Before BENCH underwear introduced the Filipino males to
skimpy underwear fit for cavorting on the fashion runway, our ancestors wore
loin clothes or g-string to cover their modesty, over 7,000 years ago. In fact we have local terms for those early
undies—“bahag” in Pilipino, “pinang” in
Kapampangan, “kuval” in Ibaloy, “wanes” in Bontoc, and “ba-ag” in Kalinga.
As Filipinos were already wearing shorts before the Spaniards arrived , they
took to wearing the Western ‘calzonsillos’ --drawstring shorts-- which were often hand-sewn. These evolved into buttoned-up, commercially-produced white drawers, with
opening in front. They were to become staple underwear, found in every man’s aparador from the pre-war American-occupied Philippines all the way through the 60s.
Modern briefs were introduced only in 1935, sold first by
Cooper’s Inc. in Chicago. They were the invention of hosiery designer, Arthur
Kneibler, who was inspired after seeing a leg-less male swimsuit. He made a
fitted underwear, with an overlapping Y-front fly—and thus the Jockey shorts
was born.
Boxer shorts in the U.S. found favor only after the war,
adapted from pugilist’s shorts that came with elastic waistband introduced by
Everlast in 1925 (Pinoys would take to them only in the '90s). Meanwhile, local Chinese undershirt and pants manufacturers
cashed in on the growing demand for modern underwear that provided support and
style, by branching out into underwear. Classic briefs were made of cotton, but
in the 1970s, nylon briefs came into vogue.
On this page are early Philippine ads that show the
evolution of the modern briefs and shorts over 3 decades.
DE LUXE STETSON
SHORTS (1955,1957). “Once Tried, Always Used”. LEFT, Stetson Shirt and
Pants factory was a leading manufacturer of shorts, pants and later, briefs, in
the 1950s. The popular brand was available at all leading
bazaars and department stores and it regularly advertised in major dailies,
like this magazine ad, 1955. RIGHT. De Luxe Stetson Shorts, 1958.
YANKEE SHORTS
(1955). “The Perfect Cut”, Shift to Tankee Shorts yourself, and feel real
fine! A generic pair of white, snap-buttoned shorts popular during the post-war
era, 1955.
HANFORD BRIEFS
(1957). The brand HANFORD began in 1954, in the business district of Juan
Luna, started by the Te family. HANFORD has become a well-loved tradition that has been passed from
one generation to the next an continues to operate to this day. Currently, its
signature model is Mikhail Daza who
appears in their advertising, a far cry from this illustrated ad from 1957.
GUARD BRIEFS
(1961). This “comfort brief” has all the elements of a modern brief—elastic
waistband supported by 20 bands of rubber;
fine, duraknit fabric that will not shrink, and a snug fit that will not chafe inner thighs.
The manufacturer is not named. 1961.
LEFT: DERBY MEN’S
BRIEFS (1961). DERBY is cut along the body line to allow for freedom of
movement and a conforming pouch for gentle, ample support. Uncle Sam Associated
manufactured this underwear, along with undershirts. RIGHT: MAYFLOWER (1961).A popular shirts that is the only one
in the market with a bar-tack
reinforcement to prevent tear on the crotch area,
CRISPA BRIEFS
(1963). Named after the department store chain & textile company owned
by the Floro Family, led by Valeriano “Danny” Floro in 1956. The fabrics are
‘redmanized’, a process which pre-shrinks them, so the products are guaranteed
to stay snug and fit. One of the most successful garments factory in the 60s
thru the 80s, CRISPA even fielded a basketball team (‘Crispa Redmanizers’) in
the games Philippine Basketbal Association (PBA) and won 13 championships.
1963.
VERTEX BRIEFS
(1963). One of the earliest printed bikini briefs (without a front
opening), is Vertex Briefs, that is made from cool, absorbent fabric yarn.
LEFT: WALKER (1963).
WALKER brand was distributed nationally by Sehwani Marketing Corp. in
Mandaluyong. It became a market leader in shirt and briefs manufacturing in the
60s decade. It s Gold Line briefs featured innovations like the superior
elastic Lactron 37 and Permalex leg openings to ensure no irritation. RIGHT: DMC (1971). DMC was one of the
first to introduce lightweight, nylon briefs in the market.
WARREN BRIEFS
(1971). WARREN BRIEFS popularized the use of 100% nylon in underwear, which
were lighter, softer, and easier-to-dry than cotton. The only problem was that
they felt hotter, despite being thin,
and absorbed less. Thus, WARREN also had cotton, terry-towel and de-hilo
briefs. WARREN also introduced the first unisex briefs in the market. It reached
its peak in the mid 1980s, with full color advertising on TV and print.
MONSIEUR NYLON
BRIEFS (1973). MONSIEUR was another briefs brand that jumped into the nylon
briefs bandwagon. It enjoyed a measure of success, as it was looked at as a
premium underwear, right down to its innovative cylindrical packaging.
FALCON BRIEFS
(1975). A product of Veindra Garments Industries, Falcon Briefs was a
short-lived brand in the mid 1970s, but the company still exists to this day
but as a textile merchant firm.
LEFT: MONTAGUT
(1975). MONTAGUT is a clothing company with origins in France, which, in
1925 sold lingerie and silk stockings. In the 60s, Montagut expanded to include
clothing and polo shirts manufactured with Fil Lumière which became
international brands. Its Philippine partner, French Fashion Philippines, Inc., launched the premium MONTAGUT
brand of classic and fashion briefs, which featured a variety of prints. RIGHT: PURITAN (1978). PURITAN Quality
Mens Underwear is manufactured and exclusively distributed in the Philippines
by General Garments Corporation. Launched in the Philippines over 40 years ago,
it is currently one of the leading brands in the market, with 3 main product categories: Briefs, T-shirts and
Undershirts.
