Steps away from the trill of the Champs-Élysées, in a mansion on Paris’ eternally fashionable Avenue Marceau, remnants of Yves Saint Laurent’s legendary career are elegantly curated across a parade of salons in the very space from which the celebrated designer revolutionized fashion for over three decades. The storied haute couture atelier, the intricate sketches and even the sumptuous lounges where a generation of well-heeled ladies-who-lunch would notoriously ante up staggering sums to acquire their very own pieces of the magic and fantasy of YSL are all on full display at the The Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent – a must stop destination in the City of Lights for any self-respecting fashionista.

But for all the intricate detail a visit to this orderly and pristine temple of sartorial splendor weaves into understanding the work of the artist acclaimed as one of the world’s last great couturiers, it scarcely raises a hem on discerning the complexity of the man behind the myth. Enter director Bertrand Bonello and his stylishly gritty new film Saint Laurent to fill the gap.

Laser focused on what is arguably the most important decade of Yves Saint Laurent’s professional career (1967 -1976), Saint Laurent explores with extraordinarily exacting detail the world of 1970’s Paris, which was, for Yves Saint Laurent like most of the era’s luminaries, filled with contradictions. Weaving through the haze of a boozy, drug-fueled journey characterized by order and chaos, love and obsession, creation and destruction, sex and humiliation, the film recreates the hedonistic vibe of a Paris that no longer exists, while giving birth to a portrait of Yves Saint Laurent that is at once human and simultaneously otherworldly. Which is just as Bonello, the film’s co-writer and director, intended.

“The fact that [Yves] was so fragile and strong at the same time and so much burnt by the desire of creation…that was something that really hooked me,” a mildly jet-lagged Bonello explains over an espresso at The London Hotel in West Hollywood.

“My intention was not to tell the story of Yves Saint Laurent’s life. For that you have books, you have Wikipedia, you have documentaries, you have everything,” the director continues. “So you have to choose something very personal and say this is my piece of the puzzle. You cannot draw the whole picture. That would be very pretentious. So my puzzle is this…I decided to focus on [the question] –What does it cost every day for Yves to be Yves? — Rather than how Yves became YSL. What it costs him to be him every day is much more interesting for me.”

At the center of Bonello’s glorious puzzle is the film’s star, former Chanel model Gaspard Ulliel, who bears a striking resemblance to the film’s namesake – a fact that ironically nearly cost him the role. “I was very keen that his resemblance to Saint Laurent should not be the sole factor, so I met with Gaspard, as I did with another twenty or so actors,” Bonello says of his casting process. “For three months, we shot tests, mainly to see if we could work and communicate together.”

In the final analysis, Ulliel, prevailed in winning a role that his performance heralds as his destiny. That the Paris-born actor – a scion of fashion industry parents whose mother actually worked on one of YSL’s shows at the Pompidou Center in the 90’s – had previously been short-listed to star in a Gus Van Sant-helmed film about the life of Yves Saint Laurent that never happened, only confirms the foreshadowing of his selection for the part that he now says he initially found “daunting”.

“At first I was terrified,” the model turned actor says with a disarming humility that belies his boy-next-door charm. “It was a real challenge portraying such an iconic character who is still very present in today’s society and in people’s minds and memories.”

Ulliel’s fears were allayed, however, as he delved into his research and lived with the character of Yves Saint Laurent day in and day out for over nine weeks of shooting, refusing to break character even at home for fear that he might lose even an ounce of the energy he so deftly channels from the fashion maestro whose spirit he inhabits with such aplomb in the film. Along the way, Ulliel found similarities between his own life story and that of the myth he portrays.

“As an actor, when you’re offered a part, on the first reading of the script you immediately feel if there is some kind of connection with a character or not,” Ulliel says of his relationship with the film’s subject. “In this case, I could straight away feel that there was something echoing between the character and me. It’s about creation, art, relationship to the outside world, how we deal with celebrity…and there’s also this shyness that Saint Laurent can have – this idea of isolating yourself some time. I’m an only child and as a kid I could be very, very shy …kind of in my own bubble. I don’t think [Saint Laurent] was completely shy. Sometimes I think this was just a posture for him. [But] there were many themes [in the film] that were directly talking to me.”

Posture or not, Ulliel’s connection to Saint Laurent is evident in even the tiniest gestures and subtlest emotions he conveys in the glamorously decadent on screen world carefully crafted by Bonello to include everything from the meticulously reconstructed art-filled rooms of the famed Rue de Babylone apartment shared by the iconic designer and his long-time partner Pierre Bergé to the couture creations from YSL’s emblematic Liberation collection in 1971 and Russian Ballet collection in 1976, both of which had to be recreated over the course of several months by scores of craftsmen owing to the fact the filmmakers were not granted access to the collections for the film’s runway scenes.

Given the attention to detail in the film, it seemed only natural to ask Bonello whether his goal with Saint Laurent was to have moviegoers walk away from the film with a better understanding of the man he describes as “the last great designer for his kind” or a greater sense of the mystery behind the man. It is a query that the director responds without the slightest hint of hesitation.

“Mystery and understanding but not by having answers,” he states unequivocally. “Understanding by what you feel yes but answers no. For me mystery is always king, because mystery is the key to desire.”

That said, perhaps it is the film’s star who best sums up the message of the film and the legacy of the man who inspired it. “Saint Laurent is someone who maybe ended up doing what he was doing at the exact right moment in French history…[and] in fashion history,” Ulliel offers. “The film is about this world that is changing and this industry that is changing. In the end, I realized that maybe one of Yves Saint Laurent’s greatest abilities was being able to seize the essence of an era and respond to it in his fashion.”

Now you be the judge.

See the film and the next time you’re in Paris tripping along the Champs-Élysées, nip over and give the The Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent a second look. Beyond the fashionable and chic veneer of the manse and its elegant accoutrements, you might just glimpse an alternative vision of the grit and glamour behind the most historic of a fashion icons.

Saint Laurent is playing in theaters now.

For more information about visiting the The Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, click here.

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‘World Debut Fete’ highlights launch of physical store and fourth collection of bow-ties by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and husband Justin Mikita

A universe of stars descended upon the luxury wing of the Beverly Center on Thursday night to help Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita celebrate the grand opening of their first brick-and-mortar pop-up shop for Tie The Knot, their non-profit advocacy organization which is devoted to raising money for marriage equality through the sale of a collection of ties personally designed by Ferguson and Mykita along with a bevy of their celebrity friends. The event marked not only the debut of the physical store, but also the fourth collection of bow ties by the Hollywood couple whose designs were augmented this time around by designs from a group of same-sex marriage friendly pro-athlete, all-star guest designers that included former NFL player Scott Fujita, NFL player Chris Kluwe and Phoenix Mercury WBNA player Brittney Griner.

From the Modern Family cast, Ty Burrell and Sofia Vergara along with Modern Family Producer/Writer Steven Levitan turned out to show their support. To the delight of unsuspecting shoppers, also on hand to peruse the collection, sip Kettle One cocktails and nibble on bites of prosciutto, fig and burrata were Kathy Griffin, Emmy-nominated choreographer Adam Shankman, Sean Hayes, Lance Bass, Hamish Linklater, Cheyenne Jackson, Barrett Foa, Jason Ritter, American Horror Story’s Lily Rabe, NBA Player Jason Collins and West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land among others.

All photos by Adam Emperor Southard. All rights reserved.

Each handmade bow tie in the Tie the Knot collection is a self-tie and retails for $25.00, and all proceeds from their sale are donated to charities promoting marriage equality on behalf of the LGBT community.

For more information on how to support equal marriage rights, Tie The Knot will keep an active blog with up-to­ date news and developments throughout the country on their website www.tietheknot.org. You can also follow Tie The Knot on Twitter (https://twitter.com!TieTheKnotOrg), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TieTheKnotOrg) Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/TieTheKnotOrg) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/TieTheKnotOrg)

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It is the eternal question – particularly when planes, trains and automobiles are involved. Now, it’s no secret that I have long lamented the fact that travel has lost a good deal of its chic in recent years as far too many people appear to think that anything from pajamas to ill-fitting short shorts are suitable travel gear. And given the trying nature of traveling nowadays, to some degree I can’t blame them. I mean who wants to get all dolled up for a flight only to be forced to completely strip down by an overzealous TSA agent?

Oh the conundrum.

That said, I do believe that there exists a happy medium between looking a hot mess and dressing to the nines when you’re on the road and one such option comes courtesy of Ristefsky Macheda, the stylish Australian menswear label destined for world domination. I was first introduced to brand a few years back by its co-founders Stephen Ristefsty and Vincent Macheda and I have been one of its biggest fans ever since. I was particularly drawn to the fact that in my first conversation with the two Aussies, they described their underwear as being for the kind of man who wants his under gear to be of the same quality as his outerwear. In other words, it was for men who desired something more sophisticated than Fruit of the Loom to wear beneath their Prada suits (no offense Fruit of the Loom). And, from personal experience, I can tell you that they succeeded.

The same can be said of Ristefsky Macheda’s swimwear collections which always offer unmistakably sophisticated styling in tandem with a flattering (and forgiving) fit (For the record, the St. Tropez Board Short is particularly to-die-for if you’re in the market). But what, you may ask, does all this have to do with travel? Well beyond the fact that resort season is upon us, Ristefsky Macheda has just launched a new Fashion Active line that is not only ideal for active pursuits but perfect for traveling.

Like most items from Ristefsky Macheda, the flair of the Fashion Active collection lies in subtle details. Cotton Yoga Pants have a low crotch, a tapered leg and sexy off-center zipper. Similarly the Active Pant is fully lined with a side draw string. Pair either with a hoody from the collection and/or a fitted t-shirt and you’ve got a look that is both put together and comfortable for your next trip. It ain’t a suit and tie, but few travel experiences deserve that kind of treatment these days.

And for those rare casual moments when you’re hanging out in your hotel room in between meetings or just lounging by the pool after a long day, Ristefsky Macheda’s Jersey or Active shorts, paired with a tank from the collection will ensure that you relax in style. So to the question of Style vs. Comfort when it comes traveling, I say why choose when Ristefsky Macheda offers both?

Until next time…be well…live Wells.

View Ristefsky Macheda’s complete collection at www.ristefskymacheda.com.

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Unlike many of the other underwear brands to pop onto the radar in recent years, Tim Wildman’s saucy, sexy WildmanT(www.wildmant.com) brand began with a caffeine-fueled practical joke, rather than a business plan.

Though Tim studied fashion design at Syracuse University and always had an interest in underwear, nothing in design school gave him any insight into how to get into the men’s underwear business, which at the time was only beginning to emerge as a breakout fashion category. His passion stifled, Tim got sidelined in the publishing business in New York and ultimately launched his own web design company after moving to Palm Springs, California years later.

Shortly after his move to the desert, Tim’s mother became ill and went from working ninety hours a week to not being able to work at all, so he moved her out to Palm Springs to be near him.

As his mom’s health improved, Tim asked one of his web design clients if he could duplicate their site and re-brand it so he could create something for his mother to do. The company said yes and WildmanT was born as a shell of the Go Softwear site.

It wasn’t until he set out to do a photo shoot to highlight a few Go Softwear styles for his new website that Wildman’s passion for fashion was reignited. Frustrated by the way the flash from his camera kept washing out the model’s “package,” Tim tried everything he could think to fix the situation because, as he says, “What gay man would buy underwear from a guy with no package?”

Ultimately, with his mother looking on, Tim figured out that if he took an elastic band, looped it around the model’s nether region, and then pinned it to the waistband of the underwear, he could achieve the definition he sought.

Later that evening, after several cups of coffee, Tim found himself at home alone laughing about his farcical discovery at the afternoon photo shoot. Then came a revelation. “I thought, wouldn’t it be funny if I created a sample of this , took a picture of it, and threw it online just to freak out my mother. I called it a Ball Lifter just because it was funny,” Tim told me cracking himself up at the recollection.

Putting thought into action, Tim stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, actually created a sample of his product, and put it online along with an animated cartoon called “No Package Stan” about a cute little blonde boy whose life is changed by Wildman’s body contouring invention.

The next morning, Tim awoke to several messages from his mother asking him what she was supposed to do with all these orders they were getting for something called “The Ball Lifter.” Overnight, Tim’s YouTube video about No Package Stan had gone viral and the orders started pouring in from all over the world.

The joke, it turns out, was on him.

“It sold and it continued to sell,” Tim says of WildmanT’s signature design. “So I thought, we’re not going to turn this away. I bought a sewing machine and we started sewing the damn things and selling them out of my kitchen.”

Before long a company in China came calling and wanted to wholesale the Ball Lifter, so Tim found and hired a seamstress, which he jokes was no mean feat for a product like his in suburban Palm Springs. From that moment WildmanT became a full-fledged brand in its own right, rather than a re-seller of other underwear concerns.

Inspired by his initial success, Tim designed a more extreme version of the Ball Lifter, also partially as a joke (albeit a logical one), and called it the Protruder. That style took off as well, racking up big sales in Europe and Japan.

Next came the Protruder II and a full line of both underwear and swimwear, all with detachable suspensory rings built in and all borne of Tim’s philosophy, which he describes in his own words as, “Instead of strangling your crotch, lift your crotch“.

As for what makes WildmanT uniquely reflective of American culture, Tim believes that it has something to do with the boldness of his styles and the sort of go big or go home sensibility they convey. “It’s an in-your-face product,” Tim says flatly, “and that’s part of our culture [as Americans]. If you’re going to do something, do it big. If you’re going to announce something, announce it loud, and that is exactly what all our products do.”

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Peruse the sexy, primal, body-hugging styles in Brazilian designer Anderson Prata’s recently launched Elementos(www.elementosbrazil.com) underwear and swimwear lines, and you’d probably never guess they were the brainchild of a former accountant.

Urged by his family and unsure of his own passions, Anderson graduated from college with a degree in corporate finance and accounting and spent two and a half years as a financial auditor for Price Waterhouse Coopers before coming to the conclusion that his outgoing personality was not necessarily an ideal match for the dry, buttoned-up world of number-crunching.

In an unusual move, Anderson boldly voiced his concerns about his ill-fitting career choice to the Price Waterhouse human resources department and ultimately got the advice that would change the course of his life. The company’s human resources department representative told him that he needed to do something that he loved, rather than waste his personality and talent on a career that didn’t inspire him to get out of bed every day. Anderson eventually quit and began mulling over his desire to start his own business. As he considered his options, Prata says he found the answer to his career dilemma right inside his own apartment.

“I started looking around for the things that I like,” says the accountant turned designer. “Then one day I was talking to a friend, and I realized that half my closet was underwear and swimwear. I could care less about going shopping for jeans or pants or shirts, but swimwear and underwear are the only things I really enjoy shopping for. I wanted to do something different, and then I realized that none of the [brands] had the Brazilian spirit. There was nothing from Brazil that was cool and vibrant and international. So that’s how Elementos came about. It was about creating a new, international, Brazilian-themed line.”

Armed with his theme, Prata set about creating his first collection, ensuring along the way that every aspect of the line would reflect the Brazilian lifestyle. “In all my designs, the cut and the style are based in Brazil’s fashion. Even the fabrics. It’s all from Brazil,” explains the designer. As for what differentiates Elementos from other brands, “It’s most evident in the swimwear. The cut is very Brazilian. Many Americans are surprised to learn that the real Brazilian cut features a wide side. Women in Brazil may prefer the string bikini, but Brazilian men wear a square cut that fits the body perfectly and reveals the contour of their strong thighs.”

While the eco-friendly briefs in this season’s collection are constructed with fiber of bamboo and feature Brazilian settle tattoo prints, the predominant color in the new Elementos swim collection is aqua green, inspired by the iridescent splendor of the ocean at Ipanema Beach. “Brazilians have a strong bond with the ocean. We respect it for its massiveness and magnificence along with its gentleness,” says Prata.Prata is also quick to point out that his collection not only reflects Brazilian fashion but Brazilian culture as well. “The underwear is inspired by Brazil’s Carioca lifestyle.” Similarly, his environmentally conscious focus is equally representative of Brazilian culture, according to the designer.

Long-term, Anderson expresses an interest in expanding his collection to include several categories and maybe even a line for women. “I want to have six lines of products,” the budding designer chirps optimistically. “I first started out with briefs, and now I’ve added trunks and swimwear and eventually I want to have boxers or jockstraps, board shorts, which are also very Brazilian, and tank tops. And then maybe I’ll get into women’s…I’m getting a lot of pull from women who crave and want Brazilian swimwear… but I’m not sure I’m going to tap into that.”

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Canadian-born Brian Edgar spent years as an executive in the fashion industry working for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and several European brands before deciding to get into the men’s underwear game with the Colombia-based Expose (www.ex­pose­underwear.com). In fact, it was on a trip to Colombia to do sourcing for one of his previous employers that Brian first fell in love with the country. On that initial visit, Brian began developing the relationships with factories there that would shape his inspiration for a new underwear brand.

Just like so many others who have debuted men’s underwear lines in recent years, Brian decided to create Expose because of the limited choices he saw for the category in the retail environment. The instincts he had honed over the course of his career working in nearly every aspect of the fashion industry, from visual merchandising and product development to retail and sourcing, told him that men’s underwear was a gold mine waiting to be explored, and he set out to carve a niche for himself.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but I was always interested in the underwear business because I think there’s so much that hasn’t been explored at this point in time,” Brian says of his plunge into men’s underwear. “I began working with different factories and trying different things and I found that there was a missing link in the underwear business when it came to trying to work with fun fabrics.”

Brian found his niche with a barely-there line of stylishly revealing, sporty briefs made from a breathable, body-conforming blend of Pima cotton and Lycra. In terms of the styling of his line, the enterprising Mr. Edgar looked no further than the streets of Colombia, where he found that men had developed their own daring style.

“Underwear is becoming more sexy as we go forward,” Brian says, “and that’s the thought behind Expose. It means expose yourself to new things and try to be a bit more sexy and confident about who you are. In other words, it’s about being secure in your body and showing it off.”

Brian’s sentiments are echoed by the company’s creative director, who says Expose Underwear’s “Funky” and “Shear” collections are for guys who are not afraid to show off. “They are inspired by the men of Colombia who know they are beautiful and are not afraid to flaunt it. It’s time for the rest of the world to expose themselves—if they dare,” he says cheekily.

In a relatively short period of time, Expose has become the top-selling men’s underwear brand in Colombia, where its flagship is headquartered and where two more stores are planned in 2010. This year Expose arrives on US shores for the first time, where Brian believes it is destined to find even more success if only because, as he says, “America is now catching up to the fashion underwear trend that has been popular in Europe for some time.”

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If there’s one thing that Stephen Ristefsky is clear about, it’s that theRistefsky Macheda (www.ristefskymacheda.com) brand is more about sophisticated design, high-end fabrication, and an up-market clientele, than it is about gimmicky, cutesy prints and styles.

“We’re not a fun-derwear brand,” co-founder Stephen says plainly, schooling me in his thick Australian accent, when we chatted recently by telephone. “Though there’s a huge market for that and a lot of brands are finding success in that area, we’re the opposite of that.”

The brainchild of lifelong friends Stephen Ristefsky and Vincent Macheda, the Sydney-based line has, from its inception, placed a unique emphasis on offering men’s underwear and swimwear styles that are both refined and fashion-forward—two elements that the style makers behind the design house believed to be missing in the marketplace when they first launched back in 2005.

After spending years lamenting the fact that there was no underwear with styling or fabrication that seemed worthy of an Armani suit or a pair of Dolce & Gabbana jeans, Stephen and Vincent decided to create a product line that would bridge the gap and reinvent underwear as a fashion accessory, rather than simply a necessity for men.

“Ten years ago you only had Kmart or Target or some ten-pack brand of underwear,” Stephen offers upon reflection. “We thought that wasn’t right. If you’re going to spend $1,000 or $2,000 on a suit, you definitely want to finish it off with a great pair of underwear. If you have a successful night out, you want to make sure that the last thing that comes off is a great representation of who you are.”

“The last thing you want is to look expensive and then look cheap right at the end,” he continued with a mischievous laugh. “So we decided this is where we want to go.”

Ristefsky Macheda found success right out of the box with a loungewear collection that was a massive hit at Milan fashion week. In fact, the inaugural collection completely sold out, which was quite a coup for such a debut. Despite that initial loungewear success, however, Stephen and Vincent went back to the drawing board and focused on developing their underwear brand, which was equally well-received in Australia and is now making headway in America, in no small part due to their splashy ad campaign featuring Make Me A Supermodel runner-up Jonathan Waud as the face of the brand.

The fashionable duo have also added swimwear that bears the stamp of the “high-end affordable” category they continue to pioneer.

“We extend that same idea to beachwear,” says Stephen. “Gone are the days when you’re just wearing a pair of Speedos and off you go into the water. People are spending more time on the beach, lying on the sand tanning, and people are accessorizing more.”

Through their designs, Stephen and Vincent hope that people begin to see a different side of Australian life and better understand the diversity of their homeland.

“Australia is about more than surf and sand,” Stephen explains. “If you know Australians well, you know we’re pretty relaxed people, and we’re out there to have a good time. Ristefsky Macheda represents exactly that. Australia is also very multicultural, and it has huge cosmopolitan nature, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, and Ristefsky Macheda represents that as well. We take the cosmopolitan side of fashion and bring that to the beach, to underwear, and to our campaigns. We truly know another side of Australia and that is the sophisticated, cosmopolitan nature of the country.”

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As the founder and former president of the hugely popular Ginch Gonch label, Jason Sutherland is no stranger to breaking new ground in the men’s underwear category. Quite the contrary, he’s a bit of a legend in it, but even Jason had no idea that he would make his mark on the world with his undies.

In another life, Sutherland worked as an executive in the film and television industry. He got his start in the biz while studying cinematography at the National Theatre School of Canada where he was offered an extremely well-paying job working in the film business long before he even graduated. Of course, he left school and leapt at the opportunity. Twelve years hence, however, on the heels of the 9/11 attacks, the film and television industry became more volatile in Canada, in part due to efforts in California and New York to keep more film and production domestic, and Jason began to consider other career paths.

While raising money for a film, Jason first became attracted to the world of men’s undergarments when he went out one weekend and spent $60 on a single pair of red underwear. He so fell in love with the vibrantly colored undergear that he washed it out and wore it every day for a week.

It didn’t take long for Jason to realize that there was nothing all that special about his newly beloved pair of underwear beyond the fit and the fact that they weren’t black, grey, or white like everything else in the department stores. From there, Jason went off and conceptualized the quirky, whimsical Ginch Gonch line, and six months later he had fallen very successfully into the underwear business with a brand that caused an instant sensation.

Two years ago, Brian sold Ginch Gonch and now he’s back with the Canada-based Piss & Vinegar (www.pissvinegar.com), a brand he says has the potential to be even bigger than anything he’s done before.

“We started Piss & Vinegar with the intention of creating a grown up version of fun-derwear that would allow for various product extensions and categories,” he tells me. “[Our line] has got a Pop Art feeling that is very modern, and I’d like to think that some of the designs we’re doing are awesome pieces of art. Piss & Vinegar provides you with comfort and it provides you with style and confidence. I want to create something that people love and enjoy and that gives them that pride and confidence that they need, whether it’s on or off.”

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So far, Piss & Vinegar is off to a boffo start. The “I Love…” line from the first Piss & Vinegar collection with its “I Love Jesus” briefs, featuring the image of Jesus Christ on the front and the words “Jesus Loves Me” on the rear, have already created quite a buzz. As have the “I Love Boys” and “I Love Girls” briefs, which are, in and of themselves, conversation pieces. Next up, stay tuned for a “Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll” line.

As for his penchant for pushing buttons, first with racy designs at Ginch Gonch and now with controversial, boundary-busting artwork seen in designs from Piss & Vinegar, Sutherland brushes off the suggestion and explains it away as being an outgrowth of his Canadian heritage.

“Canadians think really differently when it comes to sex. I’m not saying that we’re different in how we operate during sex, but we’re a liberal society,” the underwear king explains. “Canadians have always been more liberal, and we’re known as being a more liberal society that had gay rights ratified much sooner than the US, and that has not had racial issues exist as prominently as they have in America. It’s thinking differently that allows you to have that spirit of being a Canadian. [And] that’s the meaning behind Piss & Vinegar.”

Just as with his designs, Jason is placing no boundary on what the future may hold for his new line as he explores offers to go into many new categories like shoes and jeans, which he sees as a natural extension. Says the designer, “One of my dreams and aspirations is to make sure that Piss & Vinegar is not just a household name, but something that people feel comfortable wearing…something that they just want to cradle because its so beautiful.”

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DESIGNING MEN
The United Nations of Underwear
by Duane Wells 


Not so very long ago, men’s underwear was a mere afterthought. In a fashion category dominated by names like Fruit of the Loom and Hanes, undergarments were something one needed rather than something one wanted. In recent years, however, that dynamic has begun to change. Ever since Calvin Klein plastered billboards with images of “Marky” Mark Wahlberg wearing nothing more than a tight-fitting pair of white boxer briefs, a backwards baseball cap, and a smile, the world of men’s underwear has experienced a seismic shift as the industry exploded with new designer labels and lines. Today, an international cast of designers and entrepreneurs has entered this rapidly growing fashion segment, and in many cases, bringing with them a flavor and style that genuinely reflects not only the tastes of the designers themselves, but also of the destinations that have inspired them. This month, Passport introduces you to five of the hottest new underwear brands from around the world and the men behind them. Individually and collectively, this band of underwear kings is shaking up the fashion monde, one pair of skivvies at a time.

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