Our story
what you'd want to know, before it touches your skin
COYA intimates is a women's lingerie brand from the netherlands, founded by lisa van kaathoven. we make intimates from natural fibres first, starting with 100% mulberry silk.
this page is about transparency. who is behind COYA, what every piece is made of, what is certified and what isn't yet, where we produce and why, and what we're still working on. no vague promises. only what is true today.
- 01the founder
- 02behind the scenes
- 03our fabrics
- 04certified & not yet
- 05where we make COYA
- 06what we're working on
- 07quick answers
lisa van kaathoven
founder & designer
"every message that reaches us, I read myself."
a note from lisa
COYA started with a vision: lingerie that is natural and breathes, and that also makes me feel beautiful.
I couldn't find it. what I found was synthetic lace, made to perform for someone else's eyes, or natural cotton basics that were kind to the skin but felt like nothing at all. I didn't want to choose between feeling good and feeling beautiful. so I decided to make it myself.
that decision became two years of development: searching for fabrics soft enough to melt into your skin, for suppliers who delivered what they promised, and for a place to produce that I could fully stand behind.
I used to think natural and beautiful were two different things. every COYA piece is made to show they aren't.
how COYA came to be
- the visionlingerie that is natural, breathes, and makes you feel beautiful.
- two years of developmentfabrics, samples and suppliers, until it felt right on the skin.
- a long-term partnera small, women-owned atelier in the guangzhou area that supports us with niche fabrics in small runs.
- the silk collectionour first collection, in 100% mulberry silk. the cloud collection is next.
what it took to make the first piece
people see the finished silk. here is a little of what came before it.
the hardest part was the fabric. I wanted silk that feels like a second skin, and a knit that breathes. many mills only make fabrics like these in large quantities, and as a young brand I needed small runs. some suppliers promised more than they could make. some samples looked right, but didn't feel right. more than once, I was back at the beginning.
what kept me going was the feeling I started with. I knew how I wanted it to feel on the skin, and I wasn't willing to settle for less.
even the label took months
most labels are bulky cotton canvas or polyester satin. I wanted ours to feel like the rest of the piece, so I kept searching until I found a soft, luxurious cotton sateen. it sits inside every piece, where only you will feel it.
we believe we are a part of nature, not apart from it. so we start with natural fibres, and choose everything else with the same care.
what our pieces are made of
every piece starts with the fabric. here is exactly what is in each collection, including the parts that aren't natural fibres.
the silk collection
- fabric
- 100% mulberry silk, grade 6A, 16 momme, double-layered
- gusset (thong)
- 100% cotton
- elastic
- inside the bands and straps, fully wrapped in silk, so it never touches your skin
- details
- small gold-tone hardware
silk and cotton are natural fibres, but the elastic and the small metal details are not. that's why we never call our pieces biodegradable. we'd love to use a stretch that breaks down further here too, like the ROICA™ V550 in our cloud collection. that needs a custom-made elastic, which is only produced in larger quantities than we order today.
the cloud collection coming soon
- fabric: our nectar™ knit
- 81% modal (TENCEL™ Modal), 9% mulberry silk, 10% elastane (ROICA™ V550)
- TENCEL™ Modal
- a modal fibre made by Lenzing from wood pulp
- ROICA™ V550
- a stretch fibre with a Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificate™ at Gold level. in a controlled composting test (ISO 14855-1), about half of it broke down into CO2 and water within 24 months, while conventional elastane didn't break down at all, according to its maker Asahi Kasei.
ROICA™ V550 is still a synthetic fibre, so we don't call the cloud collection natural.
what is certified, and what isn't yet
✓certified
our dyed silk fabric is certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, product class I, the strictest class, meant for baby articles. the fabric was tested for harmful substances after dyeing.
certificate 26.HCN.19796, issued by Hohenstein. you can check it yourself on oeko-tex.com.
the certificate belongs to our fabric maker and covers the fabric, not the finished piece.
○not yet
the finished pieces as a whole. certifying a finished garment is set up for larger production runs, so at our small batch sizes it isn't possible yet. we've asked for a quote, and it's on our list as COYA grows.
the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificate™ mentioned above belongs to the ROICA™ V550 yarn, not to COYA or our pieces.
made in china, on purpose
we produce COYA in china. it was a deliberate choice, and we'd rather explain it than leave it on a small label.
- the fabricwoven or knitted, and dyed, in the guangzhou area.
- the ateliercut and sewn in our small, women-owned atelier, in the same region.
- one journeyeach piece travels once, from china to the netherlands.
- to youpacked and shipped from the netherlands, worldwide.
the fabric comes first
our core promise is natural fibres first. keeping it meant custom fabrics, at the quality we wanted and in the small quantities a young brand orders. finding them was the hardest part of building COYA. in china we found a long-term partner who supports us with these niche fabrics in small runs, and we're grateful for that.
a simple supply chain
we wanted as few steps as possible. no detours via a wholesaler or a second factory in another country: fabric, components and sewing all happen in the guangzhou area, before each piece makes one long journey to the netherlands.
a small, women-owned atelier
as a women-owned business, I love working with other women-owned businesses. our atelier is small and specialises in natural fabrics and intimates. communication is direct, and we hold each other to the same standards of quality and care.
a "made in" label usually names the country where a garment was sewn. it doesn't tell you where the fabric was made, or how far it travelled first. we'd rather show you the whole route.
see how COYA is made, part by part, next to a longer chain →
honest about what isn't finished yet
- certifying the finished pieces, not only the fabric.
- a stretch that breaks down further in the silk collection, once our orders are large enough for a custom-made elastic.
- small batches, always. we only make more of a piece when we know it's loved.
questions about our materials or how we make COYA? write to me at info@coyaintimates.com. I read every message myself.
quick answers
who is behind COYA intimates?
COYA intimates is a women's lingerie brand from the netherlands, founded by lisa van kaathoven. every piece is designed in the netherlands.
what is the silk collection made of?
100% mulberry silk, grade 6A, 16 momme, double-layered. the thong has a 100% cotton gusset, and the elastic inside the bands and straps is wrapped in silk.
is the silk tested for harmful substances?
yes. the dyed silk fabric is certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, product class I (26.HCN.19796, Hohenstein). the certificate covers the fabric, not the finished piece.
where is COYA intimates made?
our fabrics are made and dyed in the guangzhou area in china, and every piece is cut and sewn in a small, women-owned atelier in the same region. the finished pieces travel once, to the netherlands.
is COYA lingerie biodegradable?
not as a whole. silk and cotton are natural fibres, but the elastic and the small metal details are not, so we don't call our pieces biodegradable.
what is the cloud collection made of?
our nectar™ knit: 81% modal (TENCEL™ Modal), 9% mulberry silk and 10% elastane (ROICA™ V550). TENCEL™ Modal is made by Lenzing from wood pulp. the cloud collection is coming soon.
what touches your skin should come from nature. every choice we make starts there.
we ship worldwide from the netherlands, free across europe from €125 and worldwide from €200.
TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG.