Advertising History & Underwear
The loincloth was probably the first male undergarment, with cloth and leather ones dating back 7,000 years. Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamen was buried with 145 loincloths in 1352 B.C. Undergarments were homemade items throughout most of history. The Industrial Revolution and the introduction of mass production during the 19th century turned homespun essentials into a competitive retail product. Competition led companies to advertise. Advertising and underwear are today synonymous with colorful, sexy, cutting-edge fashion.
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Early 20th Century
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The common undergarment in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries was a one-piece union suit, similar to today's long johns or long underwear. The Hanes Company built factories, reducing production time for a suit from days to minutes. Other companies quickly entered the undergarment business. Companies began advertising the merits of their products to differentiate their apparel from the products of competitors. The first print advertisement appeared in a 1911 "Saturday Evening Post." The ad featured an oil painting by J. C. Leyendecker entitled "Kenosha Klosed Krotch," which showed men in union suits. This was revolutionary at the time because Victorian morals dictated that no one discuss unmentionables. Initial advertisements stressed durability and comfort rather than fashion.
Innovation and Change
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Advertisements by the 1920s emphasized comfort and ease of movement. Companies created new and improved undergarments to increase market share. The Chalmers Knitting Company introduced the two-piece union suit, the forerunner of modern undershirts and drawers. Lacier versions for women, called camisoles, appeared in stores. A New York socialite, Mary Phelps Jacob, changed women's undergarments forever with the first homemade brassiere in 1913. She fashioned two handkerchiefs held together by ribbon and wore it under her dress to hide the bones of her corset, a stiff undergarment worn to shape the upper body. Friends loved the invention and began asking for one; the modern bra was born. Women's undergarments became less restrictive as women pursued athletic activities such as dancing and bicycling. Advertising shifted and began to stress the comfort, convenience and ease of movement of undergarments by the 1920s.
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Underwear Upheaval
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Boxers and jockey briefs revolutionized men's underwear. A revolution in men's underwear occurred on January 19, 1935. Chicago's Marshall Field and Company presented what came to be known as the jockey brief. The store featured the item in a window display. Management thought advertising undergarment briefs during the cold Chicago winter was poor marketing. Before the window could be changed, however, the entire shipment of 600 jockeys sold. The briefs came in long and short lengths with a Y-front design and overlapping fly. Boxer shorts, similar to garb worn by boxers -- hence the name -- were launched soon after. Buttons became elastic waistbands in boxers.
World War II and the Age of Prosperity
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Sexier ads appeared as advertisers became more daring. During World War II, a shortage of materials slowed the advance of new products. Following the war, innovative items and advertising took off. Manufacturers pioneered a profusion of colors, patterns, materials and styles. The price of a one-piece union suit in the early 1900s was one dollar; one pair of briefs cost one dollar in the early 1950s. By the 1960s, prices started to rise. Racy ads replaced modest advertising. A Calvin Klein billboard depicting a muscular male model in white briefs was a sensation when displayed in Times Square in 1982. Sex appeal became the focus of undergarment advertising.
21st Century
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Today in the 21st century, advertisers attempt to be on the cutting edge of acceptability, attracting attention without inviting negative publicity. Advertisements stress sex appeal, style, design and brevity over comfort. Designer garments attract style-conscious consumers and command top prices. Advertisers use all medium to reach shoppers. The first National Underwear Day fashion show was held in New York City in August, 2003. The event has morphed into a major online media event sponsored by more than a dozen designers and manufacturers. A mix of new products and novel advertising keep the underwear industry on the edge of today's fashion market.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit egyptian slave image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com victorian woman image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com sexy guy in suit and boxer shorts image by NorthShoreSurfPhotos from Fotolia.com na meine kleine image by Patrizier-Design from Fotolia.com
