New underwear label, Unda-g, has had a difficult time getting into this country’s major chain stores, partly because of one unique feature: the stash pocket, also known as the underpotcket, just in case you run out of ideas on what to stash down there.
Ironically, it’s not even the pocket’s more hedonistic implications that have seen retailers getting hot under the collar, but the fact that every pair is sold with a packet of Lovers Plus condoms.
‘A lot of youth are not using condoms,” says brand manager Kgauhelo Dube. ‘People are getting Aids through unprotected sex. But comfort and practicality were at the top of our list. It’s for condoms and anything else that you want to keep ‘unda-g’.”
The archaic excuses she has received (although she wouldn’t specify sources) from department stores range from ‘we think it’s cool, but tricky; we can’t take that risk” to ‘we don’t have control over who buys; you might find a 13-year-old buying condoms” — tragically ironic considering this country’s astronomical HIV-infection rates.
The Unda-g range consists of tight-fitting, 100% cotton boxers and boxer shorts for guys and tight-fitting cotton/spandex boxers that come with a camisole top for girls. Each of the three styles features three distinct ‘limited edition” prints, making a total of nine prints for now. The prints have a definite graffiti slant to them as they are predominated by bold manga motifs that are popular with the hip-hop set.
‘Mainstream retailers such as Edgars or Woolworths are not into our prints,” says Dube. ‘The market is still conservative. They have this mentality that underwear is underwear and not overwear.”
Saki Varonou, owner of Rosebank-based Men X Posed, an exclusive underwear retailer that stocks imported male undies, says he has considered stocking the brand, but only once it jacks up its packaging. Since Unda-g has struggled to make it into chain stores, it does not have any packaging to speak of. Stock is wrapped in transparent plastic and stashed in boxes at Matchbox Creative Incubator, which conceptualised the label. The underwear is being sold online through the website Unda-g.com.
Being strapped with protection when you need it and pulling a fast one on frisky bouncers and unsuspecting cops is certainly practical when the need arises, but it does come across as a bit gimmicky, especially to adults. For this reason, Varonou is not sure whether it will fit in with the rest of his stock.
‘I don’t know. Is it for the okes who wear their jeans halfway down their [arses]?” he asked, rhetorically. ‘For me the whole idea about underwear is to feel sexy.” He does not believe that it is men’s tastes per se that are conservative, but that South African buyers need to be more adventurous.
Men X Posed also carries a sizeable selection of camp underwear. Since gay men generally tend to be the trendsetters when it comes to adventurous undies, I asked Varonou how far behind their straight counterparts were.
‘Straight men have the weirdest tastes when it comes to underwear. You’d drop dead if you saw the stuff they buy here. The metrosexual is the new face of men’s underwear because he’s not afraid to wear what he wants,” he says, pointing to a Frederick Ljungberg poster advertising Calvin Klein briefs. ‘We’ve come a long way since Marky Mark.”
For Varonou, affordability is the biggest hurdle men face. His prices range from R179 to R600, but expect that to rise to R1 000 when his Versace order arrives next month. ‘You won’t find these things at chain stores. Edgars would sell these for R1 000,” he said, holding up a black microfibre HOM tanga worth R550.
A regular at the annual Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris, Varonou believes the three key words to be quality, looks and comfort as far as underwear trends were concerned. ‘Now we have microcapsules in the fabric so that when you sweat or get a little bit excited, it absorbs and neutralises the odours.”
Unracking an array of boxers, jockstraps and briefs, Varonou shows me a variety of seamless designs that form part of the drive towards comfort.
Women, too, are taking advantage of increased choices. Haydee Bangerezako, who sampled the Unda-g cami set, says: ‘The band around the shorts is great; it allows us to wear big, oversized jeans just like the brothers, knowing that under our shirts/tops it’s not a Gstring, but a nice pair of shorts. In terms of fit, they’re great but need to focus on the essential when it comes to women’s underwear — losing the stitch running up the crotch area.”
While lingerie chain La Senza is probably downscale compared to Men X Posed, its exponential growth in the past two-and-a-half years is a testament to women’s increased demand for ‘beautiful textures and stylish good fits”, says Jo’burg area manager Sarah Walton. The chain has nine branches between Cape Town and Jo’burg, with another five on the way later this year.
In its quest to offer something for everyone, the store has sub-brands such as the youthful Candy range and the sensual Love range, with bras, suspenders and baby-dolls ranging from R229 to R399.
‘Women [this summer] are going for small, sophisticated prints and more detailed styling in pastel colours,” says Walton. ‘They are looking for a luxurious shopping experience with accessible prices. They are tired of bad fits and a lack of cup size variety.”