Shirley Yanez founded Venus Cow and created the PBL™ (Perfect Black Leggings) to combat the low quality of mass-produced fast fashion. Her motivation also stemmed from a desire to fund free life coaching and talk therapy for vulnerable individuals. Yanez is a British social entrepreneur, author, and life coach with a diverse professional background.
The Rise and Fall: In the 1990s, Yanez built a highly successful global financial headhunting firm in London. However, she lost her multi-million-pound fortune during the stock market crash of 2000 and subsequently experienced homelessness in Los Angeles by 2004. Following a near-death experience, she shifted her focus from material wealth to mental health and self-therapy. Giving Back: By 2005, she began offering free talk therapy and life coaching, later bringing her advice to British television and radio. This personal experience with hardship inspired her to structure her business around social aid.
Venus Cow is an ethical, British-made clothing brand that operates as a social enterprise. Locally Made: Unlike mainstream brands that outsource to overseas factories, Venus Cow prioritises local manufacturing. The entire supply chain is centred in Leicester, England, to support the local textile industry and ensure ethical working standards. Social Mission: The business model is structured so that retail profits directly fund Yanez’s free life-coaching initiatives for people struggling with homelessness, addiction, or severe life trauma.
Yanez's motivation to design the PBL™ grew out of common frustrations with womenswear, combined with her professional eye as a former Hollywood celebrity stylist.
As a stylist, Yanez noticed that standard high-street leggings suffered from major quality flaws. They quickly became transparent when stretched, bagged out at the knees, sagged at the seat, and featured tight elastic bands that caused "muffin tops". It took her two years of fabric development to replicate and engineer a heavy-knit, two-way stretch cotton that completely eliminated these issues. The PBL™ was engineered to function like affordable couture for everyday use. Yanez designed them with a high, wide, non-slip waistband to fit real women comfortably from sizes 6 to 20, ensuring they hug the body without constricting it.
Disturbed by the environmental impact and poor labour standards of foreign garment production, Yanez used the PBL™ as a statement product to prove that top-tier, heavy-knit luxury basics could still be manufactured transparently and sustainably within the United Kingdom.
The "Ping Back" Effect: Reviewers from fashion blogs confirm that the signature 92% Pima cotton and 8% elastane blend compresses and sculpts without turning see-through, even after extensive machine washing. Luxury Comparison: Independent reviews highlight that the thick, premium knit feels and behaves like a £70–£80 designer item, making the £35 retail price highly cost-effective. Orders placed directly through the Venus Cow Store are processed locally out of Leicestershire. All deliveries are dispatched via Royal Mail First Class, taking roughly two business days within the UK, 3–5 days to mainland Europe, and 6–10 days to the USA.
Visit www.venuscow.com