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.)
Calvin Klein is sold to all men with all kinds of body types. Typical colors are black white and blue. There are reds and oranges in the lineup.
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.
Moschino
Moschino is a clothing brand based in Italy. The brand sells briefs and boxer briefs at a higher price point.
Bang and Strike
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.”
Hanesbrands, Inc
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 brand sells boxer briefs and trunks for men.
E-Commerce
Pair of Thieves
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.
Pair of Thieves | Briefs are back – Shop Now!
Walking Jack
Walking Jack is an underwear brand based in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2018. I wrote previous blog articles about Walking Jack:
- the brand’s Bluebird Collection and
- a photoshoot with Aggelos Pirikkis.
The goal of the brand to improve the fabric, fit, and feel of basic, everyday underwear. The underwear is made in Portugal.
The pouch is contoured to fit the male anatomy perfectly. It offers support and room exactly where every man needs it most.
Almost all our seams are flat lock to avoid any friction or irritation against your skin.
It took years of research, effort, and hard work to create the garments you buy from us.
We source the best materials, fabrics, and manufacturers so we can offer our customers nothing but the best.
We are present in every part of the production and look after every detail.”
Walking Jack website
The brand has underwear styles in black, white, blue. Printed designs are also available.
Adam Smith
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
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.
Ballistic Menswear
I wrote a previous post about this Canada-based brand. The brand sells boxer briefs and briefs.
Unsimply Stitched
Unsimply Stitched is a brand based in Los Angeles, California.
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.
