Dip me in oil and call me "Slick" if I ever get so out of shape, or so vain, that buying undies like these become a viable option. When I first saw the recent WWD.com report on the 2xist label's plans to launch a new line of "shapewear" for men, I had to stifle a laugh. As a fan of the prestige brand, I'm put off from 2xist's "Form" collection even though I see the logic of it.
Medical researchers estimate that nearly one-third of American men (regardless of race) is overweight. So it stands to reason that there’s probably a market for “shapewear”, among appearance-conscious men at least.
“It targets an area that most men typically have trouble with and can whittle the waist two whole inches,” Jason Scarlatti, 2xist’s creative director, told WWD.
“Not everyone is shaped like the guy on the box,” Scarlatti explained. “This is for an aspirational customer; it’s a stepping stone.”
For all we know, 2xist might tap into the sort of astounding cash flow fountain that the Oprah-endorsed Spanx company did.
Still, one has to wonder: how does a man answer when he partially disrobes down to his “Form” skivvies by 2xist and his wife, or his “date” or his child, or the guys in the locker room catch a glimpse and ask, “What are those?”.
WAIST NOT, WANT NOT: On a related note, 2xist is just one of a growing number of brands that encourages guys to let their pants “sag”. What the Calvin Klein company pioneered, according to reports, is now becoming the industry standard.
Men’s underwear waistbands as advertising devices?
“We’ve seen waistbands completely transform since we started,” said Michael Kleinmann, president of Freshpair.com, a leading underwear e-tailer, in a WWD report. “They used to be pretty basic, but now they are like sneakers: their fun colors and patterns say something about the guy that is wearing them.”
Really, though; Do “saggers” need any more encouragement?
Photos: WWD
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