We have now reached 112 countries across the world that The Undie Factory have shipped their mens underwear to. So we thought we should make it into some sort of illustration ... what do you think?
Since the launch of Calvin Klein Underwear in 1982 the brand has provided iconic advertising that have launched careers and featured super models and celebrities alike. The campaigns are imprinted into the minds of a generation and still turn heads thirty years on.
From the first advert featuring Tom Hintnaus to this year’s featuring Bold advert with Matthew Terry, Calvin Klein have reconfigured the men’s underwear market over the last thirty years and remain the market leader.
We have compiled a small selection of those iconic images featuring Calvin Klein men’s underwear, television ads and the models that appeared in them.
We have also included some of the most controversial adverts from Calvin Klein.
1982
The first advertising campaign featured Tom Hintnaus, a US pole-vaulter who qualified first for the 1980 United States Olympic Trials in track and field. Following the United States boycott of the Olympic games he became estranged and represented Brazil from 1983. The advertising campaign was photographed by Bruce Weber and showed Hintnaus in white briefs leaning against a whitewashed chimney on Santorini Island in Greece. The image became iconic and was named as one of “10 Pictures That Changed America” by American Photographer Magazine.
Hintnaus frustrated by his notoriety was quoted in the Los Angeles Times saying;
“I worked so hard to be the best pole-vaulter in the world and I ended up being more well known for putting on a pair of briefs.”
The image stopped traffic when it appeared in Times Square, New York and also became a gay icon. Today Tom Hintnaus, he is a contractor in specialising in dock building.
Previous Calvin Klein Underwear models in 2007, Ed Bergin, Joel West, Antonio Sabato and Tom Hintnaus.
1988
Bruce Weber again for Calvin Klein in this campaign image from 1988 featuring Ed Flory.
1992
Mark Wahlberg was born in Dorchester, Boston in 1971. The youngest of nine children, by thirteen he had developed an addition to cocaine and other substances. Wahlberg claims he was in trouble with the Boston Police Department up to 25 times as a teenager. At 16, he was charged with attempted murder after he approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious. He also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving him permanently blind in one eye, and attacked a security guard.
"I did a lot of things that I regretted and I have certainly paid for my mistakes. You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn't until I really started doing good and doing right, by other people as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don't have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning."
Whilst in prison Wahlberg decided to change his ways. Relying on the guidance of his parish priest to turn his back on crime. He told his street gang that he was leaving them.
In 1992 after launching his music career, Wahlberg posed for a series of underwear advertisements in print and television shot by Herb Ritts alongside Kate Moss.
Klein later revealed, "It didn't go too well, [Kate] didn't like [Mark] at all. I have worked with so many women, great ones, and Kate was always difficult." But lest you think everyone on set was a capital D diva, Calvin adds, "[Mark] was a pleasure."
The campaign cemented the career of Wahlberg and since has gone on to appear in movies including Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), The Departed (2006) and The Lovely Bones (2009).
1995
17-year old Joel West from Indianola, Iowa was one of the top supermodels in the 1990’s and signed an exclusive contract with Calvin Klein. West followed a career in acting and has appeared in many television series, with credits including Hereos, CSI: Miami and Charmed.
1999
Travis Fimmel was raised on a 5500-acre dairy farm in Echuca, Victoria, Australia.After high school, higher education called and he was accepted to Melbourne University. It was not long until his intense curiosity led him to begin his global adventures. While bar tending in London, he met his would-be manager, David Seltzer. He saw a spark in Fimmel and suggested he move to the US.Fimmel made the move to Los Angeles with just $60 in his pockets, spent $40 on a taxi into the city and his last $20 at a bar. Fimmel found himself broke, walked barefoot into the offices of LA Models, where Paul Nelson recognised his potential and signed him. Asked whether landing in LA with $60 was a good way to launch a career, Travis replied;
“Probably not. I just chanced it. I went to the airport and the friend who drove me lent me the money. It was a Monday morning when I arrived. I went into the agency with no shoes on and just said: 'Hey.' They just picked me up straight away. They got me a flat, rented me a car and really looked after me.”
After easily booking a few jobs, Nelson brokered his first campaign with Calvin Klein Underwear.
It was claimed that an advertising hoarding featuring Fimmel caused such a commotion on Oxford Street in London that it was removed after claims women drivers were slowing down to ogle the advertisement, triggering accidents and traffic jams, however this was considered to be an internet rumour. Calvin Klein defended the ad, denying that the image was suggestive or demeaning, and the Advertising Standards Agency agreed, ruling that it was relevant to the product and was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.
Some countries decided to ban the ads, reasoning that it was too sexually suggestive and demeaning to men.
“Fimmel was self-conscious as a youngster. He was small, the little guy”
Jenny Fimmel
Fimmel also featured in the 2002 Calvin Klein campaign for Crave well as having a successful acting career.
2007
2007 saw the launch of Steel, featuring the infamous chunky metallic waistband in cotton and microfiber modeled by Djimon Hounsou. Hounsou, an actor and model from Benin and his acting credits include ER, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Stargate.
2009
In 2009, Jamie Dornan was selected to model with Eva Mendes for Calvin Klein Underwear as part of their “White” and “Black” range, which was a superior quality product with pricing from £34 - £42 an item.
Dornan, who has also modeled with Calvin Klein alongside Kate Moss, continues to pursue his career in modeling and drama and is currently starring as Sheriff Graham in the ABC series Once Upon a Time.
2010
In 2010, Calvin Klein Underwear launched the X range with Twilight star Kellan Lutz alongside, Spanish tennis player Fernando Verdasco, Japanese Footballer Hidstoshi Nakata and actor Mehad Brooks.
The Calvin Klein X line, which came in two modern fabrications for ultimate comfort and fit: cotton modal and microfiber. Modal provides softness and luster whilst the cotton allows for comfort and breathability; the microfiber is an ultra-luxe premium fabrication. Both have stretch for ease of movement, and styles are distinguished with colored, microfiber logo waistbands cotton features a blue logo, microfiber in red. Each is overlaid with a distinctive center front gray patch with an embossed "X"; over the signature Calvin Klein logo in bold proportions for maximum impact.
The imagery for the campaigns includes both still photography by fashion photographer Mikael Jansson and digital films produced by Darius Khondji, shot in New York City. Trey Laird of Laird and Partners directed the campaign. Ads were launched globally in April 2010 magazines. Impactful imagery was featured in a global outdoor advertising program spanning key sites in markets across the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Asia.
2011
In 2011, Calvin Klein launched their attempt at making ck one a global lifestyle brand by launching the ck one. Backed with the ckone.com website as a digital hub for the campaign.
The outdoor campaign featured on LED billboards in high impact locations in New York City (at Houston & Lafayette Streets and on Subway Urban Panels) and in Los Angeles, California (at Sunset Boulevard & Havenhurst Drive), as well as key sites in Seoul, Rome, Madrid, and Barcelona. The full outdoor campaign rolled out to Paris, London, Milan, Hamburg, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, and Melbourne.
The imagery for the campaign was captured during a multi-day shoot in NewYork City by renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel, who shot the original campaign for the launch of the ck one fragrance in 1994, setting the tone for this powerful brand. The campaign imagery was filmed and all of the print images are still captures from the video footage.
The campaign featured amongst others Lara Stone, Pixie Geldof, Sky Ferreira, Fei Fei Sun, Wang Xiao, Robert Evans, Aaron Frew, David Agbodji and Dan Kling.
Simon Nessman appeared as the model on packaging of men’s underwear.
“The new ck one apparel brand gives us the ability to extend our conversation with an expanded global audience, and we feel strongly that this campaign will resonate with the target demographic and further the reach of the ck one brand."
Craig Brommers, Warnaco Inc.
2012
2012 will see a new Calvin Klein Underwear advertising campaign for Calvin Klein Bold. Bold features clean lines and masculine details with lightweight cotton spandex for comfort, easy care and added shape retention.
The range launches with bright and bold colours such as nara orange, banana and bright zinnia, with a range of masculine blues. Japanese illustrator Yokoyama Yuichi was a source of inspiration for colour, taken from his funky cartoon characters.
The advertising campaign, shot in Joshua Tree by Steven Klein and Fabien Baron features Matthew Terry, Myles Crosby, Arran Sly and Chris Garavaglia. Below is some of the imagery and a behind the scene video of the shoot.
Controversial Adverts
1980 - Brooke Shields
In early 1980, the 14-year-old Shields was the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of the top fashion publication Vogue magazine. Later that same year, Shields appeared in controversial print and TV ads for Calvin Klein jeans. It’s difficult to think of another series of ads that kicked up as big a brouhaha as did Richard Avedon’s 1980 TV commercial featuring a 15-year-old Shields looking directly into the camera and asking, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
Brooke Shields had played a pre-pubescent prostitute in the film Pretty Baby sever years earlier, this also added to the controversy over the choice of model. Shields later said;
“There was an iconic tone to it. I don’t think you can really know that at the time, because it feels like that type of vision is after the fact. But [the response] was immediate. It was me and the jeans. We were inseparable. I didn’t do a television show without that being in my bio. I didn’t go on the street without somebody saying, ‘Got your Calvins on?’ People still come up to me and mention it.”
1995 - Kids Jeans
Calvin Klein came in for further criticism after their 1995 Calvin Klein Jeans commercials were aired in the United States. The print ads which used images of models who were reportedly as young as fifteen was meant to mimic "picture set" pornography of the '60s. The commecials left little doubt that the images intended to imitate pornography. In one of these ads, the camera focused on the face of a young man, as an off camera male voice cajoled him into ripping off his shirt, saying;
"You got a real nice look. How old are you? Are you strong? You think you could rip that shirt off of you? That's a real nice body. You work out? I can tell."
In another, a young girl is told that she's pretty and not to be nervous, as she begins to unbutton her clothes.
Calvin Klein insisted that the campaign was not pornographic and the true intent was to "convey the idea that glamour is an inner quality that can be found in regular people in the most ordinary setting; it is not something exclusive to movie stars and models."
Consumer and child welfare advocates disagreed, finding the ads disturbing and exploitative. The American Family Association began a campaign threatening to boycott retailers if they carried Calvin Klein Jeans. Seventeen and other major magazines refused to carry the campaign.
Eventually the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation into whether or not Klein had violated child pornography laws.
Under increasing pressure, Calvin Klein recalled the ads, but not before the ensuing controversy had made his jeans into the "must-have" item.
As one marketing director noted, this controversy took Klein's "coolness factor from a 10 to a 60," and if continued sales are any indication, his "bad boy" reputation has only enhanced his products in the eyes of young consumers.
One comment on YouTube sums up the advertising campaign brilliantly;
“Creepy, Yes. But ingenious nevertheless. I can’t think of any other ad which sends a chill down my spine. Simply authentic.”
Also in 1995 another campaign by Calvin Klein was criticised for showing men modeling underwear in what some critics stated to be “a state of arousal.”
1999 - Kids Underwear
Calvin Klein came in for heavy criticism in early 1999 when they launched an advertising campaign for the launch of their children’s underwear range. CRK Adverting, Calvin Klein’s own in-house marketing agency, created the campaign. Critics ranged from conservative groups through to the mayor of New York City, where Calvin Klein had planned to unveil a huge billboard in Times Square.
The images, which can be seen above, were immediately pulled;
''The comments and reaction that we have received today raised issues that we had not fully considered. As a result, we have decided to discontinue the campaign immediately.''
The advert had already been printed in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living and due to being printed in advance the The New York Times Magazine.
ASA Complaint - 2011
A Calvin Klein Underwear poster advertising women’s lingerie sparked a complaint to the Advertising Standards Agency in the United Kingdom. The issues within the complaint was that the ad was offensive to the large Orthodox Jewish population of Stamford Hill, whose religious beliefs required them not to see images of women wearing only underwear and that it was irresponsible to display the ad in untargeted media in public as it would be seen by children.
Calvin Klein defended the advert stating they did not believe that the ad was offensive or socially irresponsible. They said the ad merely featured the product, their underwear range, being worn by a model. They believed it was reasonable to feature models wearing underwear when advertising these products, and that the ad was neither sexually suggestive nor overtly sexual. They also said their media vendor had not believed that the ad fell into the "risky" category, and had been happy for the ad campaign to proceed.
The Advertising Standards Agency did not uphold the complaint on either grounds after investigating under the CAP Code and were unable to find a breach of the code.
A fresh pair of underwear and socks each day is certainly not something we give a thought to, however shocking statistics have been uncovered by Mintel suggesting that only 78% of British men change their underwear and socks on a daily basis. With British women achieving a bit more respectable 95%. You would think they could hold back on airing our dirty laundry in public but no it made it to The Huffington Post, The Times of India and even South Africa's IOL.
"Our research reveals there is a distinct whiff of laziness amongst men in the UK today when it comes to underwear. You might assume that for personal hygiene reasons everyone puts on clean underwear when they get dressed at the start of the day, yet only eight in ten men appear to be doing so. It seems that the influence of a partner is a positive one when it comes to changing underwear and socks, with those who are married more likely to change their underwear on a daily basis (88%)."
Andrew Christian have continued with their promotional videos with their Freshman Car Wash. Which leaves very little to the imagination. The raunchy video has already clocked up 600 000 views in just four days and has been marked as age restricted and this isn't even the uncensored version. The video when posted on the Andrew Christian website crashed the servers!
Etam, the French underwear brand covertly sent in models to film a teaser clip for their S/S 2012 collection. The video has gone viral, creating a debate in France, and with objections from Musee d'Orsay. It has reached such a level that the museum may sue the fashion label.
On Tuesday, Etam published the escapade online without the museum's permission. Guerrilla performance art it has been described by some, and vulgar by others. The video is being used to promote Etam's fashion show online in late January. The same trio of models have also stripped off at the Eiffel Tower and the Charles de Gaulle airport to create similar commercials.
If you had been riding the London Underground or its equivalent in 59 major cities, in 28 countries around the world today you may have stumbled upon the sight of what appeared to be trouser-less commuters travelling to work, all part of the global 11th Annual No Pants Day, which for some reason some one decided was a great idea to hold in the second week of January each year.
Improv Everywhere co-ordinated the flash mobs which adorned many of the world's newspaper imagery some of which is shown below.
And here is a video from New York City showing just how co-ordinated this event is.
We can confirm that we have submitted our first order for Levi's Underwear which will be arriving shortly. We have a uploaded a few pictures of the Levi's range which will include trunks, tees, tanks, boxer briefs and button fly boxers too. These will also be at rates reduced from the recommended retail prices. If there is a product range or style you would like to see added to the collection please let us know and we will endeavour to stock this product in the near future.
We are heading to BREAD & BUTTER from 18th - 20th January in Berlin. Our first visit to what appears to be a big party at an airport with a serious theme, this is even backed up by the maxim "fun & profit". We are already trying to woo new brands to The Undie Factory but this can be an arduous task.
We have on the cards for the near future, Bench, Ben Sherman, Levis, Dockers and Fruit of the Loom. We still have a few niche brands which we are contemplating as well. We are going to have to amend our brand navigation on the website to cope with the additions.
BREAD & BUTTER was founded in 2001, it has been held twice a year in January and July ever since. Following three events in Cologne, BREAD & BUTTER moved to Berlin in January 2003. With Barcelona as its second location from July 2005 on, BREAD & BUTTER took place both in Berlin and Barcelona, and from July 2007 to January 2009, BREAD & BUTTER was held exclusively in Barcelona.
In July 2009 BREAD & BUTTER returned to Berlin and has taken place at the historic Berlin-Tempelhof Airport ever since.
With over 600 exhibitors from the sectors of Denim, Sportswear, Street Fashion, Function Wear and Casual Dressed Up, BREAD & BUTTER represents the contemporary segment of Street and Urbanwear. With its exclusive brand portfolio and recognition from the European and global textile industry, which has grown and has established itself over the last ten years, the leading trade fair and superior trademark BREAD & BUTTER provides a unique and extremely popular meeting point for buyers, retailers and press representatives from the textile industry.
We will update you with pictures of our trip and hopefully news of exciting brand additions soon. You can check out the Brand Bible at the B&B website.
H&M has unveiled its latest campaign, featuring footballer David Beckham in his collaboration with the Swedish chain.
David teamed up with H&M to create a range of underwear that will be available from February. The eighteen month collaboration, which H&M says will focus on “fit, function, comfort and design”, will consist of nine underwear styles for men, as well as a variety of T-shirts, vests, pajama bottoms and long johns.
David appears in the series of black and white ads, some show him wearing boxer briefs while others have him in a tank top.
“Working with a team has always been a key part of my life and I found that to be the same when developing this range. Collectively with my design team we spent time working on the feel, fit and style to ensure the product is not only something I would wear but one which I would be proud to put my name to. I always want to challenge myself and this was such a rewarding experience for me. I’m very happy with the end result and I hope H&M’s male customers will be as excited as I am.” David Beckham
Andrew Christian's new Underwear lifestyle marketing images for Autumn Winter 2011 feature model Chance as photographed by Gregory Frye. The imagery features the new Andrew Christian Slim Focus Boxer Short.
