Men's Erotic Underwear as a Niche Market

For most of the history of mass-market clothing, lingerie was something sold to women, while men's underwear stayed plain and functional. A smaller corner of the apparel trade has pushed against that split by making men's underwear that is openly designed to be flirtatious. People who work in it often say they are answering a demand that existed long before anyone sold to it.

Magazine profiles of small clothing makers, including some in Montreal, have described how such businesses start and how they present their approach. This article keeps to general patterns and makes no statement about any particular company today.

A sideline that became the business

A pattern reported in several profiles is that a maker begins with women's lingerie. Store buyers then ask for coordinated pieces for male partners. Sales of the men's range eventually pass those of the women's range, and the owners choose to focus on menswear. Industry commentators sometimes describe the market as a quiet need that mainstream brands left unaddressed.

The story is familiar in clothing manufacturing. A secondary product line grows quietly until sales figures show it has become the real centre of the business.

What the designs emphasize

Common design features in this category centre on structure and shaping. Makers use elastic support panels, contoured pouches and cuts that are marketed as enhancing the wearer's silhouette. Collections are typically released by season, and designers describe drawing ideas from everyday surroundings, then testing fabrics and trims.

Erotic menswear in general leans on mesh, sheer panels, glossy finishes and cuts that draw the eye. Critics argue that the genre can reinforce a narrow picture of the male body. Supporters answer that men gain the same playful, decorative choices that women's lingerie has offered for generations.

Models, fit and self-image

Promotional imagery in this field has often shown lean, muscular models, which raises the question of whether ordinary men see themselves as the intended customers. Makers commonly answer that the aim is for any wearer to feel attractive, and that a person's own view of himself matters more than outside approval. Fashion as a whole keeps returning to the question of whether glossy imagery widens or narrows what people think of as desirable.

Production in Canada

Some small labels stress that their goods are made domestically, pointing to local jobs, consistent production standards and short delivery times. Apparel manufacturing has shrunk in Canada over several decades as production moved overseas, so a label that emphasizes domestic production draws attention.

Designers in the field also speak of a wish to surprise the market with each new collection, and of attitudes toward sexuality gradually opening up. Whether such claims hold in any given case is a matter for the market and for consumers.