V V APPAREL LLC
MIDDLEBURG, FLORIDA

Vv SkiVvys were designed, developed, and tested by three sisters and their Mom. Valerie Strange, Rochelle Woodeshick, and June Krolikowski were very tired of worrying about what would happen on the days when their period was heavy. We are talking about those days when you double up on your pads or use a tampon and a pad together so there is less of a chance for something to show up on the back of your pants or worse yet, have something show up on a sofa or office chair. After many near-embarrassing situations, and many stains to panties, sheets, and clothing, they knew there had to be a solution to this very common problem. When they approached their Mom, Pearl Briggs, with the idea of coming up with a solution, she encouraged them to move forward and vowed to help  in any way she could. In 1995, while working as a Financial Advisor, Valerie would be in many clients’ homes or attending business meetings where the majority of attendees were men. She was thankful that her husband Rob was her business partner and was also at many of the meetings. She could always whisper to him, “check me out” as she stood up so she knew everything was ok and she could go on with the meetings. She took the usual precautions of wearing a large pad and dark clothing, but the fear and anxiety would never dissipate. She knew, “There has to be a solution to this problem!” Years went by, and she always had her eyes and ears open looking for a protective garment, but it wasn’t until 2005 that Valerie began scouring the market for a protective garment to solve this problem. To her dismay, all she found was white briefs with partial protection, and similar briefs with heavy padding. These briefs were also not equipped to handle leaking through the leg openings which is a major problem. She bought a few pairs of these briefs, but through testing, she realized that liquid would either seep through the needle holes, or it would leak out through the leg opening and wick to the other side of the panty. She remembered a conversation she had with  Rochelle many years ago when she told her that on her heavy days she would wear her bathing suit bottoms to give a little support and to keep my pad in place. The bathing suit bottom was colorful and stylish. This offered a little more protection than a normal pair of cotton panties, but they didn’t help with unexpected leaks onto outer clothing or sheets. Being a young woman with a strong fashion sense, Valerie had a feeling that she could develop a protective panty that when worn in conjunction with a tampon or pad it would be effective, colorful and pretty! She knew it would be difficult for her to “Go It Alone,” and coming from a hardworking family with a business background, she decided to recruit her sisters. They felt like it was a revolutionary idea for a product that was needed by women of all ages. So in September of 2005,  three sisters who then collectively had 13 children and 4 grandchildren, started developing their product. It wasn’t easy! They had our share of road blocks along the way.  One of the major challenges was making the legs leak proof.  They tried everything. Giving up wasn’t an option. The big breakthrough came on a warm evening when their Mom, Pearl was visiting Valerie. Pearl has a Patron Saint, that is a Saint who always seems to help her out when she needs it whether it be for her or someone else. That night she knew we really needed a solution so she asked her Patron Saint for help. It was only a few seconds, and part of our design appeared right into her thoughts. Right away she knew this design would work because she, like Valerie, is a gifted seamstress. The design was coming along, so they moved forward with all of the other aspects of starting a company with a global product.  They worked on the product name for 3 months! Something was always taking us back to the letter “V”. “V” was the first letter in Valerie, and “V” was the first letter of our Grandmother’s name, “Veronica”. Then the word “Skivvys” because it is underwear! So, put it together and you have Vv SkiVvys! We thought it was a great name with an important meaning. We also contacted an attorney who assisted us in writing a patent and filing a trademark.  After 3 years of perfecting their product, they needed to find a manufacturer! They thought everything else was challenging! Because they had specific needs, and because so many of the things sold in the United States are made overseas, they had a really hard time finding a manufacturer in the United States. They called and visited many different manufacturers with the same result, they were either closing, or they didn’t have the capabilities. They were discouraged, but  were not giving up! Then they got a big break from a retired business person. He gave them a tip that led them to a woman-owned company! That was a big change from all of the men we had to deal with! Well, they went to the company to show them the product, and the owner couldn’t make it to the meeting, so they met with 3 men! They were still confident because all of the other men they dealt with in the past would get really excited and say they wanted them for their wives! They showed them the product and they were really pleased. The meeting went so well that one of the gentlemen actually called the owner at home and said, “You have to come in and see this!” Needless to say, they found a manufacturer!    And now, after years of research and development due to very high quality standards, they are proud to present their product that is so desperately needed by every woman and young girl on the planet. Every detail was meticulously thought about, tried, and changed to be made as effective as possible. And as you can imagine, coming from 3 sisters with busy families, this product has brought joy, tears, and laughter. In their hearts, they knew this is exactly what they dreamed of. However, they can not take all of the credit, they had help along the way. Their family has helped us tremendously. They had help from their grown daughters who have tried on and worn countless samples and prototypes. Their children and grandchildren enjoyed the scientific experiments of squirting ketchup and soy sauce on fabric to see if it was truly liquid proof. They have also had very helpful businesses with patience for a startup company with a very small budget.