of PLN 179,600, including PLN 152,660 in European Union co-financing. At the same time, the brand retained its own DTC e-commerce channel. It developed B2B wholesale through buyers, boutiques, department stores, and platforms such as Zalando, gradually creating a structure in which direct consumer sales operated alongside international distribution. By May 2022, a co-founder described the decision to bet on overseas markets before opening the Polish market as a breakthrough that helped move the company forward. The co-founder also said that Undress Code products were sold in 40 countries. This figure reflects the founder’s statement about market coverage and should not be combined directly with separate reports concerning the physical boutique network. In 2025, Undress Code entered the FT1000 ranking. Coverage reported a growth rate of 821% and said the company ranked first in the apparel and fashion category. Beginning on October 20, 2025, the brand also operated a pop-up space at Harrods in London. Reporting from late 2025 stated that international sales accounted for approximately 60% of revenue. Together, these facts show a path from trade-show exposure and buyer orders to a layered international channel network. However, the available public evidence is insufficient to establish that the original overseas-first decision was the sole cause of all subsequent revenue growth.
Original Problem / Model
At launch, Undress Code had limited funding and brand recognition, and its plan was to wait several years before entering overseas markets. Its bodysuits combined lingerie and outerwear characteristics, making them difficult to fit into the classic lingerie categories used by traditional department stores. The company also faced upfront investment, order financing, production delays, and material supply risks.
Turning Point
About two months after the company was founded, a Paris trade show invited the brand to participate. The team prepared an approximately 8-square-meter stand in only three weeks and brought forward its overseas-first strategy. Its first appearance produced a Galeries Lafayette partnership and a Zalando order.
Core Decision
The core decision was to concentrate limited funding on international trade shows, using a consistent visual identity and the distinctive lingerie-as-outerwear concept to attract buyers. At the same time, Undress Code retained its own e-commerce channel rather than becoming fully dependent on wholesale partners.
Execution / Model / Acquisition Changes
The team used loans to fulfill large orders and continued investing in international trade shows, showrooms, and export promotion projects. Its model evolved into two complementary engines: DTC e-commerce and international B2B wholesale. Wholesale channels included buyers, boutiques, department stores, and platforms such as Zalando.
Measurable Results
Company revenue increased from PLN 169,414.11 in 2017 to PLN 17,896,332.76 in 2025. Net profit in 2025 was PLN 2,165,293.35. Reporting from late 2025 also stated that international sales represented approximately 60% of total revenue.
Lessons
The case shows that international trade shows can help a differentiated brand validate buyer demand and establish distribution. However, expansion must address financing, production capacity, and material supply risks at the same time. The company’s entire long-term growth should not be attributed to a single early decision.