Adam Smith New York, a menswear brand based in New York, offers its Saltire Collection. The Scottish Highlands inspires the collection. The brand uses polyester and elastane in the Saltire group for durability and 4-way stretch. There are five styles available:
Model: Ulysses Blaanco. Photographer: Fernando Landin
Fabric Composition
Jason Hoeung, the founder of 2Eros and Supawear, made a YouTube video comparing polyester and polyamide (nylon). Jason states that polyester is suitable for daily wear underwear and workouts. Polyamide is ideal for comfortable underwear.
Feature
Polyester
Polyamide (Nylon)
Durable, lightweight
Yes, smooth feel
Yes, though gentler and softer on the skin than polyester
Water-resistant
Yes
Yes. It absorbs water but dries faster as it is a synthetic material.
Holds color well
Yes
Yes
Easy to wash
Yes, highly stain resistant
Yes. It absorbs moisture, but it is easy to wash stains away.
In comparison, Calvin Klein combined polyester and polyamide in the CK One. (Note: I own some pairs of the boxer briefs.). The fabric composition of the CK One is 58 percent polyamide, 30 percent polyester, and 12 percent elastane. The fit is close to the body and comfortable; the material is light and flexible. The feel of the fabric is smooth. The color is deep blue (Perth Blue).
If you are interested in the fabrics used in making men’s underwear, see a link located in another blog post.
Saltire Collection
Saltire Collection Style
Sizes
Fabric Composition
Bikini
S, M, L, XL
78 percent polyester, 22 percent elastane
Briefs
S, M, L, XL
78 percent polyester, 22 percent elastane
Boxer briefs
S, M, L, XL
78 percent polyester, 22 percent elastane
Combo trunks
S, M, L, XL
78 percent polyester, 22 percent elastane
Trunks
S, M, L, XL
78 percent polyester, 22 percent elastane
You should be aware that the size range is a bit smaller overall for the Saltire Collection than the other Adam Smith collection.
Size Chart
Photo Shoot: Water Polo Athlete and Model Rodolfo Valentino and Photographer Gavin Harrison
Adam Smith’s photo shoot model is Rodolfo Valentino, a water polo athlete from Italy. Rodolfo lives in the United Kingdom.
Are you looking for a plaid addition to your underwear collection? Give the Saltire Collection a try. If you try the Saltire Collection, drop a comment below and tell us your experience.
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.)
Model: Andrei Gutiérrez, a mens physique competitor and engineering student in Mexico. Nico Zetta, Argentina. Photo by Mano Martinez.Model: Clark Reid. Photographer: Carlos “Trey” Salazar.
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.
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.
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.
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–
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.Nico Zetta, from Argentina. Briefs, Calvin Klein.
Roger Zacha, a personal trainer from Cyprus, is a physio student in The Netherlands and the model for Walking Jack´s photoshoot for the brand’s Ash Collection. The photographer is Louis C.
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. Another brand is Lacoste.
The brand offers two underwear types: boxers and briefs. The fabric composition is 94 percent polyester and 6 percent Elastane. Sizes run from small to large. The colors on offer are navy and army green.
The brand has a chat function on its website. I was able to receive a response in a reasonable time.
The underwear runs small, so if you enjoy squats and deadlifts, the underwear may be too small. The underwear stretches horizontally but not so much vertically.
In 2022, Marcuse added a new brief to its range, the super-low rise Astra Brief, available at Men and Underwear store.
Daniil Mazunin
The model in the Marcuse video is Daniil Mazunin, a muscular model from the Russian Federation.
Also, read an editorial at the Men and Underwear blog, with photos of Daniil in Marcuse Astra briefs by Photographer Pavel Lepikhin.
JOR
JOR is a menswear brand based in Colombia, South America. In underwear, the brand offers–bikinis, boxers, briefs, g-strings, and thongs. The brand also sells swimwear and activewear.
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.
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