Andrei Gutiérrez, 27 (8-March birthday, Pisces), lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico. A college student, he studies mechatronics engineering. Andrei is also a mens physique athlete, intending to earn his professional card.
Author’s note: This blog is in English; however, Andrei speaks Spanish. Google Translate is on the right sidebar and can produce a Spanish version. Please let me know if the Spanish translation is correct in the comments.
Andrei does photo shoots with Photographer Chris Femat (doing business as FitBook Photo). Chris and Andrei created great images, some of which have become my favorites.
I wish Andrei well in his engineering studies and mens physique contest career. Any of his photos are your favorite? Do you have any questions for Andrei? Post them in the comments.
The desire today is to express one’s individuality through clothing. This desire extends to underwear. Many brands focus on creating basic, everyday men’s underwear, sold in department stores and online. It can get confusing to know that these brands are available, so I have tried to collect the brands into one post for your convenience.
The basic forms of men’s underwear are briefs, trunks, boxer briefs, and boxer shorts. (Read a separate blog post on the styles and types of men’s underwear for more information.)
Brands
Sold in Physical Stores (and Online)
PVH Corporation: Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger
Although Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger are separate brands, these brands have the same owner, PVH Corporation.
Calvin Klein started in New York in 1968. According to the PVH Corp. website, the Calvin Klein brand had US$9.4 billion in retail sales (2019). PVH Corp. acquired Calvin Klein in 2003.
Calvin Klein underwear ads were forward. (I did a blog post on Calvin Klein’s relationship in Times Square, New York City.)
The Tommy Hilfiger brand started in 1985. It started as a department store brand. PVH Corp. acquired the brand in 2013.
Notably, Tommy Hilfiger brand has professional tennis player Rafael Nadal as a model for its clothing. The brand had US$9.2 billion in retail sales (2019).
Tommy Hilfiger brand underwear comes in solid colors or with printed designs.
Bang and Strike started in 2006 as a retailer of men’s underwear. In 2019, the organization decided to focus on selling its stock of men’s basic underwear.
The focus of the brand is “to create a brand that had a familiar yet modern feel and that was uncomplicated, clean cut and aspirational. Underwear for guys that appreciate low key style.”
Stance started in 2009 with selling socks with vibrant colors and designs. Later, the brand offered boxer briefs and other clothing for sale. The brand offers two types of boxer briefs, one with an internal pouch (the “Wholester) and the boxer brief. The brand calls the fabric used to make its boxer briefs the “butter blend,” 66 percent modal, 26 percent lyocell, and 8 percent elastane.
Hanesbrands, Inc., owns three brands: Hanes, Champion, and Bonds (in Australia). The company started in 1901. The company notes that it manufactures 70 percent of the clothes it sells. The brand offers boxer briefs, boxer shorts, and briefs.
Jockey
Jockey started in 1876 and is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The brand’s underwear is sold in major department stores. The brand has a wide selection of underwear, from boxer briefs to thongs.
Fruit of the Loom
The Fruit of the Loom brand started in 1851. The company focused on producing textiles in Rhode Island. Later, the brand made underwear and other clothing. The company protected the brand name under trademark in 1871. The Berkshire Hathaway Group acquired the brand in 2002.
Muchachomalo
Muchachomalo is a brand based in the Netherlands. The brand name translates to “bad boy” in Spanish. The idea for the brand is to place art based on life and feelings on the underwear, suggesting that the bad boy wears underwear to be shown. The brand has solid colors for sale.
The links in this subsection are affiliate links, which means I earn a small referral payment if you choose to purchase the product.
Pair of Thieves is an e-commerce underwear brand. However, the brand’s underwear has a presence in the brick-and-mortar world through being sold at Target stores.
The brand offers mostly boxer briefs and trunks. Briefs and boxer shorts are available but have fewer options. The patterns range from one-color fabric to more vibrant designs.
The brand has three founders, Cash Warren, Alan Stuart, and David Ehrenberg. The goal of the brand is to offer well-made basics (socks, underwear, t-shirts, and loungewear) that can handle whatever the owner does. For every order, the brand contributes clothing to those who experience homelessness.
Adam Smith is a brand based in New York City. The creator is Yasemin De Mirci, who created underwear based on discussions with men explaining what they wanted in underwear.
The brand has several collections, each with its targeted style. In the Basic Collection, the brand offers boxer shorts, boxer trunks, briefs, and trunks.
Saxx is an clothing brand based in Vancouver, Canada. The brand’s underwear has a pouch feature that maintains “order”. The brand sells mostly boxer briefs, and a few briefs, across its collections.
The brand offers boxer briefs with a wide selection of designs. (The company sells socks as well.)
How often to change underwear?
Daily. Underwear and socks should be washed after each wearing.
How often should guys replace underwear?
Deyan Dimitrov, CEO of Laundryheap, has some top tips on when to replace items – not just for cleanliness, but also to get the best out of them.
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘Generally speaking, and this applies to any garment, how often you replace your underwear will depend on how many pieces you have in your rotation, how well made they are.
‘How well you care for them is also key. Don’t throw items away simply because you’ve read that they need replacing every year. You’ll save yourself a lot more money in the long run.’
Avoiding Fashion Waste: Recycling Used Underwear
The World Economic Forum encourages the recycling of washed, used underwear to address the issue of textile waste.
“What do you do with your unwanted underwear? Chances are you throw them away.
Now a clothing company in Philadelphia, US, says it’s time to stop casting our undergarments aside. About 5 million kilogrammes of unwanted underwear ends up in landfill sites across the US every day, according to The Big Favorite.
It says it’s bringing circularity to underwear – “the one category remaining that can’t be donated or resold” – by encouraging customers to return their old undies to the company for recycling instead of throwing them away.”
Conclusion
The market for men’s underwear is huge, with many brands available for purchase. Do you have a favorite brand? Write about it in the comments.
Also, I remember a compelling story that Derek shared on his Instagram page. Derek’s brother, Kevin, passed away as a result of a car accident with a drunk driver.
(Derek’s mom, Tiki Finlayson, wrote a book “Choices,” about her observations about what had happened and how she handled moving forward.)
Please like, share, and comment. It helps me know what content you, the reader, like.
The Influence of CK on Underwear Advertising and Social Media Influencers
Introduction
Note: This story is based on observations in a pre-pandemic New York City. May we recover from this pandemic experience, so that we will be able to scale back up with deliberate care–over time–to pre-pandemic levels.
One-time fitness model and personal trainer Kyle Hynick posted some photographs from his photoshoot with New York-based Photographer Jade Young seemingly in Times Square in New York City. The backdrop had people there who appeared not to be looking at a dude posing for photographs in his Calvin Klein underwear. The people essentially appeared to be fully engaged in doing tourist things. Initially, I thought that the background of Times Square was a creation of photo editing.
My thought was not correct. A commentator on Kyle’s photos stated that the commenter viewed Kyle’s photoshoot in person. I was immediately intrigued. Of course, physique competitors seek the limelight and can pose their well-trained and dieted physiques on stage in front of an audience. Posing a physique on a public stage is just a matter of scale.
I discovered that another model, Tyson Dayley, a WBFF pro fitness model, also had a photoshoot in Times Square. In his photos and video that he posted on Instagram, however, the people in the background also were taking photos of Tyson. People were sitting close by.
Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. What draws Photographer Jade Young there? Why a male in underwear appears to be an unsurprising sight? I did a quick Internet search on the history of Times Square to find out.
Times Square: from Gritty to Upscale Tourist Destination and Corporate Location
Times Square, a tourist destination and business area, was once home to adult films and gritty culture. There is a blog post on the history and transformation of Times Square at the Times Square District Management Association website.
Times Square and Calvin Klein Underwear
In Photographer Jade Young’s photos in Times Square, at times the models wear Calvin Klein underwear. There is a connection between Calvin Klein underwear and Times Square: the billboard ads for the underwear brand made history there.
In 1982, Calvin Klein had a billboard ad with Olympic athlete Tom Hintnaus in Times Square. The photographer was Bruce Weber. According to a New York Timesarticle, the billboard ad stopped traffic.
Since then, Calvin Klein ads pushed underwear advertising forward, including the next model, Mark Wahlberg. Following Mark Wahlberg, other models became famous after being featured in a Calvin Klein underwear ad. (See also another article on CK models becoming actors.) The New York Times published another article about another former Calvin Klein model, Antonio Sabato, Jr.
Also in Times Square, is a guy who has made a lot of money walking around Times Square in cowboy boots and underwear, the “Naked Cowboy“. Freshpair’s National Underwear Day, August 5, had a runway show in Times Square.
Jade Young and Times Square Photoshoots
When the Calvin Klein ads first appeared, high-speed Internet or social media sites did not exist. But that history seems to have had some influence on fitness models and influencers, who often feature underwear or men’s clothing brands in their social media posts.
In addition, there are more underwear brands in the market. Still, Calvin Klein, now part of PVH Corporation, remains a strong market player in underwear.
Jade Young now also takes photoshoots in Times Square with men in underwear in person rather than in a billboard photograph. I think the transition also humanizes the model as you could interact with the model and the photographer and perhaps even get an autograph. Formerly, you only could look up at a huge billboard ad.
A Sidenote-Calvin Klein in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan
Michael Hallenbeck, an NYC-area photographer had a photo shoot (2018) with fitness model Nick Sandell in Hell’s Kitchen.
Hallenbeck captured images of Sandell posing around Manhattan in a pair of Calvin Klein boxer briefs.
Conclusion
When I looked at Jade Young’s photos of models in Times Square, I did not expect that it would lead to a blog post. But the notion of posing in public so openly was an attention grabber. When doing research and finding articles that traced a story, my old journalistic love for a story was reawakened. I could not resist.
How interesting that a Calvin Klein ad pushed the mainstream culture forward as well as developed many new underwear brands. Despite that, Calvin Klein remains a market force.
If you notice any Instagram posts with other fitness models in Times Square, please leave a comment with the link.
Please like, share, and comment. It helps me know what content the readers want to read.
Introduction: What Style or Type of Men’s Underwear Should I Wear?
Curious about some of the styles available in men’s underwear? You should find some information in this post. It’s an exciting time in the underwear market with different styles and colors available.
Please continue reading for a review of what I found that could be helpful as you search for styles you want to try.
Styles of Men’s Underwear
The styles of men underwear that will be discussed in this blog post are–
Model: Kyle Ehrensberger. Photographer: Michael A. Downs. Briefs, Emporio Armani.
Research and Inspiration
I found information for this post in a journal article, Datta, Dibyendu Bikash (2018), A Review of Men’s Underwear Styles and Its Various Fabrics, Trends in Textile and Fashion Design, 2 (2)-2018, June 18.
While doing research for this post, I found a New York Times article by Journalist Max Berlinger, in which he reviewed some underwear brands.
After the publication of this post, I wrote a post on the history of Calvin Klein advertising in Times Square, New York City.
Andrei Gutiérrez, a mens physique competitor and engineering student, from Mexico. Briefs, Calvin Klein.Model: Kyle. Photographer: Balthier Corfi. Briefs, Calvin Klein.Nico Zetta, from Argentina, in Andrew Christian briefs
There are many brands of men’s underwear, among the most popular is from PVH Corp. ,which owns some of the most-popular brands like Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Code 22 is an underwear brand based in Spain. The company released briefs and trunks in military-inspired colors. The model is Aritz Aren; the photographer is Joan Crisol.
Boxer shorts started in 1925 and were known as “shorts for boxers”. The length of the shorts extended to mid-thigh. The benefit of the boxer short was its baggy style, which allowed for ample airflow. The disadvantage was this baggy form because the fabric bunched up under the top clothing.
Boxer shorts are still available. The design has moved more toward a closer-to-the-body fit in the current style (for example, the Bang and Strike Hard Times boxer. The slim fit allows the wearer to wear slim-fit or skinny pants or jeans.
Where the boxer shorts had a full fit, briefs were designed for a close-to-the-body fit and support. Also, briefs showed more of the thighs than boxer shorts.
(Based on my casual observation of Instagram models and photographers, the brief is popular.)
Sam Worth and Ross Hindmarch by Photographer Rokas Darulis
Briefs were introduced in the 1930s. Briefs provide comfort through air circulation and overall snug support.
In the 1990s, fashion moved toward low-rise pants and jeans. So the low-rise brief was developed to go with these garments. The waistband for the low-rise briefs sits at the hip level.
This style suits everyday purposes as well as more-active pursuits.
The boxer brief was a relatively more-recent development, starting in the 1990s by fashion designer John Varvatos. The boxer brief is in the mid-point between the traditional baggy boxer shorts and the snug fit of briefs.
Trunks were a style originally associated with swimming and boxing (worn under boxer’s shorts) since the 1940s. Since the 1990s, the trunk is used in sport and in everyday wear. The shape of the trunk appears to be close to the slim-fit boxer.
Check out the trunks available at Walking Jack, an underwear brand based in Greece. Walking Jack released the Bluebird Collection in which the trunks and briefs are all in a rich hue of blue (95 percent cotton and 5 percent Elastane).
Read a blog post (with Roger Zacha (left-column photos)) and another (with Aggelos Pirikkis (two photos on the right)) for more details.
Jockstraps
The jockstrap was designed for cyclists, starting in 1888, to prevent saddle sores. The jockstrap leaves the gluteus exposed but provides support for the body parts in the front. At first, the front of the jockstrap was hard but then the front became soft and flexible.
Josh Watson and Anthony Stefanelli compare heights
The jockstrap is perfect for active pursuits, if the wearer is comfortable with having the glutes exposed, and for more-intimate activities. For example, see the range available at Jack Adams.
The Men and Underwear blog has an article about the “Naked Underwear” release from Teamm8, an Australia-based brand. Among the selections in the release are jockstraps.
There is a niche yet devoted segment of guys that like to wear a wrestling singlet or bodysuit (aka jumpsuit). Read more about the singlet in a separate blog article.
Like the jockstrap, the gluteus is more exposed with a thong. The exception is that the backside of the briefs is removed (G-Strings even less), leaving a thinner portion of the fabric in the back center of the garment.
In August 2020, Box Menswear entered the men’s lingerie category with a new g-string.
(I briefly discussed these items as people who favor them are a select market. A targeted Internet search will lead the interested reader to examples.)
Also like the jockstrap, the thong is for active pursuits (see examples at Jack Adams).
The purpose of the blog post is to give the reader an idea of the range of options available to men researching what type of underwear to wear. Most can be worn every day. A new possibility is wearing mesh shorts as underwear.
What styles or brands are your favorites? If you favor one style, what style are you willing to try out and why?
The Menswear Newsletter 