Go Minimal and Fun With Mate

I posted on Facebook earlier this month and asked guys what they wanted to try. One of the answers came from Andy who said he was going to try more Asian brands. So I asked which brands he wanted to try, he said Matewas one of them. Mate is a brand I have seen around the net but never really looked at before. If you’re not familar with Asian brands they typically are very skimpy and small. Which is not a bad thing at all in underwear.

When I say skimpy they are lower cut on the body and don’t rise up as high as some American and European underwear. The sizing is very small, certain brands I have known a 34 to be an XL. So that is something you want to pay attention to when buying underwear in general but more so in international purchases. Mate is a brand where 32-34 is XL and 34-36 is XXL.

Mate was founded by Hyun Han in Korea. He spent a few years at a Korean Fashion house then left there and went to Tokyo to lead a women’s lingerie line. During his time there he would stay late and work on designs for himself. He learned to adapt his designs to fit men comfortably and to adapt the sensuousness and sexuality for men. So he took what he learned designing for women and made amazing men’s underwear. What I love best is how they put it on their site “Designed specially for men who know what they want and are unafraid of taking their sex appeal to the next level”

The collections are super sexy. We here in the States can have a very Victorian/Purtanical view and stick to trunks and briefs. Not so with Mate. They have underwear, swimwear, loungewear and sportswear. On top of that they make limited edition items only available for a few weeks, as they say to make them truly limited!

I can’t profile everything so I”m going to pick out a few pieces that I think are awesome. Before I do that there are quite a few pairs of underwear with openings in the pouch. The first piece you see is the Scandalous Mini Bikini. You maybe asking how Mini is it? Well you haven’t seen anything. Not only does it have an opening in the pouch the back is about half the size of normal backs. Meaning it doesn’t give you full coverage. The one pictured is OH HYEON (ROYAL YELLOW ZIG-ZAG).

Jocks are alway welcome and expected in men’s underwear. Mate makes the Ultra Low Rise Sexy Sporty Jocks. Remember when I mentioned its a lower rise, this is the perfect example of that, its cut very different than underwear most of us are used too. They say this is the sexiest jock on the market and I will say it’s pretty darn sexy. Made of a leather like material. They say on the site it shows off the butt by lifting it up! This is the HYEON JOONG (BROWN LEATHER)

One thing I really love about Korean/Japanese underwear companies is their use of colors, patterns (some not considered masculine by the western standards) and the way they put the underwear together. They are more geometric (for a lack of better word). Its different and super fun. By the way I’m not making a value judgement on the undies just saying what we in the west consider “masculine”. I think they are awesome and different. A pair that I thinks shows how different they are is the Nano Bikini. It has a solid color and mesh color panels that really accent the pouch and butt. They really thought about it and love the design. I’m only jealous I can’t wear them! One thing I forgot is the construction is different as well and I think it’s so cool how they sew it together. This is the JONG KWAN (GREEN COTTON)

Next up is swimwear. This pair really sums up swimwear the Mini Bikini. I have seen pictures of guys in Japan in really small swimwear and wondered if it was smaller on purpose or did they just get the wrong size. This pair shows it’s the first. The back isn’t full cut there is just a hint of cleavage in the back at the top. Some will like and others won’t! The Mini Bikini is SUPER small but super fun. I love the pouch design and the piping, its amazing and fun. This is the SEONG HYO (YELLOW)

I could go on about this line but this is the last pair we will feature will be the Nano Bikini. Similar to the one mentioned above but this one is swimwear. This pair shows what I was talking about above. The colors are not considered masculine by western standards. The pastels are not something you see in swimwear here. I think it’s super hot and different. Next is the design and it speaks to the geometric design. It’s just different but so cool! The pouch they make really accents it but doesn’t physically enhance it. I think this is an amazing pair of swim. This is the AN YEONG (WHITE)

I really love Mate. I wished I could wear the undies and swimwear but I’m way too big right now and not sure I’ll ever be down close to a 34 again. When I was younger a friend gave me one of his swim briefs he got in Japan and I loved wearing it. I out grew it and gave it to a friend to wear. You know I’m kicking myself I gave it away but I think it’s good to give it to someone who can wear it and not have it site in a drawer.

I hope you check this brand out. They do have free shipping on international orders over $55. But note this will be coming from 0ver seas and will take 6-8 business days to get to you. Go to the Mate site and check out all the designs. They have 4 pages of underwear, 3 pages of swim and I didn’t even get to the lounge or active wear sections.