.Best Women’s UnderwearUndergarments that speak your language

Even underwear should send a message. That seems to be the view of Oakland artist Nina Fallenbaum, who has put a lot of thought into the most basic thing we put on everyday: our underwear. Fallenbaum has named her line of women’s underwear Jean Wa Innerwear — wa is an ancient Japanese word meaning “peace and harmony.” The brand combines Asian aesthetics with hip-hop flair — not a surprising combination given that Fallenbaum, who is of mixed Japanese and European ancestry, was a former partner in the pioneering hip-hop label 594Gear. The images and designs on each piece are created by Bay Area artists. One line, designed by SF-based Flavor Innovator Design Studio, features words like “organic” and “queen” in graffiti-style writing. The Seven Days series features embroidered Japanese kanji characters for days of the week, originally painted by Andre Sibayan. And Mareafatima Urbi created cute graphics of strawberries, rice, and other edibles for the Nutritious and Delicious line. You can find Jean Wa at Opulence in Oakland.