Let’s Get Our Knickers In a Twist (LGOKIAT) is a community interest company founded by Serena Chamberlain in 2022 who was a student at the University of Durham. She was inspired not only by the issue of women’s safety and wellbeing but also wanted to create a safe space for women during Durham’s bad spiking outbreak. Exeposé spoke to Emma Cowan, who is a representative of the organisation at Exeter, about their mission.
Charity shops and other second hand clothing stores cannot sell underwear so an estimated 500 million women and girls worldwide lack access to affordable underwear. Emma said “while pant poverty and period poverty come hand in hand, and whilst period poverty is often taken up by big charities such as Oxfam, the underwear part is often forgotten.”
In the UK and the USA, underwear tops the most urgent clothing needs list in women’s shelters.
LGOKIAT are a non-profit organisation that provides vulnerable women with clean underwear, working with shelters to provide support for women who are victims of homelessness, domestic abuse, addiction, sex work and those who have had contact with the criminal justice system.
In the UK and the USA, underwear tops the most urgent clothing needs list in women’s shelters
In order to provide to those who need the support, LGOKIAT collect donations in the form of money or packaged and unused underwear and then distribute them to shelters both nationally and internationally. On the recent international donations, Emma said: “recent donations have gone to Ukraine, Texas and Melbourne to help victims of conflict or disaster that have been displaced.”
Emma mentioned the charity’s ‘dual empowerment’ model which “empowers women we donate to and those of us who volunteer and support the charity with fundraising and community building.
“This helps create a sustainable cycle of support and solidarity amongst young women.”
As of January 2025, 15,371 pairs of underwear have been donated with 40 different centres being reached, over three continents.
“The dual empowerment model empowers women we donate to and those of us who volunteer and support the charity with fundraising and community building.”
Emma Cowan
On her role as an ambassador for the organisation, Emma said she works with university societies to create events, raise donations and awareness. At the moment, she is trying to set up a ‘pink pants party’ and collaborate with societies like the Body Society.
For further financial support, LGOKIAT also sells hoodies and calendars whereby 100 per cent of all profits go straight to the charity. The calendars aim to empower models to feel their best and the location of the photos aims to break down the sexist stigma surrounding women’s underwear.LGOKIAT has room for more ambassadors. Go to www.letsgetourknickersinatwist.org to find out more, or find the organisation on Instagram and TikTok at @letsgetourknickersinatwist.
