Who Are We and Why Men’s Underwear? What Makes UnderGents So Awesomely Comfortable?

Since launching UnderGents we are often asked who, what, when, and why questions. We love talking with current and potential customers about our story and what is important to our UnderGents mission, so we wanted to share a bit today, since we don’t have the chance to meet everyone that might be curious about UnderGents. The idea for UnderGents really came from our founder, Billy, as he started having trouble getting comfortable after he stopped racing marathons and triathlons and started to gain a few (he might say more than a few) extra pounds. This was a new problem for Billy, as he had been doing Ironman triathlons and distance events for a number of years and he liked to keep a less than ideal diet. As many of you know, when the middle gets a little softer and the legs gain a bit of girth, the most popular underwear brands don’t feel as comfortable any longer. Living in Arizona added to the challenge as it is hot most of the year and the polyester boxer briefs felt like a steam room all day. We are not talking about a steam room where you want it. Professionally, Billy had been a C level executive at a number of consumer products businesses and he decided it was time to build a team to conquer what must be a comfort problem for most men.

We have pointed out previously that only 10% of men are satisfied with their underwear. This meant there was a big gap between what men want and what is currently offered. We started to research the biggest complaints down to the smallest issues. This research taught us a lot and led us to our flagship UnderGents Inspirato line. We learned men began to gain weight in their 20’s and it continued on year after year. Underwear isn’t something men think of buying every day but they do realize that they are always adjusting, pulling, and wanting something different than what is in the underwear drawer today. The biggest complaints from men included: overly tight boxer briefs that squeezed the legs (we call this the cycle short effect), overly tight waistbands that were slick and felt sweaty and rolled over, underwear so tight and always bunching up when sitting or walking, the hot box crotch leaving the boy’s down below very sweaty and funky (which is why 30% of men spritz some cologne in the skivvies), a lack of support in traditional boxers and too much support and compression in boxer briefs and trunks, material that felt thick and itchy, seams that irritated and felt awkward or were placed where they rubbed and chafed men, tags that scratched, legs that were too short or too long, briefs that felt like a diaper and looked worse than one, and on and on. It became clear a lot of the problems men were experiencing came from big brands trying to produce the lowest cost product as a commodity with little regard for how men felt and what they really wanted.

UnderGents mission is to design and develop men’s underwear that would address the biggest complaints from men and are the most comfortable men’s underwear available. We started by looking at how we could approach the problem differently and not just iterate from what is out there today. We started to silo the efforts, so we could combine the solutions. First, we looked at how men are shaped and how they move, as well as how that is different at 18, 35, 60, etc. Over time men’s shapes change and movement adjusts as well. We coined our design as the Vitruvian Man design to incorporate male geometry and proportion in how we constructed our flagship boxer briefs and modern briefs (our trunk is a shorter leg version of the boxer brief). In designing our products, we wanted to allow for flexibility in movement so we created a multi-panel approach and placed seems away from joint rubbing areas so there is no chafing and irritation. We also used flat lock seams which provide a smooth inside feeling for extra comfort. We also made sure the backside (or butt) is seam-free so you are not sitting on a ribbed edge all day (we see that some brands have added a horseshoe seam on the rear for a visual but it really is most uncomfortable). Our contoured front pouch is designed to allow room for the boys and isn’t meant to strap them down. We all know a man’s junk changes size throughout the day and no man likes to have his assets feel locked down. We added other panels that provide flexibility for the underwear to move with you. We also began researching fabrics that we incorporate into our designs. Cotton can be great, but men should know all cotton is not the same. The length of the fibers is a determining factor in softness and durability. For example, Pima Cotton is not a definition of softness and a number of manufacturers blend fiber lengths to make bolder claims. While high quality cotton can be comfortable, it also absorbs moisture and thickens resulting in what we call the man-diaper (oh baby isn’t that sexy…NO). We also looked at polyester fabrics as we had been led to believe wicking was a good thing. Turns out, wicking is good but what’s important is where it wicks to and what is retained. Our research showed us polyester fabrics wick moisture away from skin but trap heat and even worse, polyester traps bacteria in the fabric which results in a grand funk (and we don’t mean the band). Ever wonder why all those performance and sports T’s you work out in start to regenerate smell after being washed? It’s because the bacteria and mold don’t wash out so easily and they tend to build workout after workout. Now think about that smell and what she will think after having heat trapped all day in your crotch with moisture moving through the fabric to feed the enemy…..(you get the picture). We found micro-modal had some of the best properties of cotton and polyester without the drawbacks. First off, our unique CloudSoft® micro-modal is a nature source fiber that is sustainable. It’s a tree-based pulp fiber that multiple times softer than cotton, wicks away moisture without trapping heat and bacteria. The result is a fabric that is multiple times softer and cooler on the skin than cotton or polyester. We married our design components with this ultra-soft CloudSoft® material and the result is what many are calling the world’s most comfortable men’s underwear brand. Our Vitruvian multi-panel design with CloudSoft micro-modal is underwear that moves with you for comfort. The brands that advertise as stay-in-place don’t tell which place they stay, and it is usually the last place they moved and due to the extra tight fabric that stay right where you don’t want them. UnderGents are designed to be Comfort Without Compression so they move with you every step of the way, all day, every day comfort. Whether you like Boxer Briefs, Trunk, or a Brief, we think you will love UnderGents for men’s comfort underneath. If you have been wearing traditional boxer shorts, we invite you to try UnderGents Boxer Brief as a great modern alternative where you will feel the comfort and freedom of a boxer short while gaining the sleekness and smooth feeling and refinement of our boxer brief. Current fashion has pants slimmer and skinnier and as men add a few pounds the UnderGents men’s underwear solution means comfort “wear” it counts.

When people ask us who and why, we love to share the above and we hope you all give us a try. We offer free shipping on all orders so you don’t need to spend a minimum amount to avoid an up-charge and we offer an UnderGents Comfort Guarantee. If you don’t like your first pair of UnderGents, return them for a full refund. If you are not comfortable we are not comfortable.