LET'S TALK ABOUT MEN'S UNDERWEAR

How a Gay Trend Becomes a Mainstream Fad by Stephen J. Lucin

Ever since Calvin Klein's men's underwear ads were plastered all over Times Square, in numerous fashion magazines and on television in the 1990s, fashionable men's underwear has taken a shift from being associated predominantly with the gay community and has found its rightful place within the mainstream men’s market.

Over the last decade, underwear brands such as /baskit/, Andrew Christian, 2(x)ist and Ginch Gonch have gone just as far as Calvin Klein by appealing to both the gay and straight male sensibilities. By creating mainstream advertisements with a gay undertone, or by first building a foundation within the gay community and then branching out into the mainstream men’s market, these companies have seen sales ebb and flow over the last several years.

Colorado-based Baskit Wear's /baskit/ brand was started in 2002 by three fashion industry professionals, but purchased by Eric Schwers in 2007 in an effort to re-establish the brand across a broader market. Schwers has helped introduce the brand's new lines of underwear, swimwear and loungewear, which in 2009, he promises will appeal to an even broader market.

"This is not your father’s underwear," says Schwers. "/baskit/ styles are designed to highlight a man’s body. Special cuts, contours and high impact accent colors make each pair of underwear fashionable and allow men the ability to express their own style. For 2009, /baskit/ will concentrate on expanding its reach into more mainstream markets with some edgy interpretations of classic underwear style."

When /baskit/ was first introduced to the market in 2002, "there were plenty of well-known and mainstream brands on the market," adds Schwers. "But none were designed for a fashion-forward guy who wasn’t afraid to branch out beyond the basic styles men have been wearing for years. /baskit/ was created to provide that hip, comfortable alternative for modern men who want underwear that fits their lifestyles." (CONTINUE READING)

Similarly, Andrew Christian, popular underwear designer and reality TV star of Bravo's The Fashion Show, has also seen success from the onset. Appealing to both gay and straight male communities has helped the brand maintain its stance within the men's underwear market, and has helped Andrew Christian expand his brand demographic, while also maintaining prominent visibility in retailer outlets worldwide.

"Andrew Christian has always had a loyal fan base within the gay community," explains brand spokesman Jeff White. "But surprisingly enough - the brand has had quite a following within the straight male demographic, as well. One of the reasons is the response we've had from women who post about our underwear on their blogs, and who have their husbands try out the underwear. When the guys try out a pair of our Flashbacks, or Show It boxers, they always say they're refreshing. So, through the whole blogosphere, it's actually women who are purchasing our underwear for their husbands or boyfriends. And as a result, our foray into the mainstream market sort of just happened."

So many other men's underwear brands have followed this same path to success, including Ginch Gonch, 2(x)ist, Undergear, C-IN2, among others, and have, respectively, carved out a place for their brand within the marketplace.

And as male shoppers of any sexual orientation will see on retailers’ shelves or on specialty Web sites such as freshpair.com, they have a vast selection of underwear brands, styles and cuts to choose from.

Since those early days in the 1990s, perhaps fueled by the bold sexuality of Calvin Klein’s underwear ads, men have been much more comfortable embracing their sexuality in any way they desire to express it. It was Calvin Klein’s initial foray into underwear as “out” wear that catalyzed in younger American men a greater self-awareness of the male form and a newly defined sense of masculinity.

Comments

[S.]

And it helps the models are usually hot.

[Jeff]

This piece is poorly written and too wordy. Pix of hot guys in underwear would be more appealing with a fun caption.