Jockeying for position
A new breed of pants brands is trying to overthrow the biggest names in smalls
Presented with a series of scantily clad female models at a lingerie shoot, Swedish photographer Andreas Palm had an idea: “I wanted to feel sexy in underwear too.”
Three years later, his idea has become a brand: CDLP, which Palm founded with friend Christian Larson, sells premium men’s underwear designed to offer the same choice, ritual and enjoyment as women get from theirs. “Something that would add an emotion when you put it on in the morning,” Palm says.
Cut from Lyocell — a cellulose fibre made from wood pulp that’s more breathable than cotton and naturally antibacterial and biodegradable — CDLP pants are pitched at modern men who expect more from their underwear’s maker. “What we’ve been seeing are athletic football players in black and white photos flashing their abs, and it’s a very dated view on masculinity,” says Palm of typical men’s underwear campaigns.
“I’m surprised that it’s taken up until now for people to respond. When we started CDLP, we needed to make a great product, but once we had done that we felt like we wanted to disrupt, or find a new way to portray men in underwear.”
CDLP’s early adopters were “in the fashion scene”, but their customer base is now much broader. One City high-flyer ordered 48 pairs in a single transaction.
CDLP is not alone, however. Fellow Scandinavian brand Organic Basics has put sustainability and ethical production at its core. The label designs underwear and a wider apparel collection to offer simplicity, functionality and longevity.
It offers full transparency on its production line, revealing the difference between the carbon and waste created in making its garments, compared to that of traditional practices.
Closer to home, Les Girls Les Boys takes a more culturally progressive angle. The “modern intimates” brand by Agent Provocateur co-founder Serena Rees is decidedly fluid in its outlook and with its “bed to street” concept, is perhaps pitched at a Gen Z audience. But it makes excellent boxers in woven cotton, and some desirable briefs in lightweight leopard-print jersey.
As Palm says, the trick is getting guys to realise that pants are clothes too. “It’s hard to put words on it,” he offers, “but it’s a ritual. You put our underwear on in the morning and you feel a bit better.”
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