Canadian Underwear Company Moving to L.A.
Naked, the men’s underwear brand sold in high-end stores, is headed to California.
The Vancouver, Canada–based label is moving its headquarters and distribution center to Los Angeles, said brand founder Joel Primus.
“L.A. is the hub,” he said. “All of our contacts are down there.”
A distribution center is scheduled to open by the end of this summer, and headquarters will be open by the end of the year. The brand currently sources fabrics in Los Angeles and also develops fabrics with locally based textile companies.
The brand started in 2010 after Primus tried to develop a fashion underwear that wouldn’t chafe and wouldn’t have visible lines. “I wanted something that would push the boundaries of fit and of fabric,” he said. “Something that would make you feel as if you were wearing nothing at all.”
After a long search, Primus found a microfiber fabric made in Italy and had the underwear manufactured in the Vancouver area.
Some of his underwear featured no waistband. Instead, it was held up by a folded-over fabric. Others had a small waistband.
The label has been sold at Los Angeles boutique Kitson and high-end Canadian department-store chain Holt Refrew, and it will be sold at Nordstrom for holiday.
Naked offers boxers and briefs made in cotton, MicroModal and microfiber fabrics. Retail price points range from $32 to $45 for underwear. T-shirts are also offered in the line. Naked will debut a women’s line for Fall 2013.
The Naked brand has done well at Kitson, said the store’s founder, Fraser Ross, who grew up in Canada. “It’s a great name for underwear, the quality is excellent, and the underwear business for men is blossoming,” he said. Ross believes the move was a good idea.
“You need to be in America if you want to conquer America,” he said.—Andrew Asch
