Spandex is growing big time in the gear world. I remember when it first exploded on the market in the ’80s/’90s. Now we see a resurgence of love of all things tight and fun. Spandex comes in a few forms that guys are taking to more and more. They are singlets, runners, Sports Spandex, Spandex suits/Super Hero.

Singlets

Singlets aren’t new; they have been used for HS and collegiate wrestling for decades. However, in the last ten years, guys have been wearing these for various reasons. They can be worn out to a bar, a night in or to hang out around the house. Also, in the last ten years, we have seen singlets that have the back cut out or a snap-on pouch in the front.

Some of my favorite brands of singlets are Go Softwear, N2N Bodywear, Andrew Christian, and Gruff Pup.

Runners/Tights

In the last year, we are seeing a ton of guys wearing runners/tights to the gym. They are doing so without wearing shorts over them. These are amazing to work out in because they give you a lot more support in the legs when doing leg day or something leg strenuous. You don’t have to wear them to the gym; you can mix and match with your other fav fetish gear. Some guys are rocking the bulldog harness with black runners. It’s a super comfy outfit for hanging out at a bar or having fun at home.

Some great tight companies are LED Queens, JOR, Maskulo, and N2N Bodywear

Sports Gear

This whole category came in with UnderArmour. There are a ton of guys loving the look of spandex shirts with tights/runners or compression shorts. This can be mixed with other forms of gear. Usually, it’s combined with football, baseball, or other sport. Those are by far the two most popular with sports spandex.

You can check out Under Armour or Nike for this type of gear.

Spandex Suits

Spandex suits are really taking off. They are so diverse and range from solid color suits, superhero, or full-on fetish suits. Zentai is a “skin-tight garment that covers the entire body.” This could be suits that cover your head or not. If you are unfamiliar with this, google it and have fun. Superhero suits are taking off big time. Cosplay, in general, is growing more and more each year. Guys are creating their cosplay and getting suits of their favorite characters. Last is fetish suits, and these have cutouts, zippers, snap-off pouches, and super sexy designs. You have seen this from Slick It Up.

• Brands for Zentai – I don’t have any good suggestions currently
• Brands for Super Hero – I don’t have any good suggestions currently.
• Brands for fetish are Slick It Up and Maskulo.

Send me your favorite spandex gear brands, and I will recap them. Especially some brands, I may not have heard or had any suggestions.

February of 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of going to Magic/Project. In February 2010, I ventured to Las Vegas for a day to see brands. It branched out to going to Curve and then Project. We have gone consistently over the years. It has been a lot of fun, and I love meeting with the brands.

In 2010, there were two big shows, Magic & Curve. They had the underwear brands evenly distributed. I would spend one day at Curve, then the next at Magic. Sometimes, I would spend two days at Magic due to the number of brands.

Then by 2015, most of the brands were going to Magic and eventually Project (a part of Magic). During this time, Curve was bought out by the owners of Magic and converted to all women’s brands. Less and less brands started to go over the years. But the biggest thing that happened was in 2016. The underwear brands were put in part of the show that wasn’t on the show map. Many missed sales and new customers due to this, and the show tried to make mends. This was it for some brands, and they have never been back since.

This year my first time as a buyer. I didn’t have any issues with my badge (which I had over the years with a press badge). There were about six or seven brands that I needed to see. The heyday of 20+ brands is over. It’s making me wonder how much longer men’s underwear will be represented at trade shows. I think we may have one or two more years. Then brands will be more online.

I don’t have a lot to report on this trip. Some great things are coming from brands, but my trip was interrupted. And it wasn’t a fun interruption. I got what I needed to do and got home. I will cover all the brands I met with and more in the coming months.

This week at the UNB Store, we have three amazing brands on sale! You get 15-35% off Clever, Hawai, and Pikante. These three brands are on sale until Tuesday (Feb 18th, 2020). Check out this and all the sales.

I’ve just returned from nearly a week of fun in the sun in Puerto Vallarta. Living in the Midwest means I always need a winter escape to help beat the winter blues, and this vacation is just what I needed.

While soaking up the sun, I spent time observing the variety of swimwear choices on the men around me. It made me reflect on my own swimwear journey over the last few years. While swim briefs ruled supreme in Puerto Vallarta, at least at the gay beach, I still spied more baggy swim trunks on guys than I had hoped to see. My initial disappointment in the abundance of baggy swim trunks was also a reminder to myself that less than five years ago, I was that guy.

In less than five years, I have gone from baggy swim trunks, to swim briefs, to swim thongs. At each stop along that journey, I have had to overcome my nerves more than anything. The fear of judgment from others is never the easiest thing to overcome, but freeing once you do. What I have learned along this journey is that most people never say anything (positive or negative), most never even turn their heads (to look at me or to avoid), and most are too busy enjoying their own vacation to worry about what some stranger is wearing.

While I frequently find myself as the lone thonger in many scenarios, I have learned that I can influence others, simply by being myself. For some, it has inspired them to try a thong for the first time….my DM’s on Instagram quickly filled up with guys asking my advice on their first thong purchase. For others, it has inspired them to branch out with their swimwear. One of my Instagram buddies and I were able to meet up while in Puerto Vallarta. He told me that he had been inspired by me, to wear swim briefs for the first time in public.

My advice for all of you, branch out to some skimpier swimwear during your next vacation. While it’s not always easy to be the only one wearing something skimpy, you’d be surprised at how little most people care. You’d also be surprised at how much it can inspire and influence others. And if you are not quite ready to be bold in public, pick up a skimpy suit and wear it around your house, in your backyard, or other places where you can become more confident and comfortable. Seek out public places that are more accepting at first. I find that most tropical vacation locations are usually full of people who are there to enjoy themselves and people are less uptight about others. Clothing optional resorts are also a great place for beginners.

Overall, life is too short to spend your vacation worrying about what others will think…especially people you are likely never going to see again. Rock the swimwear you want and do it with confidence. The more comfortable you are in your own skin (and swimwear), the less of a reaction those around you will have.

Introducing fresh face Eduardo O’Farrill. He’s 23 and he’s from Cuba. He now lives in Gran Canaria, Spain.

Credits:
Photos: Adrian C. Martin (@adriancmartin)
Model: Eduardo O’Farrill (@eduofarrill97)
Underwear: PUMP!, Supawear
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands

I think Fetishwear deserves a spot on UNB. It’s part of men’s underwear that has been ignored by a lot of people before we started UNB. You had to go to fetish stores or look at the back pages of magazines to find it. 12 years later, more and more are embracing fetishwear. Which is amazing, and fetishwear means different things to different guys.

This is why we asked you what you liked and want to see more of on UNB. This was a super short survey but was great to hear from you guys. BTW, feel free to email us anytime to tell us what you want to see more of on the site.

The top fetishwear is Spandex, with singlets being at the top and spandex in general second. This comes as no surprise. In my journey, I went from underwear to swimwear, to spandex. Plus there is a resurgence of spandex gear on the market with singlets, runners and shorts all making a come back. Next is Lace and Men’s Lingerie. Which is awesome, because you guys want something out of the box. Lace has always had the “fem’ stigma. It’s starting to lose that and guys are embracing the fabric and loving it. I personally love the mix of masc and fem when someone wears lace. We have even had people tell us they mix leather and lace. They wear leather chaps with a lace thong. When UNB started in 2008, lace really wasn’t on the market yet, now we have a lot of different brands regularly making it and creating new and fun things. As for lingerie, I think we are still figuring this out. Companies I think are doing a great job at it is Gregg Homme. When I think of lingerie, I think of very high end and sexy. It’s made to look great but also fits great. In the next 10 years, we will have men’s lingerie lines similar to the top tier women’s lines.

What I call the traditional fetishwear is at the bottom, Neoprene, Leather, and Rubber/Latex. Which definitely deserves a place on UNB. I think neoprene will grow more and more. Its because it’s easier to take care of then other traditional fetishwear. I have leather, but no neoprene or rubber. For the rubber, it’s mainly the cost and care that has held me back from trying it.

Here are the brands you want us to cover. There is one surprise on this list. Go Softwear, they make some of the best singles on the market, in my opinion. We should cover all their singlets.

I think on Fetish Fridays we need to rotate brands and just profile something we find amazing at them. The bottom four are write-ins and they are great additions to cover as well.

I expected this post to be super short but as you can tell I love fetishwear. If you find new gear, let us know, it takes a village to share the knowledge.

Underwear to a lot of us is more than an article of clothing.  It’s part of who we are and engrained in our DNA.  Our underwear is just as important as other clothing we wear.   It gives us confidence and brings us joy.  If it didn’t would we spend up to $30 a pair.

I have had some issues in my personal life and they were getting me down.  As they say, life happens and you have to move forward.  One thing that really kept my spirits up as I was wearing all my favorite pair of underwear.  These pairs are ones that I love to wear but don’t usually wear in a row, but having a tough spot I decided what the hell.  

My favorite brands are Cocksox, Ergowear, N2N Bodywear, Andrew Christian and WildmanT. These all have amazing pouches in common. Which is something that is a must for any pair I wear. I don’t know about you but when I put on amazing underwear it gives me more confidence and I feel good. The opposite happens when I have bad underwear on. If the tag is scratchy, or it doesn’t fit, It annoys me to no end. It can ruin an otherwise great day. 

I know wearing undies seems like a little thing, but small things can make all the difference. It boils down to being the most comfortable you can be, and it starts with underwear. I’m curious if any of you guys wear a specific pain depending on your mood? I know I can’t be the only one that does this on a regular basis.