The "invisible" knickers allow women to wear figure-hugging clothes without showing the outline of their lingerie.
Sales of the garments are predicted to pass those of traditional cotton underwear in five years, suggesting that the days of the "visible panty line", as the fashion faux pax is commonly known, may soon be over.
A pair of the 'invisible' knickers
"Spending a lot of money on a beautiful designer dress, only to have everyone paying more attention to the outline of your knickers is always a bitter disappointment," said Annette Warburton, head of lingerie at the Debenhams department store.
"This new design is made of a material that supports itself. It fits like a second skin, allowing the dress to flow across the body the way the designer intended."
