This week, we saw the end of an era when Andrew Christian announced the end of an era in underwear. Andrew Christian announced that he would be stepping away from his brand to focus on his next chapter. Although this was not a surprise to me, it came as a shock.
When Andrew burst onto the underwear scene, he was a “gay” brand and had no shame about it. He embraced being different and putting his spin on underwear. And this continues to this day; he always took risks in design, color, and fabric. He was one of the first brands to be unapologetically gay, which led to other brands entering the market and finding their place in a crowded space.
Being a gay brand didn’t come without controversy over the last 20-plus years. I remember when the Car Wash video came out, and people were upset that he had porn stars in the video and it was “explicit.” Let’s be real: underwear is about feeling sexy and fun, and these ads (that kept coming and continued) brought attention to the brand. He also used many gay porn stars and influencers in his photography and videos. He had a regular group of models who worked with him regularly. We interviewed many of them over the years.
To throw my two cents in the convo, many of the pairs that Andrew created were sometimes over the top and many times minimal or blogtastic. He was never going to get regular models to wear these designs for pictures, and having porn stars and guys willing to show off made it easier for him to put pics out. He also created calendars each year, which were included with the purchase of several pairs until just recently. It was a staple for many men and something they eagerly anticipated each year. Whether you liked it or not, it got you talking about the brand. He accomplished his goal.
He also had issues with body-inclusive designs. Several videos were criticized for their content. One had a bigger guy coming to the model search, and the judges jeered. He would be called out by many guys, including those of all sizes; he eventually developed lines for larger guys. However, by this time, other brands catering to larger individuals had entered the market, and many of them didn’t purchase it.
One thing that I know many of you didn’t like but was remarkable was his book at the end of the first Trump administration. The book was titled “Sex Power Freedom. “This book was released in 2017. It was to empower the LGBT+ community and fight against the discrimination we face. I have two copies: the Silver one that was on sale through the site and the gold one that was only given away. We even gave one away on the site. These are now collector’s items!
One big thing I heard was the quality of the underwear. When he first started, if memory serves me correctly, he made it all in LA. However, after his sudden rise in popularity, he had to outsource the production overseas, causing many of his team members to move on to other brands. This was a valid criticism, but to scale up so rapidly, it was necessary to adjust to meet demand. All the pairs I had were good, not as good as those early pairs, but not horrible either.
Another thing he excelled in was the pouch. He made one of my top 5 pouches, the Almost Naked pouch. The Trophy Boy was a little too big (and was suitable for about 95% of the population; if you can fill that out, I tip my cap to you). Ever since I tried this pouch, I’ve been in love. It wasn’t a tight, ergonomic pouch, but one that allowed you to hang naturally. If he does close, I will have to find another one to replace this on my top 5 list, which is annoying because pouches are the most critical thing to me when it comes to underwear. This pair was like Goldilocks; it wasn’t too big or too small. It was just right.
I have received numerous messages from men who got their start with Andrew Christian, and the brand was the one that brought them into the world of underwear, making them feel like they belonged. It was a brand that was unashamedly gay, and they thought they could express themselves fully. Many have moved on from AC and gone to other brands, but it holds a special place in their hearts. Love AC or hate him, he deserves a place in the Underwear Hall of Fame for all he did to get more guys to care about their underwear. I have so much I want to include here, but this post would be too long; I hope this makes sense and allows you to look back and reflect on your journey with Andrew Christian.
2 Comments
Glad to be moving on. He was an introduction for a lot of men to designer or fun underwear. But his quality took a huge nosedive the last 10 years. It became a bad introduction to the men’s underwear market. I wonder how the men’s underwear stores around the world will cope with such a huge whole saler exiting the market. That’s a huge open space in their stores that will need to be filled. I know he made a majority of his products in China. I’m sure he was thinking about retirement and the tarrifs expedited it. Raising his prices $5-20 would change his whole business model of cheap underwear.
Just my 2 cents
Brian
I would like to say that I couldn’t see this coming, but that’s like running toward a wall and saying you didn’t notice there was one getting closer. Even though I have about five pairs, over time, AC briefs lost their appeal. With an ever growing industry, more and more companies have emerged into the industry that could do as good, if not better, a job of enhancing men and providing comfort. As with many other things in the world, once factories in China get their hands on a brand, they will copy it almost exactly. I have a pair or two that are definitely not AC briefs, but they have the waistbands and the AC pouch. I can tell the difference when I pull them up and they don’t fit exactly where my real AC briefs sit. I’ll still wear my AC briefs and mentally file them away with UnderGear.