It wasn’t so long ago that petticoats or slips felt like a relic. They were seen as something your mother or auntie insisted you had to have “just in case your dress was blown by the wind or it was see-through”.
Then, suddenly, they were back in stores, made from sleek, silky fabrics and cut in full and half lengths to match today’s hemlines.
For Fridah Kathambi, the owner of Her Room Boutique, the petticoat boom started with a screenshot. It was November 2024, and business was slow. At around 6 pm, while scrolling through social media, she came across a post about slips. She took a screenshot of it and asked her customers if they would want her to stock petticoats, since she already sold underwear.
“By 8 pm, the post had attracted lots of comments from people asking for them. But I didn’t give it much thought.”
A week later, customers were still following up and asking if she had stocked petticoats. She decided to give it a try. “I started with silk half-slips for my target audience: plus-size women from size 18 to 30. However, I did not make as many sales as I had anticipated.
The demand was coming from smaller sizes, mostly 8 to 12, with many asking for half-slips made of cotton. Despite her lack of interest in cotton styles, she observed a growing demand for another item: full cotton slips designed for wear with dera .
When she restocked in both silk and cotton and expanded to all sizes, a new request emerged: pettipants, also known as culotte slip shorts. “So currently we have half and full slips in cotton and silk, plus pettipants.”
“Young people are now my main audience. Some ask if they can wear the half-silk slip as a skirt, while others wear the full-silk slip as a nightdress.”
Women's half slip pictured at Woolworths store in Sarit Centre, Nairobi, on February 6, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Fridah says that although cotton petticoats remain popular, many customers still prefer the silk versions. “They tell me the cotton ones are practical, but they’re not very attractive,” she says.
Between 2024 and 2025, she estimates that petticoats accounted for around 50 per cent of her sales, although demand is seasonal: “During the holiday season, we hardly sell slips, but in regular months, there is demand.”
She attributes their comeback to their improved design, texture, and overall appeal, and says they pair especially well with deras and office dresses. At her boutique, they retail for between Sh800 and Sh1,500.
However, sourcing quality remains a challenge. “Some tear when you wear them. Others discolour after a few washes or unravel because they were not sewn properly,” she says.
To keep up with demand, she alternates between importing and buying locally, depending on what her customers want and how quickly she needs stock.
“Right now [mid February], China is on holiday, so it can take two months for goods to arrive. If stock runs out before then, I buy locally.”
Ultimately, she says, choosing the right petticoat depends on your body size and what you plan to wear it with.
The resurgence is not limited to small boutiques. Naomi Ngige, the store manager at Woolworths in Sarit Centre, says that while the retailer has always stocked petticoats, demand dipped for a while before surging again last year.
“At first, our target audience was mainly older women, over 45. But now we cater for younger customers too,” she says.
Woolworths stocks both half and full slips. The half slips come in two lengths: short and ‘short-short’, which are designed for young adults who wear shorter dresses. The “short-short” slips are the top sellers, with black being the most popular colour, although the store also stocks mocha and white ones.
Naomi says that today’s petticoats are different from the old-fashioned ones that many people remember: “They’re more fitted. They hug the body and flow nicely with whatever you’re wearing, whether it’s loose or tight.”
Slips, a subcategory of undergarments, account for around 16 per cent of Woolworths’ total lingerie sales. Prices range from Sh3,200 to Sh3,400, and according to Naomi, the slips are made with temperature-regulating technology that cools the body when it’s hot and helps retain warmth when it’s cold.
V-neck maxi slip dress pictured at Woolworths store in Sarit Centre, Nairobi, on February 6, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
They can also be worn as a camisole. “If your outfit has a low neckline, for example, you don’t need to wear a slip and then a vest on top,” she explains. “You can just wear the slip, and it serves the same purpose.”
“Customers often say they don’t want to feel too exposed when choosing undergarments,” she says.
She links the renewed demand to current fashion trends, noting that many garments on the market today are made from light, sometimes see-through fabrics, making slips more necessary.
However, she notes that a common styling mistake is buying the wrong size: “The slip has to correspond with the outerwear. If you’re a size 12, the slip should be that size.”
She adds, “That’s why we stock petticoats in all sizes, from extra small to double extra large.”
