For years, the women’s underwear category has been stagnant. Brands focused on colours and cuts while ignoring the basics of women’s health: breathability, skin-safe materials, and designs that don’t cause irritation or discomfort. Consumers noticed. Women have been asking for better for health apparel for a long time, and the market is finally starting to respond.
The strongest proof yet is District Ventures Capital’s $20 million investment into Huha, marking the largest Dragons’ Den deal in the show’s two-decade history and District Ventures’ biggest investment to date. But this isn’t just a funding announcement. It’s a signal that women’s health-centered apparel is evolving into a serious, investable category with global potential.
The Rise of Body-Safe, Health-Focused Apparel
Women are more informed than ever about what goes on their skin. They’re researching fabrics, questioning materials, and moving away from synthetics that contribute to irritation and recurring health issues. The demand for “better-for-your-body” basics has exploded; driven by consumers who want products that support their health, not compromise it.
Huha’s early traction underscored this shift. When the company launched, consumers were willing to wait months for delivery. That doesn’t happen because of marketing hype. It happens when a category has been neglected for so long that women are ready to buy any product that genuinely solves a problem.
As Alexa Suter, founder of Huha, put it: “Once we saw how quickly women responded to a product that supported their comfort and health, it became clear this wasn’t a niche issue; this was unmet demand.”
The innovation behind Huha (TENCEL, zinc-infused gussets, and body-safe textiles) illustrates a broader point: this category is overdue for scientific advancement. And consumers are paying attention.
Why Arlene Dickinson Made the Biggest Bet of Her Career
Arlene Dickinson, Founder and General Partner at District Ventures Capital, is one of the most respected investors in Canada. She’s seen thousands of pitches, and she doesn’t chase novelty. She backs opportunities with staying power.
Her thesis here is straightforward: When a product solves a real problem for millions of women, and the innovation is defensible, you have the foundation for a global category leader.
Dickinson told me she sees health-focused apparel as an evergreen opportunity, not a trend cycle. She pointed to three key drivers behind her decision:
• Innovation: True technical innovation in apparel is rare. Scientific fabrics create a moat that can’t be replicated overnight.
• Market Need: Women have been underserved for decades. Comfort, breathability, and skin health shouldn’t be niche features. They should be standard.
• Scalability: Body-safe basics translate across borders. This isn’t a domestic play. This is a global expansion story.
From her vantage point, the apparel market is shifting away from aesthetic-first design and toward science-backed everyday essentials. And she’s betting big on the company leading that shift.
Why This Deal Makes Sense Now
Back in 2023 there was a deal that fell through. Both the company and investors acknowledged that this deal simply wasn’t right two years ago, and for good reason. Huha wasn’t ready.
In 2023, the business was still figuring out foundational pieces: understanding seasonality, identifying what “normal” looked like across sales cycles, and dialing in product quality and supply chain stability coming out of the pandemic. There were still too many unknowns, and too much data the company didn’t yet have. Scaling a scientifically driven product requires operational discipline, and Huha needed time to build that muscle.
This round happened now because the company finally had the clarity needed to grow responsibly.
Dickinson’s message here is one every founder needs to hear: Know when your business is ready for capital. Many founders either raise before they’ve proven the fundamentals or wait so long that they limit their own momentum. The real skill is understanding when the business has the structure, proof points, and operational readiness to support meaningful growth.
This deal is a reminder that timing isn’t luck; it’s strategy. Huha took the time to get the business right before stepping into its next stage, and the scale of this round reflects that discipline.
What Women Founders Should Take Away from This Deal
This investment is a win for women consumers, but it’s also a lesson for women founders.
Dickinson shared advice that every female entrepreneur should internalize:
• Be ambitious about scale. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to build a hundred-million-dollar business.
• Know your numbers and understand your category. Investors back clarity and confidence.
• Choose partners wisely. The right investor relationship accelerates growth; the wrong one stalls it.
• Don’t minimize your vision to make others comfortable.
• Raise capital when it positions you for the next level, not out of fear.
Women founders often build quietly, cautiously, and without asking for enough. This deal reinforces that women can, and should, build bold companies that attract serious capital.
The Bottom Line
The largest Dragons’ Den deal in history isn’t just a milestone for a single company. It’s a turning point for the industry. Investors are finally acknowledging what women have known all along: health-focused basics aren’t niche. They are essential. The capital is catching up, consumers are demanding better, and a new category of science-backed, body-safe apparel is emerging.
And this time, women are leading it.