National Underpants
Nick Graham built a name for himself and his Joe Boxer loungewear line through his clever use of puns, irony and tongue-in-cheek double entendre.
And while his latest effort definitely falls into the “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” end of the underwear market, Graham is quite serious when it comes to discussing untapped niches in the business.
“I think there’s an opportunity in terms of what we know from the underwear business to bring some more non-licensed business back into the mass market,” said Graham of National Underpants, which is a collaboration between Graham’s consulting group, the 100 Minute Company, and MJC Co. LLC, a San Francisco–based manufacturer.
According to Graham, the market for novelty underwear is mostly limited to licensed beer brands and cartoon characters.
The National Underpants line adds an ironic bite to novelty prints, such as boxers with a hot dog print that reads “Plump ’n Juicy” and T-shirts and boxers emblazoned with cities and states including “Greetings from Dick, Alabama.”
The National Underpants stable of brands includes the National Underpants label, the Monty Python license line, American Ironic (available exclusively at Macy’s West) and several licensed brands in development.
Since the Monty Python line hit the stores, it has been successful at Wal-Mart, Kohl’s and JCPenney stores across the country. National Underpants is currently testing at mass market retailers.
Graham says the Monty Python license has staying power. “It just seems to be this more-classic license, rather than a really trendy, pop-culture-moment license,” he said. “We try to find this balance between something that is recognizable but something that has some real equity to it.”
Retail price points for Monty Python range from $9.99 for boxers to $19.99 for pants, depending on the style.
For more information, call MJC Co. at (415) 401-8020 or visit www.nationalunderpants.com. —Rhea Cortado
