Fancy knickers are no longer just for the ladies.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Two Wollongong men have launched an underwear brand that, for now, is exclusively for the lads. And these are a little more exciting than your standard three-pack of dacks from Woolies.
David Mathie and Christopher Christodoulou have been working on Xuba Man Australia for the past two-and-a-half years. They decided to foray into the men's market after noticing there were few options for men who were fashion-conscious but didn't want to pay Calvin Klein prices.
The pair bought dozens of pairs of underwear already on the market to try on and determine what they did and didn't like about them. They also roped in their friends and family to gain their feedback.
"The main feedback was, being guys, saying they didn't really care about the fabric as long as it was comfortable and they weren't pulling them out of their bums all day," Mathie says.
"So it was really about getting a style that would fit the body well and a fabric that would feel like you weren't really wearing any underwear," .
"Before, guys were happy to go out and just purchase your Bonds or standard underwear, whereas now guys are very fashion-conscious. I'd say 50 per cent are wearing fashionable underwear."
Mathie and Christodoulou worked with a design agent to finalise how their underwear would look, but they were responsible for coming up with the style, fabric and feel of their brand. They tested prototypes from 25 different manufacturing companies before finalising their choice, and wore the undies themselves to be sure they were suitable.
The result is a line of men's briefs, boxers and leisure and gym shorts, 35 different styles all together, made from either 100 per cent cotton or a cotton and banana fibre mix, in a range of colours.
Mathie says they realised early on that you couldn't get much variation fit-wise, so they played with colour and print instead.
There are the standard white, black and red for less adventurous guys. There's also bold purples and lime greens, and funky patterns such as smiley faces, shiny snakeskin or rainbow stripes for those who like their briefs and shorts to have a bit more pizazz.
"With male underwear there's not a lot of different things you can do, because obviously the underwear has to sit a certain way and has to be a certain way. For guys, most bodies are pretty much the same, and we want to target the average sort of guy," Mathie says.
Though the target age group for Xuba is gents between 16 and 30, they want to cater for a range of sizes and styles, he says.
The Xuba Man Australia website went live this weekend and though the brand can only be purchased online for now, it may move into retail stores in the future.
The products are currently made in China, but Mathie says he would love Xuba to become a wholly Australian-made brand once the label finds its feet.
The goal for Xuba is to also launch a male apparel line and a female swimwear line. But for now they are focusing on boxers and briefs, Mathie says.
"If you don't give it a try, you will never ever succeed," he says.
"We're not leaving our day jobs for Xuba, but we hope it does get to the stage where we are able to do it on a full-time basis."