On February 9^th at about 2:00 p.m., the 50 models marched past one of the city’s largest malls and then took down the escalator into Brasilia’s main bus terminal, which is about as packed as Times Square. Sound kind of familiar? That’s because the event is a reflection of the Freshpair’s National Underwear Day, which we always cover on TLP.

According to a Brazilian newspaper, the event was sponsored by fashion magazine Finíssimo in celebration of Brasilia’s 50^th birthday. “We had 50 models wearing intimate apparel in tones of black and gray with futuristic make-up and hair. All of this, to represent the city’s unique architecture and urbanism,” said Thiago Malva, executive director of Finíssimo. (Fun fact: Brasilia is shaped like an airplane, and parts of the city are named North Wing and South Wing. When the city was built 50 years ago, everything was strategically planned to be super functional and futuristic. There are buildings practically suspended in the air and the roads are designed to minimize bumper-to-bumper traffic.)

Check out images from the event and some footage below!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Correio Braziliense | Photos: Reuters

Want to indulge in all the National Underwear Day celebrations? First, be sure to enter TLP’s National Underwear Day giveaway. Check out our sales page for information on all the great deals Freshpair has for the holiday, and visit the official National Underwear Day page to see all the contests and giveaways!

Be sure to check out the official National Underwear page and see all the National Underwear Day celebrations, including great discounts and chances to win underwear makeovers and trips.

Before you enter, check out all the official rules right here – sorry, US residents only. Only one entry per person. Also: keep in mind comments are moderated – they might take a couple hours to show up!

National Underwear Day 2008

In the past, Freshpair invaded New York City with fashion shows, underwear-clad models, and New York City underwear giveaways. Last year, the fashion show was a celebrity-studded renegade sidewalk show.

The the seventh year, the National Underwear Day celebrations are a little different. They have moved online so all of us can join in the fun (not only the lucky lingerie lovers in NYC)! There will be underwear contests, huge sales, and giveaways sponsored by 2(x)ist, Calvin Klein Underwear, Diesel, Wacoal, and Natori all throughout the month of August. Over twenty brands will participate in exclusive events in celebration of the day.

Michael Kleinmann, president of Freshpair, said,

“We realized that we were not being true to our loyal and growing customer base by just having a New York City presence. Our world is the internet and therefore we felt that we had to make National Underwear Day a National event by taking it online.”

We’ll keep you updated on the National Underwear Day celebrations!

Sponsored by Freshpair.com, The 6th Annual National Underwear Day will be celebrated this Tuesday, August 5th. For the first time, National Underwear Day will be going indoors as a VIP event. In the past, National Underwear Day featured a runway show in the middle of Times Square. While this year will not include the show in Times Square, the legendary National Underwear Day giveaways will still take place around New York City with free “fresh pairs” being distributed to thousands on the New York City streets.

This doesn’t mean that you still can’t celebrate! Whether you are in New York or New Delhi, South Dakota or South America, you can do something to honor your undergarments. Here are some suggestions:

* Wear your favorite pair.
* Buy looks from the runway show at Freshpair.com for yourself.
* Buy looks from the runway show at Freshpair.com for someone else.
* Donate new underwear to a shelter.

I wouldn’t recommend performing your own runway show, unless, of course, it is behind closed doors.

Feel free to share more ideas in our forums. Happy celebrating!

Hope to see you there on August 5th!

Here are some of the clips featuring National Underwear Day. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones that took notice!

The very funny comedian Chelsea Handler comments…

Click here to view the embedded video.

…as do Regis and Kelly…

Click here to view the embedded video.

…and the folks on the Insider.

Click here to view the embedded video.

National Underwear Day was a lot of fun and has since received some

One of the more lighthearted moments of the day was when I had the chance to meet Ethan Reynolds and Benjamin Bradley, also known as the Ginch Gonch Boys! While talking to this dynamic duo (in nothing but their Ginch Gonches and their cowboy boots, of course), I learned more about how Ginch Gonch is attempting to revolutionize the men’s intimate apparel industry through their beyond basic offerings.

Could you tell me a little bit about Ginch Gonch?
The brand is about two years old. It’s based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. However, New York is a popular hot spot for the brand.

What is the inspiration behind Ginch Gonch?
At Ginch Gonch, our motto is “Live Like a Kid.” Everything is bright and fun. Underneath your clothes you can express yourself in a different way. Be playful. One example is a pair of briefs with fire truck engines all over them. Kind of like underoos.

What impact is Ginch Gonch having on men’s underwear?
Other companies are now starting to imitate this idea. Ginch Gonch has paved the way for colorful and fun underwear for men.

Could you tell me more about the Ginch Gonch products?
One line we have is the Western line. The guys and girls actually have matching pairs. It allows couples to have some fun.

Some of the styles we have for men are the brief, low rise, sport brief. For the girls, we have thongs, briefs, and go-go briefs. The briefs actually have the look of the men’s brief.

The newest line for fall is called Jungle Fever. It features a lot of animal prints.

Do you think that guys are really going to go for this?
Guys are always a little resistant, but hopefully the influence of their girlfriends will help. They are starting to come around though.

Where can our readers find Ginch Gonch products?
They sell at mostly boutiques and are expanding to other stores, but they can be purchased at freshpair.com.

Many thanks to Ethan and Benjamin! They were absolutely delightful!

I received even more insight to some of the men’s trends while speaking with Jennifer Goldszer of Report Collection.

Could you please tell me about Report Collection?

The company was established in Canada and has a strong presence there and in Europe. Report Collection features men’s and women’s sportswear, swim and intimates. On Freshpair, men’s underwear and swim are available for purchase.We are happy to be a part of today and share our collections. Some of our top selling men’s lines include the Tencel collection and the bamboo collection. All of our collections use premium fabrics. You can see the entire collection at reportcollection.com.

Where do you see the company going in the next 5 years?
Report Collection is about providing basics with a fashion forward focus that everyone can wear. We have strong roots in fashion and want to retain them.

I look forward to following all the developments that Report Collection has in store.

The other industry insider I had the chance to meet with was Lauren Deatherage of Cotton Incorporated.

Tell me about how Cotton became involved with today’s event?
National Underwear Day is about underwear, which is something so personal. Consumers want underwear that is comfortable, fashionable, fun, and easy to care for, and those are all attributes of cotton. We do a lot of lifestyle monitoring. We survey consumers to see what they prefer and we have found they prefer natural materials, like cotton, as opposed to a synthetic material, close to their body. They want something breathable.

What kind of trends are you noticing?
A lot of cotton boyshorts. With the flouncy skirts and dresses that are popular now, women want coverage without showing panty lines. Cotton boyshorts allow them that freedom. I also notice a lot of bright and fun colors.

How about with men?
There are a lot more tailored boxers and boxer briefs. Men’s pants are now skewing a bit slimmer so men need undergarments that work well under these style pants.

What are some brands that you like and why?
I really like Diesel for men because they have lots of bright and fun colors. Ginch Gonch also is fun. They have a Western theme and some denim inspired prints. Hanes has always been a staple. Now they are producing more bright, bold colors to their cotton basics. They are becoming more fashion forward. I also like Le Mystere and Natori. They have some beautiful cotton and lace pieces.

Thank you to Lauren! It was great to see that cotton is still an important staple in the intimate apparel industry.

Still want to recreate National Underwear Day? Here is some more footage of the runway show. Continue to visit TLP for more coverage, including more pictures of the beautiful (and very brave) models, as well as more on the trends and the innovative collections from the trade show and the CILA awards!

Click here to view the embedded video.

On National Underwear Day, I had the pleasure of speaking with the President of Freshpair.com and Founder of National Underwear Day, Michael Kleinmann about the event and about the newly launched Freshpair, Freshstart program.

How did National Underwear Day begin?
National Underwear Day started 5 years ago as a way to bring more attention to the intimate apparel industry. It started out as a guerilla marketing event in which we had 20 models promoting Freshpair.com around New York City. Last year, we decided to make the focus the fashion show and closed off Military Island in Times Square. Now we have 55 models here on our elevated runway.

Why Times Square?
We chose Times Square because of the history of underwear inTimes Square from the Calvin Klein ads of the 80s to the Naked Cowboy. It was a natural fit.

What kind of trends are you seeing on the runway?
For men, a lot of color and prints are being used. Men are no longer satisfied with being restricted to just black, white, and gray.

With women, I am noticing a lot of seamless, invisible, and low rise items including some that dip lower in the back because women don’t want their bra or underwear to show under their clothing. Boyshorts are a popular item for women who don’t like wearing thongs, but still don’t want their underwear to show.

What are you doing to gain a stronger male interest in intimates?
For starters, we have an equal representation of men and women as models. On our site, men’s items are also well represented.

At Freshpair.com, what do you pride yourself in the most?
We pride ourselves in our customer service. Customer service is the most important thing. We have free shipping!

How do you see National Underwear Day growing in the future?
The goal is for National Underwear Day to continue to expand and be in multiple cities.

How can people celebrate National Underwear Day if they are not in the New York City area?
People can celebrate National Underwear Day by buying a new pair of underwear or donating a pair to charity.

Could you tell me more about your charitable initiative, Freshpair, Freshstart?
The Freshpair, Freshstart intiative began because we wanted a way to give back to the community. We chose to partner with Safe Horizon because they are a national leader in victim assistance reaching over 350,000 people a year. In addition to donating money, we will be donating thousands of pairs of underwear to people in need.

Please go to Freshpair.com for more information on anything Michael mentioned. I am particularly excited to see how the men’s intimate apparel market develops. Even more so, I am eager to see the great impact that Freshpair, Freshstart will have on the lives of those who need it most.

I also had the honor of meeting with Scott Millstein, Chief Operating Officer of Safe Horizon, an organization dedicated to providing support for victims of abuse and violence as well as raising awareness about these issues.

Could you tell me about the mission of Safe Horizon?
Safe Horizon is based in New York City. We do a lot of public awareness campaigns to highlight the issues of violence and abuse. It’s an important part of our mission to raise awareness of these issues because they are national issues and societal issues. Our mission is to also provide practical assistance and help our clients stay safe. One of the ways in which we raise awareness is through our national partnerships.

Who are the people you serve and what can they do in a crisis?
The people we serve are victims of domestic violence, child abuse, violent crimes. The statistics show that there is a need. One in three women report being victims of domestic violence. In New York City, there are 50,000 reported cases of abuse each year. In a recent poll, 21% of working adults cited being victims of domestic violence. We have a hotline that people in need can call. In New York City, we take over 400 calls daily and provide necessary support such as shelter, clothing, and food.

How did the partnership develop between Safe Horizon and Freshpair?
The partnership began after some Freshpair executives attended a Safe Horizon event a few months ago and were impressed with the organization’s service and expertise. Freshpair believes in giving back to the community and wanted to develop a long-term partnership with an organization that could really impact the lives of those in need.

Our clients come to us in crisis, many fleeing an abusive situation in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs. They cannot begin to start the healing process through our services, such as counseling, if they are worried about necessities such as clothes, food, child care, and shelter. Some of our sponsors provide the used clothes, used toys, and so on that our clients can use. The only thing you can’t donate used is underwear. Those need to be new. The partnership with Freshpair just makes sense. In addition to their financial contribution, they are also donating 6,000 pairs of underwear to be given to those we serve, including homeless and at-risk youth.

Why are these issues important to our readers and what can they do to contribute?
These issues impact all of us. We see this as a call to action. Everyone can be a part of the solution. The more people that learn and educate themselves the more people that will realize they can make a difference. They can make a meaningful contribution on their own. There are other ways they can get involved as well by helping those in their community and their friends. Based on the statistics, it is likely that someone in their life has been affected by violence. It could be at home or the workplace. The more we address the issues, the more able we will be to solve them.

To find out more about Safe Horizon and how they move victims of violence from crisis to confidence, please check out their website at http://www.safehorizon.org/.

Check out the following video for more information on the Freshpair, Freshstart initiative.

Click here to view the embedded video.