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)
