Introduction[edit]
This is a basic introduction in to Men's Underwear. Whilst there are articles written covering undergarments this is aimed specifically to address men's underwear.
Brief History[edit]
Men’s underwear over the years has changed in many ways. In Victorian times clothing was worn to conceal the body and underwear especially was not discussed. This inevitably lead to underwear acquiring erotic properties. Men’s underwear during these times was in two pieces and all undergarments were made by hand and they were made from cotton and silk.
During the 1920’s men’s underwear was more about convenience and comfort. This era saw the introduction of the first pre-shrunk fabrics and boasted cotton, wool and silk blends. It also saw the introduction of other technologies such as button fastenings.
The 1930’s brought about the biggest revolution for men’s underwear. The ‘Jockey’ brief was introduced in a shop window in 1935 on a day when the inhabitants of Chicago had to endure the worst blizzard of the winter. The window display was removed by the management for trying to sell such skimpy underwear on such a cold day but before the display could be removed 600 pairs of Jockey shorts were sold and 30,000 pairs were sold in the next three months alone. When they went on sale in Britain in 1938 they sold around 3000 pairs a week.
Throughout the mid and latter part of the 20th century underwear started to appear in the form of printed and coloured garments and branding really started to become prevalent around this time with manufacturers such as Calvin Klein. Underwear began to be a fashion statement. With the introduction of Lycra and Spandex new fabric technology started to become important and underwear became smaller with far more variety designed for specific age groups and purposes.
As we move into a new millennium we have seen men’s underwear become a lot more varied. Underwear manufacturers have produced hybrid designs with hipsters and boxer-briefs and even the g-string has made an entry into the men’s underwear market. Traditional boxers and briefs are still popular but the trunk is favoured by younger men today made from cotton and lycra blends but with increasing popularity coming from microfibre fabrics. The large waistband emblazoned with the designer’s logo is seen everywhere and I mean ‘seen’ everywhere. The fashion of the 2000-2010’s in young men’s underwear is to show the waistband above the top of the trousers.
Dating back to Victorian times buying underwear has been seen as somewhat risqué and men bought traditional men’s underwear. As we move through the 20th century and towards the 21st century we have seen various styles, fabrics and colours appearing appealing to the audience looking for sex appeal as well as fashion or everyday use. The introduction of the internet has seen men buying their underwear not only in shops on the high street but increasingly through on-line retailers and getting their underwear delivered. On-line sales is rapidly increasing and men are no longer being traditional in their choices.
Styles[edit]
There are many styles of men's underwear available today. From traditional boxer shorts to briefs and newer styles including trunks, hipsters, boxer briefs and even strings or thongs.
Briefs: Briefs have been around for a very long time and they are still very popular. There are different types of briefs from classic briefs with a wider side to a tanga or hip brief which has a much thinner side. More recently there has been an introduction of the boxer brief which is a mix between a classic trunk and a brief. This style is available from all designers and it is a firm favourite with the young and old.
Trunks: Trunks are something that started as something in between the brief and the classic boxer short. Boxer shorts were loose fitting and they were made really fashionable in the 1980s. However, the brief was considered more practical from a support perspective. This lead to the introduction of the trunk which provided the fuller look of the boxer short with the support of the brief. Trunks are still a very popular choice with all age groups as they are typically close fitting and they can remove the line the elastic can make whilst wearing briefs with tighter fitted clothing. There are variations in the trunk typically around the length of the leg. Hipster trunks tend to be shorter in the leg and can also be called a boxer brief. Classic trunks tend to be a medium length on the leg, with some designers offering a longer leg which can come down to mid thigh.
Strings/Thong: The string and the thong are styles that are classed as being daring and adventurous. Whilst they can make you feel sexy, they also offer a solution if you are wearing thinner/lighter clothing.
Fabrics[edit]
Men's underwear comes in various fabrics today from natural to man-made fibres.
Cotton: A fabric made from a natural fibre. This is important because of it’s softness and absorbency.
Polyamide: This fabric is formally known an Nylon. It is a man made fibre which is a versatile fabric that can be transformed into many different fabrics and colours. As it is man made it can be produced into microfibres which add softness. Polyamide has a low moisture absorbency which enables garments made from it to dry very quickly.
Polyester: Polyester is a man made fibre with similar properties to Polyamide.
Elastane: A very durable synthetic fabric with elastic properties. It is a soft, smooth and supple synthetic fabric which is only needed in small quantities which is usually blended with other fabrics to add softness and stretch. This fabric is used in many products as it aids comfort and fit and is very important to the shape retention after washing and wearing. Lycra is a trademark for the elastane fibre.
Microfibre: You will find Polyamide in many garments typically blended with Elastane. This usually gives a very high quality finish to the garment which is soft, durable and provides great shape retention. This is often referred to as a Microfibre product.
Retail[edit]
There has always been a secretive side to buying underwear. As men now have a wide variety of styles, fabrics and colours to choose from they also have a variety of sources to buy from too. The majority of men's underwear sales still come from the department store or high street shop but increasingly underwear is bought on-line on the internet at retailers such as SkinnyJonz. In fact IMRG said that online sales now account for 10% of total retail sales in the UK, compared to just 0.5% in 2000.