As women we take knickers for granted. We all wear them, own them in all colours and fabrics, shapes and sizes. We even have a drawer dedicated to our frillies: the knicker drawer. But how much do you know about the origin of our humble knickers?

How do you arrange your knicker drawer?

It was towards the end of the 18th century that women began to wear knickers. In earlier days they were referred to as drawers, simply because they were drawn up. The word 'knickers' came into being as a result of an American author called Washington Irving who used the name Diedrich Knickerbocker to narrate the burlesque, A History of New York in 1809. The word Knickerbocker was also used to describe the knee breeches worn by the characters, and then with time it was shortened to become the word that we have come to know, love and use today; knickers!

Although the word panties came into use in early 20th century America, the word knickers remained in use in the UK.

It was around the 19th century that ace and bands were used to decorate the garment. For a while drawers became bloomers after Amelia Bloomer. It was the French word lin (linen) that led to the word lingerie becoming part of the undies vocabulary.

Styles and attitudes have changed over the centuries. And what was once thought of as risqué, have become styles from days gone by. During the second world war women even made knickers from the silk used to make parachutes. For a little more insight, the thong first made an appearance in 1974 but it wasn't until the 1990's that they became a lot more common.

Now we have endless styles of the humble knicker... from briefs, to tanga, to the thong, hipsters and so much more...

But can you imagine a life without them and what that would mean and how would you feel? We believe every woman should own and wear knickers and hope through our initiative to be able to bring change by working with dedicated charities so those that do not have will have a well improved lifestyle. Something so simple, something that we all take for granted, can and will make a big difference. See more on Knicker Box.