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Wildly popular Wacoal lace boxers bring 'sexy' back for Japanese men
Undergarment maker leverages know-how to cross gender line


The company's lace boxers come in five colors at stores. (Photo courtesy of Wacoal)
YOJI OHIRA, Nikkei staff writerJune 12, 2022 04:49 JST

KYOTO -- As "gender neutral" and "genderless" has gained momentum in progressive circles around the world, from language to sports and bathrooms, a Japanese lingerie maker has seized on the buzz to market a unique undergarment that keeps flying off the shelves.

Wacoal's lace boxers for men have been selling out faster than the company can make them ever since hitting stores in Japan at the end of last year.

"The word genderless began to appear, and the view emerged that the idea of lace being a woman's thing was old-fashioned," said Wacoal product manager Akira Mizoguchi.

The company is primarily known for women's undergarments, and its boxers priced at 3,960 yen ($30) a pair feature transparent floral lace covering the entire surface except the front. Many shoppers buy the garment in bulk, saying that they are attracted to its sexiness.

Five colors are available in stores, red, black, blue, brown and light blue. Other colors can be had online.

The concept of using lace -- traditionally the fabric of women's clothes -- for boxers was spawned from discussions at the men's innerwear product department. Wacoal makes lace garments every day, "so there were no objections," Mizoguchi said.

While women's underwear comes in a wide variety of types and shapes, men's underwear has only a few options, such as different colored waistbands.

"Men's underwear seems to be a commodity," Mizoguchi said. "I wanted to create underwear that people could choose to express their own fashion sense."

Product development was a painstaking process as there was nothing like it on the market. In the spirit of test marketing, the company accepted advance reservations on the crowdfunding site Makuake in October with a goal of selling 300,000 yen's worth. About 700 people made 3.2 million yen in purchases.

When sales began at Isetan Shinjuku and three other stores, as well as online, the three-month supply sold out in 10 days. Production was increased in April, but again was quick to sell out.

In February, Mizoguchi stood in front of a pop-up store in Kyoto. A man, who appeared to be in his 40s or 50s, bought several pairs in different colors, saying, "I want to try them on for a sexy look."

"People of all ages, who like new things, bought it," Mizoguchi said.

Behind the sales is careful craftsmanship. If it's not comfortable, it will not sell is Wacoal's motto. The laces give the impression of being coarse, but they are stretchable. In the development stage, four men who worked for the product department tried them on and critiqued the stitching and other details.

The company also took into consideration that men would put more wear and tear on their underwear than women. "We developed a lace that is stronger than the one for women," Mizoguchi said.

The prototype took more than six months to complete. It was packed with the unique know-how of Wacoal, which has built a reputation for producing lace that is both beautiful and functional.

For now, the garment is only available domestically. "First, we want to see the product take root in Japan," Mizoguchi said.

Two new colors will be available in early next month, and increased production is expected to begin this fall, eliminating shortages.

"The beauty of pure lace has nothing to do with women or men," Mizoguchi said. The challenge will be to not allow this to fade away.