We are one of the two brands here, so read this accordingly. Specifications checked against each brand's own site in August 2026. Prices move, so treat them as a guide.
The short version
Step One is a men's brand with a women's range. We make one thing in underwear: women's boxer shorts.
That difference runs through everything below, and one of our customers put it better than we can:
I've always been a boxers girlie, but it was always impossible to find a pair that fit me right. Either because they were men's for the length or women's for the fit, neither were ever right.
Bethanie, UK, verified review
Buy Step One if you want the lowest price per pair, 41 prints to choose from, or a full underwear range from one brand.
Buy Flissie if the reason you are shopping is thigh chafing, because we publish our leg length and we could not find theirs.
Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) have a published 6 inch leg, long enough to cover the thighs, and every size from UK 8 to 30 costs the same; Step One is cheaper, at £15 a pair with many colours at £9, and has 41 prints. Flissie's are £20 a pair, or £13 a pair in a 7 pack, with a 60 day guarantee, full refund, worn or not.
Try Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts
£20 a pair, or £13 a pair in a 7 pack, in UK 8 to 30 at one price. Free UK delivery on every order, a free size swap on your whole first order, and a 60 day guarantee: full refund, worn or not.
Side by side
| Flissie | Step One | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is made for | Women only | Men first, women's range added |
| Leg length | 6" or 9", published | Not published on their collection page |
| Fabric | 95% Tanboocel bamboo viscose, 5% elastane | Viscose derived from bamboo |
| Size range | UK 8 to 30 | XS to 4XL on their product pages; their chart maps XS to 2XL to roughly UK 00 to 22 |
| Same price every size | Yes | Not stated |
| Price per pair | £20, or £13 in a 7 pack | £15, many colours at £9 |
| With a 7 pack | Free perimenopause supplement (30 days) | Bundle discounts |
| If the size is wrong | Free swap on your whole first order | 30-day first pair guarantee |
| Guarantee | 60 days | 30 days |
| Free UK delivery | Every order | Every order |
| Free US and EU delivery | On 7 packs or orders over £85 | Every order |
| Colours and prints | 8 | 41 |
Made for women, not adapted for them
Step One built its business on men's underwear. The advertising, the product development and the brand are all rooted there, and the women's range came later.
We have only ever made underwear for women. One product, in two lengths, in sizes UK 8 to 30, shaped for a wider hip-to-waist ratio rather than graded down from a men's block.
That is not a criticism of their engineering. It is a difference in where the attention went.
"More comfy than Step One." I tried step one boxers for ladies. But I do find that they're not as breathable in your nether regions as Flissie. I keep telling everyone to get Flissie.
Samem, UK, verified review
These are super amazing, I've tried Step One and other brands and for me the best.
Emma, UK, verified review
The specification that decides it
If you are buying to stop thighs rubbing, the only number that matters is how far down your thigh the leg reaches. Fabric changes how it feels. Leg length decides whether it works at all.
Most underwear sold to women stops between 2 and 4 inches, short of where thighs actually touch. That is why so many people try a short boxer, find it rides up or does not reach, and give up on the category.
We make ours in 6 inch and 9 inch, and we say so on the page. 6 inch sits mid-thigh, covers the top of the inner thigh where most rubbing starts, and comes in every colour. 9 inch sits just above the knee, in black and pine green.
Step One's Body Short is described as having an anti-chafe panel rather than a stated inseam. We could not find a published measurement on their collection page. It may be on individual product pages, so check before you buy. But if you cannot find the number, that is worth knowing before you spend.
For a chafing purchase, a number you can check beats a feature name you cannot.
Where Step One wins
Best for: the lowest price per pair, 41 prints, a full underwear range, or sizes below UK 8.
Price per pair. £15 RRP with many colours at £9, against our £20. They are cheaper and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Our 7 pack brings us to £13 a pair and includes a free supplement, which changes the total but not the headline.
Prints. 41 to our 8, including a lot of fun ones. If choosing a print is part of the appeal, that is not close. Two of our own reviewers say the same thing, and it is the most common criticism we get.
A full range. Briefs, thongs, bras, period underwear, socks. We make one thing.
Smaller sizes. Their chart starts around a UK 00. Ours starts at 8.
None of those four is the leg length, which is the thing that decides whether the product does what you are buying it for. But they are real, and if any of them is what you actually want, buy theirs.
Where we win
Best for: thigh chafing. Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) have a published 6 inch leg, in every size from UK 8 to 30 at one price.
A published leg length. 6 inch or 9 inch, stated on the page, so you decide before you buy rather than after.
A 9 inch option as well as the 6. The 6 inch handles most days. If you already know you like a longer leg, the 9 inch sits just above the knee, in black and pine green. Most women's boxer briefs stop well short of either.
Sizes to UK 30, at one price. Their published women's chart tops out around a UK 22. Ours goes to 30, the leg opening and waistband are graded separately rather than scaled up, and a UK 30 costs the same as a UK 8.
If the size is wrong, we replace the whole order. Not one pair. The entire first order, free. You cannot try underwear on before buying, so that is part of the product.
60 days rather than 30. Wear them, wash them, and if they are not right we refund you.
A free supplement with any 7 pack. Our perimenopause supplement, a 30 day supply, free with the bundle that also gets you to £13 a pair.
The other brands worth checking
If you are comparing Step One and us, these three are probably on your list too.
| Fabric | Longest leg | If you have worn them | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boody | Bamboo viscose, genuinely seamfree | Boyleg, short | 30 day comfort guarantee |
| Runderwear | 92% recycled polyamide, 8% elastane, 360 degree seamless | 8 inch long boxer | No returns once worn |
| Calvin Klein | Cotton and recycled polyester blends | Typically 2 to 4 inches | Standard high street policy |
Boody are the closest to Step One and us on fabric, bamboo viscose, OEKO-TEX certified, B Corp, sizes to 4XL, and genuinely seamfree rather than flat-seamed. Their limitation for chafing is the same as Step One's: their longest women's style is a short boyleg.
Runderwear are the technical option, and their long boxer at 8 inches is the only thing in this comparison other than ours that reaches far enough down the thigh. Worth knowing that they do not accept returns on underwear once worn.
Calvin Klein we compare in detail in our Calvin Klein comparison.
What we will not claim
Our fabric is not antibacterial and not hypoallergenic. Neither claim is substantiated for viscose made from bamboo, ours or anyone's, and you will see both made across this category. Our honest assessment of bamboo underwear goes through why.
We are also not going to score Step One on sustainability. They are a large multinational with published reporting; we are two people in Derbyshire. The comparison would not be meaningful in either direction.
So which should you buy?
If your thighs rub, buy the longer leg. Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts at 6 or 9 inches, or Runderwear at 8. Leg length is what puts a smooth layer between your thighs.
If you want prints, a full range or the lowest per-pair price, Step One is a sensible buy.
If a completely invisible line matters most, Boody are genuinely seamfree and we are not.
If you are between the two, Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts come with free UK delivery, a free size swap on your whole first order and a 60 day guarantee: full refund, worn or not. That exists precisely because you cannot try them on first.
These are very comfortable and cool to wear. Prevents chafing when wearing dresses. They have been a godsend in this hot weather. They wash well too!
Marlene, UK, verified review (reviewer earned a reward for a future purchase)
Not sure about the size?
Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts run from S (UK 8 to 10) to 3XL (UK 28 to 30), all at the same price. If you are between sizes, size up, and if the size is wrong, we swap your whole first order free. Every order has free UK delivery and a 60 day guarantee: full refund, worn or not.
Questions
Are Step One boxers good?
They have a large and loyal customer base and the product is well regarded. The thing to check before buying is the leg length on the Body Short, because that decides whether it stops thighs rubbing, and we could not find a published measurement.
Does Step One make women's boxers?
Yes, called Body Shorts. They also make bikini briefs, thongs, bras, period underwear and socks. Step One started as a men's brand and the men's range is still the larger part of what they do.
How much are Step One women's boxers in the UK?
£15 at full price, with a lot of colours at £9 when we checked in August 2026. Bundles bring it down further. Prices move, so check.
What size Step One should I get?
Their product pages list XS to 4XL, but their published women's bottoms chart only maps XS to 2XL, against roughly a UK 00 to 22. If you are a UK 24 or above, check their chart and availability before ordering. Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) run from UK 8 to 30, at the same price in every size.
Is Step One or Flissie better for chafing?
Leg length decides it. Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) have a published 6 inch leg, with a 9 inch in black and pine green. If you can find Step One's inseam and it reaches past where your thighs touch, it will work too. If you cannot find the number, that is the risk you are taking.
What are the alternatives to Step One?
For bamboo viscose, Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) and Boody. For a technical synthetic with a long leg, Runderwear. For a short-leg boxer brief on the high street, Calvin Klein. Which is right depends on whether you are buying for chafing, for invisibility or for price.
Do Step One boxers ride up?
That depends on the leg length and the leg band, as with any boxer short. A short leg has more thigh to travel across, so it rolls sooner.
What happens if the size is wrong?
With Flissie, we replace your whole first order free. Not one pair, the entire order. Step One offer a 30-day first pair guarantee, Boody 30 days, and Runderwear do not accept underwear back once worn.
What are Step One women's boxers made of?
Step One describe their fabric as viscose derived from bamboo, which is a processed fibre, not the raw plant. Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) are 95% Tanboocel bamboo viscose and 5% elastane, dyed to OEKO-TEX Standard 100. Antibacterial and hypoallergenic claims are not substantiated for viscose made from bamboo, ours or anyone's.
Which is cheaper, Step One or Flissie?
Step One is cheaper: £15 a pair at full price, with many colours at £9 when we checked in August 2026. Flissie women's bamboo boxer shorts (we make them) are £20 a pair, or £13 a pair in a 7 pack, the same price in every size from UK 8 to 30. Both have free UK delivery on every order.
Is Step One Australian?
Yes, operating in Australia, the US and the UK. Flissie is UK based, run by two of us in Derbyshire.
