Presenting part 8 in the series by Daniel Milijkovic, designer for the men’s underwear brand Obviously, on the 10 things that make men’s underwear comfortable
Part Eight: Waistband
One of the most important factors that contribute to the comfort of your underwear experience is the waistband. There are many elements to the waistband that impacts on this, so we’ll have a look a few of them.
In terms of physical dimension, finding a waistband size that is firm enough to hold your underwear up while not being overly tight is important. Underwear waistband measurements vary from brand to brand and even between different ranges of the same brand, so make sure you check out what ever size charts are provided by each brand.
The elasticity of the waistband itself will impact on the comfort level and once again there is a trade-off between the elastic that is flexible enough to snugly fit the body without cause discomfort. The softness of the fibers used to make the waistband will play a big part of the elasticity and the feel, and obviously the softer the fiber, the more comfortable it will be.
Some underwear designs encase both the inside and outside of the waistband in material (usually the same as the main garment itself). This decreases the likelihood of any irritation on the skin from the elastic or any of the joins or seams and tends to increase the comfort level.
Another more popular option is to use brushed back elastic, which basically has a fuzzy layer on the inside that sits comfortably against your skin. This provides a softness equivalent that the encased waistband but without the bulk of multiple layers. It also allows for prominent logo placement on the waistband which not only promotes the brand but also allows your underwear to be an exciting fashion items that we enjoy it to be.
