And that's what it's all about

It was this image that made me realise I need a strategy for this blog. Of course! How could my branding brain be so careless!



This blog is NOT:
1. A collection of sexy images of boys in underwear
2. A jockstrap appreciation society (I can't STAND them)
3. A definitive female view on mens underwear (I'd say my perception is distorted somewhat)

This blog IS:
1. Comments and observations, based on brand, trends and design in mens underwear through the eyes of an Australian twenty-something female.

My interest lies in BRIEFS. Not jockstraps, G-strings or any other racy bits in between. I'm just too far out of the target market to have an informed opinion about all that!

Your PANTS are undone mate

When did leaving your pants wide open become cool? Why have Shultz Jeans decided that what lazy men really need is a bit of elastic (patent pending) across their jeans so that when they forget to do them up, they won't fall down?



Have I not been frequenting enough gay Babylon-style clubs? "It's the end of the belt as we know it" apparently. I think I missed something here. Maybe my female mind just doesn't get it...!



The token bit of hip gyrating in this promo video tells me that yes, my life as girl prohibits me from understanding this...

Rookie mistake.

I'm all for the natural look, but keep it away from the websites PLEASE! Teamm8! What were you thinking! I don't want to see pubic hair/ass hair on a pasty boy when I'm researching this stuff! Were ll the unnaturally hair-free tanned bodies unavailable that day!??

An inherent comfort factor

When I think of mens undies I think. COMFORT. As a female, I have been trying to crack the code for years that makes me inherently think that these delightful boy boxers could be such a pleasure to wear.

It comes as no surprise to me that Aussiebum have gotten on the comfort bandwagon and released a range of CottonSoft. Of course. Can't you just feel the cotton comfort already?!

Talkin 'bout a revolution

Stumbled across this one today. This shits me.

Some Swedish boys want to start an "underwear revolution". PLUS! To save all the hard work, they are calling for people to actually design these things FOR THEM!

I can just imagine the conversation at the bar:
Carl: Hey Martin! I want to be an underwear designer but I have no talent and no time!
Martin: Carl that's easy! Let's just set up a sexy looking website, call it the UNDERWEAR REVOLUTION and get people to submit their designs to us - hell! We'll even get them to make up the packaging!
Carl: Genius! Who needs original thought!

The comment of: "Why are there no high end underwear for men? Why isnt (sic) there any underwear for men with sex appeal?" is quite confusing. Have they not heard of Calvin Klein in Sweden? Armani?

Lazy.

What are you wearing?

This is outside the box. How about a daily (if not hourly) update on what brand of underwear you're wearing?!



The guy who runs Mens Underwear Blog has initiated his very own twitter site to inform his loyal readers of any underwear changes.

That's blog dedication.

A CK thought

So it's clear (to me at least) that Calvin Klein are market leaders in this department. As a brand, I think they are very strategic in positioning CK as a high end brand with versatility. You know an Emporio Armarni wanker when you see one. All those stylish little skater guys won't be wearing their D&G's on a Friday night, they'll be wearing their best Calvins.



So smart. I'm envious of the strategy!

A wee brand name mistake...

Poor Interesting choice of brand name here from the guy who created Ginch Gonch.

Honestly, I think it has been lost in translation. Sure, no doubt "Piss and Vinegar" is a great cultural reference to young, dumb boys but seriously - PISS?! Did Mr Ginch Gonch forget the area he was dealing with?

Has he caused a stir? Probably yes. Has he sold a million pairs of underwear? Probably no. I'd be scared there would be stains on these little puppies. Today I am thankful that I am not a boy!

A roaring trend

You can bet your best pair of Calvins that you're going to see more of this. Underwear with loud prints of aggressive animals on the pouch. Well done to Ed Hardy for being the first on the bandwagon, but he better be thinking of the next thing!

BONDS from way back...

There's no denying it. I'm a BONDS kind of girl. I'm living in Spain at the moment and all I wanted to buy on my quick trip to Australia last year was more BONDS.

They've obviously refreshed the brand strategy to have a bit of cheek in it. A far cry from the original staples. I believe The Campaign Palace is to thank for this.

Such a shame they're made in China...

"Artest" undies.

You know, these are just gorgeous.



And so simple. The boys over at Stonemen have gotten right down to business, stripped it bare and presented us with three simple cuts and beautiful designs. I would love an insight into the printing process for this to ensure that each print lines up, regardless of size.



Still, they're Aussie, they're from Bondi (seems like this has to be a pre-requisite for underwear brands these days) and they're beautiful.

Butt I want more!

Now I've seen it all. There was a guy at school who quite literally had no ass. I would watch in amazement as he would perch on the edge of a desk - I was POSITIVE that he would just slide off. What piece of invisible rump was there to actually catch his body? It still baffles me.

But of course there is a fix! The Package Booster is here! The before and after facial expressions are just priceless...

An Obvious Error

This is a hard one (pun intended).



How do you get those damn waistbands to line up? It is an age-old mystery for the underwear world and I'm yet to see someone who has mastered it!

What type of underwear are you?

For a little bit of resting time, away from the design world I have found myself on a superyacht in Spain as a deckhand. When work is low, I get the pleasure of being handed laundry folding jobs. Now what is fantastic about this (in a weird way) is that I get to see first hand what my crew is wearing beneath their uniforms.



When being given the run-down, one of the girls had to give me the 101 on who's underwear was who's. "The captain wears new Calvins and new Armarni, the first mate wears old Calvins, the engineer wears Primark boxers and the chef wears Bonds".

Fascinating to know that people only stick to one brand and in most cases, one style.

My first pair of Steel's.

And what an investment! It took a European trip and a CK flagship store to bite the bullet and buy the Steel's.



Hot. Literally. They're made in Egypt!

Björn? Boris?

You know, I always confuse Björn Borg for Boris Becker. I don't know where the association got lost, but I think of 80's tennis stars beginning with B and I end up with the red-headed gigantor Mr Becker.



I think this is why my subconscious secretly whispers "don't do it" whenever I go to buy a pair of these...

Microsoft Paint Brandmark

While we're talking about Aussie Underwear Brands, I have to say that this is just about the shittest, laziest brandmark I have ever seen from DeeJay.



It sends shivers up my spine more than the incorrect use of Comic Sans does.

Team Oz.

Aussie underwear brands need a good KICKING. How about even a good floggin? Well here they are! Prepare for the flog!

Aussiebum


DT Underwear


Teamm8


Ristefsky Macheda


Bonds


Stonemen


Ian Thorpe Underwear (hard to find these days)


Davenport


Mitch Dowd


Macpherson Men


DeeJay


Mojo Underwear


Van Heusen

Undercover in Berlin

It's hard to be inconspicuous when you're trying to take a secret photo of underwear packaging inside a small boutique store with a massive SLR. Hence the paparazzi style angle of this photo...Somehow I managed to pull it off with a strategic cough during the shutter close.

MOVING ON...these are actually from a Berlin store by Diesel. Quite crafty packaging if you ask me, five stars!

The PATRIOTIC box.

Jumping on the brand bandwagon more commonly known as "Country of origin", the PATRIOTIC box involves a unique mix of obvious design and inherent brand properties.

It goes from the straight up obvious:


To the built in brand factor:


Country of Origin can have a massive influence in purchase decision but it's a big decision for a brand to label themselves as purely about one country. Personally, I'm never leaving home without a pair of Bonds.

Gen Y initiative

I can't believe it's taken Bonds this long to bring out a boxers range for all those Northern Beaches skater boys...I can BET that there is a little Gen Y sitting over at Bonds headquarters, who has just graduated from design school and decided to wow management with his revolutionary idea of boxers for Bonds. I love it.

Dav-import.

I love a good brand refresh as much as the next brand strategist. What I DON'T like is the lazy use of "so hot right now" celebrities (or recently championed sports stars) to launch a brand. Especially couples that are together (at the time).

Davenport had a good crack at this, sure. But tell me, WHEN ON EARTH are Eamon Sullivan and Stephanie Rice EVER going to wear a pair of undies with a massive amount of embroidery on the ass?!!



Ok, ok, I know it's a publicity stunt, but that's my problem here. It's a STUNT!! It's not real!!



As for the product, they've spent a heap of cash on the marketing and are still making shitty underwear imported from China. Lift your game please.

When do bathers become undies?

Having worked with the ad world for a number of years, there is nothing more refreshing than a smart campaign. And such words of truth!! My dad (actually I think all dad's) is a total "but they're speedo's" bandit when around the house. Or mowing the lawn.

Back in the 13th Century...

This is my friend the medieval enthusiast. He lives in Germany (as medieval enthusiasts tend to live) and he is currently giving me a detailed walkthrough of medieval underwear. They are made of linen and are surprisingly warm!

Happy Snap.

The date on this photo says 2006. It's concerning to me that in amidst the holiday happy snaps I have random photo's of magazines with mens underwear. Makes it a bit awkward when you put your photo collection on random view and show it to your mum. I believe the thought around this was "oh my god! the double band! Of course". Or something like that.

Friday night undies

How I end up having random conversations with boys about underwear by campfires in Munich, I will never know. Even so, this conversation was a fruitful one.

These two young lads from Maine USA introduced me to their term "Friday night undies". Actually, they called them "underwear" with a thick American accent, but seeing as how this is an Aussie blog, UNDIES it will be.



These boys were a "standard Tommy Hilfiger by day" (not that I knew TH was standard), and "CK's for Friday night". Hence the term Friday Night Undies. I like the idea. I like that we all subconsciously have a pair of Friday night undies that we put off wearing until the end of the week just so "we can hope to get layed" (Brian, aged 21).

No more tighty whities

This campaign deserves an honorable mention.



True to brand, Ginch Gonch have embarked on a worlwide mission to "promote, advance and support the cause against any and all forms of boring tighty whities, blah boxers and granny panties".

With street protests and guerrilla tactics, Ginch Gonch have taken their devil-would-care attitude and generated some hardcore publicity for this one.



A marvel-arse piece of marketing.

Not without David!

What would this blog be without a mention of Mr Beckham himself.



I always find celebrity underwear endorsements interesting. The fact that a brand can rest their entire reputation on the back(side) of a celebrity seems a little risky for me. Still, David Beckham and his photoshopped package sure did wonders for Armarni!

From the Street

Another day, another trend worth mentioning. Taking it to the streets has always been a worthwhile guerrilla tactic used by brands all over the world. Why should underwear brands be any different?!

The two that come to mind are the infamous "Carlee's Angels" from Aussiebum and the "No More Tighty Whities" campaign by Ginch Gonch. Both involve really hot chicks asking boys to take off their jocks and slip into a pair of more comfortable ones...





Effective and a pleasure to watch!

Somewhere in Spain

The Spanish have these stores PURELY dedicated to underwear. And they are EVERYWHERE. In the most random little town you can still come across designer undies. This will never cease to amaze me.





Not quite sure what "no comment underwear" actually means. Lost in translation?