Briefly - Men's Underwear and Swimwear 1940s -2010s

Paisley printed bri-nylon underpants, 1970s. The Textiles & Dress Collection at Falmouth University.

Those of us who had signed up for the first online event of 2025 were delighted by the fascinating insights offered into an unusual collection of men’s underwear that has recently been donated to the Fashion and Textiles Institute at Falmouth University.  Dr Shaun Cole, Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, has been researching this collection  together with Falmouth’s Textiles and Dress Collection Curator, Di Downs. Using photographs of items in the collection, as well as his own
illustrative material, Dr Coles led us on a wonderful tour of the changes and developments in men’s bodywear from the 1940s to the 2010s. 

​Dr Cole, who has written widely on menswear and gay fashion, was able to use his detailed knowledge to highlight important turning points in the history of men’s underwear, including the all-important patenting of jockey shorts with a double layer front panel by Coopers in the USA in 1935.  When these new-fangled garments were put on sale by Coopers in Chicago they were viewed by some with suspicion, particularly because Chicago was facing its coldest winter ever!  But the first batch of 600 pairs sold out almost immediately – they were an instant hit, and Coopers never looked back, particularly after patenting their famous ‘Y-Front’ adaptation in 1942!

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Floral printed swim trunks, Vince Green, c1968. The Textiles & Dress Collection at Falmouth University.

​Another sea-change occurred in 1982 with the introduction of the famous branded waistband white Calvin Klein shorts.  These were very like jockeys but with a reduced rise and tighter fit, and their introduction was coupled with a new style of advertising, this time focusing on the physical attractiveness of the models in their underwear rather than its practicality and  comfort, with smouldering media and sports stars photographed from low angles which emphasized their – ahem – masculinity.  Suddenly, underwear was overtly sexy, becoming a real fashion item and an important part of most fashion houses’ collections.
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Dr Cole used some wonderful historical advertising material to illustrate his talk, and was able to show how men’s swimwear developed alongside underwear, both reflecting not only technological developments in fabrics and construction methods that enabled the creation of more comfortable, closer-fitting garments, but also changing social attitudes. 

It was this linking of the fashion trends in underwear with social history which I found particularly fascinating.  For example, it was the first time that I heard the suggestion that the Aids epidemic in the late 20th century could have been a contributing factor to the returning popularity of looser boxer shorts for men; Dr Cole acknowledged that there was undoubtedly some cross-over from rising interest in sports wear and the longer, looser shorts favoured by stars such as Michael Jordan, but also pointed out that the reaction against Aids caused people to favour less figure-hugging garments and move towards a less explicitly sexualised male silhouette.
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Towards the end of his talk Dr Cole discussed the ways in which new breathable fabrics and the technology that enables manufacturers to produce seamless, structured circular knits, has led to more emphasis both on healthy bodywear and the ability to use underwear to sculpt the torso more effectively.  Certainly more liberal attitudes have seen the introduction of humour into mainstream advertising, as evidenced by snooker player Willie Thorne’s range of briefs called ‘Big Willie’, boasting models such as ‘Mr Maximum’!  But he also noted that although men, like women, do now use ‘foundation wear’ to enhance their physical shape, he felt that we were still a long way away from there being a standard underpants crotch sizing scale for men!
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This was a really informative, interesting talk, delivered with gentle humour, tact and a real ability to link the technical aspects of fashion with the social context in which they developed.  It gave rise to some detailed and thoughtful discussion afterwards, and certainly made us all want to read Shaun Cole’s book ‘The Story of Men’s Underwear’ and also to see some of the swimwear garments from the collection which are due to make a guest appearance in Amber Butchart’s new exhibition ‘Splash – A Century of Swimming and Style’ at The Design Museum, Kensington, London,
opening on 28 March 2025. 

Jenny Fletcher

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Two pairs of floral printed cotton beach briefs, Vince Green c.1968. The Textiles & Dress Collection at Falmouth University.

​Shaun Cole's book 'The Story of Men's Underwear is available here: The Story of Men's Underwear: Cole, Shaun: 9781646993673: Amazon.com: Books

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