Brief History on Men's Underwear!

As most of us wear undergarments for comfort or simply because our culture considers it the norm, have you ever wondered when it all began.  The first form of underwear known is the loincloth, which was worn 7000 years ago.  It was known for being used by ancient Egyptians, hawaiiens, Japanese and Greeks in many forms based on the era and social class. The loincloths were replaced in the Middle Ages by trouser-like clothing called braies.  Braies were generally fitted with a front flap that was buttoned or tied closed.   During the renaissance, the codpiece came to be which allowed men to urinate without having to remove the braies.  Codpiece could also be used to store items like coins or other small things.  As its symbolism of masculinity became more acknowledged, the size of these codpieces continued to grow as a trend until it ended with the dawn of the 17^th century.  During the Industrial age, the invention of machinery began the mass production of homogenous looking undergarments.  It was only by the 1900s that this division of fashion became more of an interest to designers.  By the 1930, the first briefs were invented and as the years progressed, more attention was geared towards the style of the male’s undergarments.  Today, many companies are focusing on upscale designs for men’s underwear.  Who knew that all of this change began with a simple loincloth?

- Audrey