DMK
BRIEF ENCOUNTER: Diane Kirkland hopes her men’s underwear designs will do for fellows what the push-up bra has done for women. “It’s designed to enhance what’s there,” Altadena, Calif.–based Kirkland said. The selftaught patternmaker, former showgirl and MBA graduate had a flash of inspiration for her line, DMK, while she was on a date. Kirkland was on her way out the door of her date’s home at the end of the evening but was persuaded to stay by the most “amazing underwear I’d ever seen.” If a man’s flattering briefs could change her mind that quickly, Kirkland thought, “That’s a business.” She debuted DMK last February at the MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas. Features, including a closed fly, offer supportive comfort, and a sophisticated palette provides a stroke of fashion without being frivolously boyish. “I wanted to design what I felt women wanted to see men in,” Kirkland said. —Rhea Cortado
KEY LOOKS: Basic styles include a poly/rayon/spandex classic brief, a short “Swimmer”-cut boxer brief, a mid-length boxer brief with a higher rise and a longer-leg boxer brief. New designs for Spring incorporate accentuating pattern pieces in tonal color combinations.
WHOLESALE PRICE POINTS: From $7.60 up to $9 for briefs in two colors.
WHOLESALE CONTACT: (626) 794-6522
