It’s been nearly 20 years since Kerry O’Brien traded in her corporate public relations career to launch Commando, a women’s underwear brand intended to shake up the industry.
Fast forward to today and Commando, which started with two microfiber styles, has expanded into a wide range of women’s intimates along with bodysuits, leggings, pants, shirts, shorts, skirts, dresses and even jeans. Its claim to fame, O’Brien said, is its choice of fabrics, which offer comfort at their core.
And now, she’s turning her attention to men and will launch her first full collection for guys this fall.
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O’Brien said when she looks back two decades, there were three types of underwear in the market: sexy; shaping, intended to make women look smaller; and comfortable, which were just “ugly granny panties.”
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It was then that she decided to ditch her corporate job and “change the industry. If I didn’t like what I saw when I opened my top drawer, other women didn’t either.”
She had three questions she sought to answer: how does it feel, how does it fit and then, how does it look, she explained. “And now — 20 years later — we’re taking that ethos to men.”
She started with finding fabric that allowed her to create seamless, raw-cut panties with no elastic and no trim, which wouldn’t dig into a woman’s body or cause panty lines. It remains a staple of the collection today and is being used in the men’s line as well.
The men’s collection will consist of three categories: Essential, which is the male version of Commando’s best-selling Butter line for women, and is described by O’Brien as “super soft and tactile.” These micro modal pieces are offered in relaxed or modern-fit trunks, boxer-briefs or briefs in black, navy or titanium in sizes small to XXL. They will retail for $46 or $48.
Next is the Classic collection, which is created from Italian microfiber fabrics which are comfortable and quick drying, she said. In addition to the briefs, trunks and boxers, crewneck and V-neck undershirts are also offered in white, black, navy and slate. They will retail for $48 to $54 for the underwear and $88 for the undershirts.
The third category is what O’Brien has called the Ultimate which is the “lowest profile” product in bonded microfiber fabrics with bonded edges. It is being offered in boxer-briefs, trunks and briefs in black and will retail for $46 to $50.
The products can also be sold in two- or three-packs and tri-color options.
O’Brien said that she had done a beta test of a couple of men’s pieces two years ago and solicited comments on what worked and what didn’t. With that feedback, she made updates and is now ready to relaunch.
“The decision to expand into men’s wasn’t just a strategic move, we’re redefining the standard in men’s essentials,” O’Brien said. “What guy doesn’t want to go Commando? Since 2005 we’ve sourced the highest quality luxury technical fabrics, and with our unique focus on engineering for comfort and performance, the new category expansion is a demonstration of this continued commitment. This collection showcases our dedication to meeting the evolving needs of our diverse clientele and has considered all of his needs from sleep to street, these are solutions he does not have yet.”
In addition to being sold on the Commando e-commerce site, the men’s line will also be sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Revolve and other specialty stores beginning Monday.
O’Brien said she already has strong relationships with these retailers for her women’s collection so they were open to adding the men’s. “Wholesale has always been near and dear to Commando,” she said, adding that Bergdorf’s and Neiman’s were her first customers when the brand launched. “And they’ve been selling it ever since.” In addition, she discovered that a lot of women buy underwear for their partners and she’s hopeful that if they purchase Commando womenswear, they’ll also try the menswear.
O’Brien said in the future, she can see the men’s assortment following the same trajectory as the women’s, adding more categories and products as it becomes established. On Aug. 6, O’Brien and Commando will be receiving the Brand Evolution award at the Femmy Awards, an event presented by The Underfashion Club, the intimate apparel industry’s charitable organization.