Month: May 2013

Getting a LOT of media attention certainly gives us some perspective on what the wider community think about lingerie for men. ?We always believed the results would be influenced due to the fact our supporters prefer to be discreet, and are therefore less inclined to have anything to say. ?We’re still amazed at how many women would ‘run a mile’ if their husband liked lingerie. ?No wonder we have to ship to unusual addresses so often!

Here are some of the comments that grabbed out attention and what we thought of them.

Comments we like

• “It’s funny how many people are offended by the idea of a “man” wearing something they’re probably never going to see him wearing.”

• “Oh come on folks..don’t be haters 🙂 ?Yeah, it’s a little bit odd. But if some men want to give “frillies” a try, then why the heck not? ?Live and let live.”

• “Unless you’re a nudist or just wear potato sacks, EVERYTHING you wear is a costume of some kind. It’s just that we, as a society, have determined that some “costumes” fit the acceptable cultural norm and are just called clothes. Men, why do you wear a strip of silk cloth in front of your shirt when you want to look serious and businesslike? Because that is part of the culturally accepted business costume. My point? Dress in what makes you happy, you’ll find yourself happier. duh. ?(footnote: when at work, where what makes your boss happy. duh.)”

• “I hate to tell you…..but more men like to dress in ladies underwear than you can ever imagine, they don’t all consider themselves to be CD’s or TV’s. Ladies, you ALL need to check your drawers because I bet an awful lot of you “share” your underwear with your man, you just don’t know it.” ?Yep, got it in one with that comment..

• “Here’s a wake-up call. We’ve gone metrosexual now. Men use beauty products. They moisturise. They take two bottles into the shower. Get used to it. What is it about transvestism, even at this level, that people find so threatening? Ladies, do you think he’s going to love you any less? Perhaps find himself a boyfriend and settle down with his and his matching Weimaraners? Or is it that if you fancy him in a pair of knickers, it might make you question your own orientation? Men, are you worried that, after one pint too many, you might not be able to tell the difference? Or that you might no longer care? These are your own insecurities, people, and you show yourselves up by displaying them here. Cross-dressing harms nobody, and women have been getting away with it for years. It might offend some when a man does it, though perhaps we should be asking ourselves why.”?We had to show this simply because he put so much effort into the comment!

• “Come on lads we have all dressed up in the Mrs underwear for some bedroom fun. ?OH! Just me then? ?If my wife wanted me to dress up in this for some bedroom fun then I would do. After all she dresses up for me. ?Each to their own.”

• “I’ve been wearing bra and pants for years…………………………ever since the wife found them under the backseat of the car !!!!!” -?This is a familiar story. ?Get discovered, and either own up or pretend you’re having an affair to hide the secret..

• “Doesn’t do it for me !! but some men like to dress up so at least the can go and get their own now !!” -?Yep, that’s the point.

• ?”if my husband had a fetish like this, i would totally buy it for him” -?Lucky guy!

Comments we weren’t quite so fussed about.

Clearly, there are some people that aren’t potential customers. ?We decided?not?to show some of the particularly troubling comments here.

• “How ugly. How disgusting. What filthy freak came up with this! What kind of woman would let a “man” who wants to wear?women’s underwear near her? People do not know when they should be ashamed. Filthy disgusting pigs.” -?We’re still feeling clean and surprisingly unashamed..

• “This is yet another step in the prefabricated moral decline of our society. Is it any wonder why we have kids killing each other, dope on every corner, and politicians that squander trillions in dollars, babies on food stamps/welfare. THIS IS WHY” -?And we’re really sorry about that meteor shower we caused the other day too..

• “omfg… my bloke would be so far out the door if he ever wore anything like this… jesus christ… it may sound sexist but us girls can pull off wearing mens boxers but men can definitely not pull off wearing ANY of this GROSS!!!!!!!” -?Ummm, yeah it does kinda sound a bit sexist and I think we both now realize that you DO wear the boxers in your house..right?

• “Any man who wanted to wear these would get the boot from me double quick!” –?Phew! ?Thanks for clearing that up but guys are wearing it for themselves – not you..

• “speechless”?– Good one! ?Let’s keep it that way eh? ?And maybe tell your friends..

Comments that were a little funny.??They made us laugh a little bit, but most were a little too descriptive to place here.

• “My eyes! My eyes!!”

• “Okay, maybe the internet wasn’t such a great idea after all.”

• “Think this company is going to go BUST”?– Thanks for palm reading! ?Should we shut down now or do you think we can run for another week? ?Oh hang on, I just noticed we’re getting busier..

• “None of the blokes I know would wear this kind of gear and if they did their wives would laugh them out of the house. I am in OZ and had not heard about this company until I read this article” -?I’m sure you know those blokes pretty well and you sound like you would be the first one they’d tell if they wanted advice on lingerie..

Read something you thought was good or funny? ?Feel free to let us know

 

We have certainly responded to plenty of questions from the media over the past couple of weeks, so here are just a few of them, along with our response-

Q: What made you decide to make lingerie for men?

A: Why not? Men’s underwear has been much the same for many years. ?The same styles, same patterns, same fabrics. ?We decided to step outside the square and manufacture briefs made with satins, lightweight microfibre blends and add a little lace and or accessories for fun!

Q: The bras, why a bra when there’s no reason for a guy to wear a bra?

A: Why does everything we wear necessarily have to have a function? ?Admittedly, bras were not something we initially planned on designing. ?However we received overwhelming correspondence from visitors and customers asking us to manufacture several new garments. ?So after looking around on the web, we discovered no one was designing anything suitable for guys that ticked all the boxes, so we went ahead and designed a few different styles. ?Feedback indicates our customers like the feel of the garment and they are a very popular item.

Q: Do you have a lot of gay customers?

A: We do not ask our customers about their personal lives prior to making a purchase. ?However, based on our early research, we believe that the majority of our customers are married. ?Our goal has always been to offer an alternative style of underwear for men, based on their physique rather than their sexuality.

Q: Your recent appearance at the International Lingerie Show appears to be a successful PR stunt. ?What will you do next?

A: Contrary to speculation, the ILS and runway show was not a stunt. ?In fact we exhibited at the Show in September 2012, and there was a great reaction at the time, but no major media attention. ?We also had guys on the runway in September and that was to showcase our collections to retail buyers. ?The same reason we exhibited in April 2013. ?And the same reason we will return to Las Vegas in September 2013.

Q: Where do you sell the most garments?

A: The United States is our largest market. ?We established a distribution network there early and followed up by placing stock in stores across several states. ?Our next largest markets are (equally) the UK, Canada and Australia. ?We also have a distributor in the UK that services our European market.

Q: What are your thoughts with regard to negative comments from the community and on social media?

A: We understand we are servicing a niche market and not everyone will understand our business model. ?It would not be uncommon for men to openly criticise our garments, then follow up by ordering something from our line and having it discreetly shipped to an alternative address.

Q: Do you think men’s lingerie will go mainstream?

A: I don’t think you will see HommeMystere in your local Macy’s, Debenhams or David Jones any time soon, but I believe we’re on the right path. ?We already stock a few lingerie stores in the US, so as men’s lingerie becomes more socially acceptable, we’re confident that trend will continue.