The history of men's underwear: How the simple things react to science and society

This paper from Dave McCaughan, of McCann in Japan, uses the history of men's underwear to make a wider point about market research generally.

The history of men's underwear: How the simple things react to science and society

Dave McCaughanMcCann WorldGroup, Japan

Why this fetish?

"Women wear lingerie – men simply put on underwear" – Eugenie Lemoine-Luccioni

I have always suspected that for most men Lemoine-Luccioni is correct and that underwear is something we take for granted most of the time.

The thing with underwear is that like so much that we buy it is actually a complex mix of function and emotion, of practicality and fantasy. What we often take as a simple purchase process is actually a complex mix of...

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