Are Y-Fronts Super Undies?
Revered for many years as mens underwear for elderly gents, posing the question as to whether they are an unwitting contraceptive or men’s best friend…unlikely the former.
Taking a retro reverence they have become a preferable choice for 20 and 30-somethings.
Thanks to Australian mens underwear designer Aussiebum, much of the renewed interest can be attributed to their “Wonderjock” – a reinvention of the y-front as a tongue in cheek affair. Since it’s release the Wonderjock has sold more than 140,000 pairs across the globe and being aptly snapped up by a plethora of young “gentlemen”. Selfridges in London have been prominently displaying the undies from Down Under. Aussiebum CEO Sean Ashby says “Dad’s used to wear Y-Fronts and they weren’t cool. Now men are embracing the whole retro trend and y-front is very much old-school”.
Showcasing similarities to the women’s Wonderbra the Wonderjock also lifts and protrudes mens privates without the use of padding which has been a major selling point considering men are extremely sensitive to size.
C-IN2 – the New York runway brand has also cashed in on this natural “enhancement” style by offering the Contour Pouch brief, sporting an elastic sling support that is attached to the waistband lifting and supporting a mens privates to more flattering proportions. Whether the “Aussie Bloke” has become more conceited and slef conscious in the early part of the millennium but contour and fitted underwear are selling very well Down Under equalling a large percentage of global sales in this market.
The Y-Front never truly went away nor did it’s sales ever decrease as those who were buying them years ago are still buying them today, there is now just a whole new market, mind set and body types to appeal to with tighter cuts and more flamboyant prints. A pioneer for the Y-Front is Jockey and only last year introduced the new Recut Y. A low-rise hipster aimed for the younger clientele. A spokesperson for Jockey said “Jockey’s Y-Front has heritage. There are people out there who know the product; that’s all they want. We don’t advertise it. There’s no need. It’s an absolute classic. We’d never delete the Y-Front.”
The nice Y-fronts that i used to wear dont exist anymore. All the new designs are too tight even if you buy the right size. The new ones are too hugging and uncomfortable to wear on warm days. What happend to the nice loose/normal fitting sky blue Y-fronts ?
I believe “tight” underwear is solely a sign of the times. There was a time when men wore really baggy jeans too, now the latest trend has moved to skinny jeans.
Also the fashion industry is partly responsible what with the latest male models all looking like their female counterparts – looking like they haven’t eaten for months. Be patient as the trend is slowly moving back to men with healthy “buff” bodies.
If you are after something with more of a loose fit might I suggest going one size up from your normal but choosing a pair of underwear that has a large elastic waistband to compensate for the larger fit. You’ll find brands such as C-IN2 and AussieBum both have this characteristic along with many others of course.
Y fronts are so comfy! Jockey make very good colourful retro y fronts, I wish they would choose some modern fibres though like a microfibre polyamiide/elastane mix rather than cotton. CK make ome like that though, but they’re not as authentic with no proper ‘y’ front, but they do have a fly opening.