It started with a simple question: Why can’t underwear be comfortable and invisible? Twenty years later, Kerry O’Brien’s Commando has answered that question by building a fashion empire that started in a Ziploc bag and ended up on Hollywood’s biggest red carpets, fundamentally changing how we think about the clothes we live in.
Every fashion revolution begins with a problem. For Kerry O’Brien, that problem was the visible panty line—a universal frustration that the industry had accepted as an unavoidable side effect of getting dressed. O’Brien, however, saw it not as a nuisance, but as a symptom of a much larger issue: a fashion world that forced a choice between comfort and style. Two decades later, her brand, Commando, has evolved from a single, game-changing thong into a multi-million dollar powerhouse that has completely rewritten the rules of modern wardrobing.
A New Chapter After 9/11
Before she was a fashion innovator, O’Brien was a Vice President of Financial PR at Edelman in New York City, thriving in a high-intensity world of media cycles and crisis management. But the tragic events of September 11, 2001, served as a profound catalyst for change. The constant consumption of media became unbearable, and she knew a new chapter was necessary.
“I just knew I needed to start a new chapter of my life,” she reflects. “I’m such a fan of chapters in life, and I feel sometimes you have to know when your chapter has run its time.” She walked away from her successful career without a clear plan, moving back to her home state of Vermont to reset and rediscover her path.
Identifying the ‘Blind Spot’ in Fashion
Her next move revealed itself not in a boardroom, but in conversations with friends. While styling them for dates, weddings, and interviews, she noticed a recurring issue: their underwear was ruining their outfits. “Visible panty lines are a byproduct of something digging into you,” O’Brien realized. “There was no one that understood that you need to be comfortable in order to feel beautiful. And that is the ethos of Commando.”
At the time, the market offered two flawed solutions. There was restrictive, often suffocating shapewear built on the premise that “in order for you to look beautiful, you somehow had to look smaller.” On the other end were “frumpy grannies,” which prioritized comfort but sacrificed aesthetics. O’Brien refused to accept this compromise. “You can be comfortable and beautiful!” she insists. Armed with this conviction and no formal design degree, she began questioning fabric suppliers about a radical idea: what if underwear didn’t need elastic?
Her persistence led her to an Italian mill and the brand’s signature patented microfiber, a buttery-soft material with four-way stretch and raw-cut edges that lie perfectly flat against the skin, making lines a thing of the past.
From Ziploc Bags to Bergdorf’s
With her revolutionary product in hand, O’Brien’s first major market appointment was at the iconic department store Bergdorf Goodman. She didn’t arrive with a polished lookbook or a massive collection. Instead, she brought her unshakeable confidence and four pairs of panties in a Ziploc bag. The buyer, initially surprised by the minimalist presentation, was immediately impressed by the technology. A single order for the original raw-cut thongs kickstarted a chain reaction. Today, the brand remains a staple at the luxury retailer, a testament confirmed by its continued presence on Bergdorf Goodman’s website.
Taking Over Hollywood and Red Carpets
As stylists discovered Commando, the brand became an essential secret weapon for photoshoots and red carpets. Then came the rise of sheer dressing, and Commando was thrust into the spotlight. The brand’s defining Hollywood moment arrived at the 2014 CFDA Awards, when Rihanna accepted the Fashion Icon Award in a breathtaking, crystal-covered custom Adam Selman gown. The dress was completely sheer, and her visible Commando thong wasn’t a wardrobe malfunction—it was a statement.
Yet, the celebrity moment that resonates most deeply with O’Brien is Serena Williams’ 2017 Vanity Fair cover, shot by the legendary Annie Leibovitz. The tennis superstar, powerfully pregnant, posed wearing nothing but Commando underwear. The story goes that she brought the pieces from her own drawer. “It represents everything that Commando stands for,” O’Brien says. “Commando stands for comfort, but it stands for power.” The iconic cover, documented by Vanity Fair, perfectly captured the brand’s fusion of vulnerability, strength, and unapologetic confidence.
Beyond the Top Drawer: Building an Empire
Commando’s evolution from an underwear brand to a full-fledged fashion label was a natural progression. O’Brien leveraged the trust she had built with customers to expand into new categories. “If I had stopped just at the thong, I would still be in her top drawer. Now, I’m in her entire closet,” she explains. The brand’s fan-favorite faux leather leggings became a cultural phenomenon, followed by bodysuits, loungewear, and even neoprene suiting in the best-selling CEO Collection.
Each new product is born from the same principle: identifying a wardrobe staple that could be made more comfortable and functional without sacrificing style. This commitment is backed by an obsessive approach to fit, with O’Brien herself serving as a fit model for every piece launched, ensuring it meets the brand’s exacting standards across all sizes.
Commanding the Future
Twenty years on, O’Brien operates with the same relentless curiosity that led her to that first Bergdorf’s meeting. From her headquarters in Vermont, she runs the company alongside her husband, proving that a global fashion brand doesn’t need to be based in a traditional fashion capital. In October, her contributions were celebrated when she received the Fashion Group International’s Founders’ Award, a milestone she marked by wearing a custom crystal-covered Commando suit.
As the brand expands into menswear and other new categories, the mission remains unchanged: to create essential pieces that people can’t build their wardrobes without. “There is nothing stopping us,” O’Brien says of the future. After two decades of disrupting the industry, it’s clear she isn’t just selling clothes—she’s selling a feeling of empowerment, one perfectly fitted, unbelievably comfortable garment at a time.
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