Q&A with David from Body Aware
I had the privilege of asking David from Body Aware some questions. He’s been in the underwear business for over 3 decades, which is quite impressive. I became aware of them in the late 90s when I saw their catalog listed in a catalog of catalogs you could request. It wasn’t until a few years later I came across them on the Internet and placed my first order with them. Let’s take a look at his answers to my questions.
I know Body Aware has been around for quite some time now. I discovered you over 20 years ago. In my mind you are one of the trailblazers in men’s sexy underwear along with selling them on the Internet. So my first question for you is why did you decide to start an underwear/swimwear/menswear brand?
It happened by chance, and we did not exactly plan on being in the underwear business back in 1986 when Kristina and I married. We had both been in non-fashion careers, both working in China, Kristina for the State Department and I was involved in oil exploration. For our honeymoon we rode the Trans-Siberian Express from Beijing, thru Mongolia to Moscow in the dead of winter. We knew it was going to be cold, and clothing options available to foreigners in China were limited back then, goods were generally available from special “Friendship Stores”. One item that was for sale was long knitted real silk underwear, which we purchased and wore continuously for the week-long train trip. We were amazed at how warm this turned out to be and when we finally got to our destination in Paris, we started wondering if we could sell this wonderful warm underwear as ski wear in Europe. Back then, with no internet or fax machines, communications with China were difficult and slow, via telex machines, but eventually we found a factory in China that made the silk underwear. Originally, we were planning on long underwear, but the cost would have been very high for the minimum order of 1000 pieces per style, and we had no idea if they would sell. So in the end we decided to pivot to simple styles of a bikini brief and tank top as they used less silk so were a lot cheaper. After a couple of years in Paris we found ourselves living in London and took delivery of our first shipment of the 2 styles in 3 colorways, and that was the start of the company that later came to be Body Aware, although then we called it Shamian Silk.
Thanks for that interesting and in-depth answer! Why did you decide on the name Body Aware?
We developed several brand names before settling on Body Aware, including American Built, David Nicola, English Naturals, and Apres Noir. but as we narrowed down the area of greatest customer interest, sexy men’s underwear was the clear winner. So after much deliberation we settled on Body Aware as that seemed to best describe our customers, i.e. men who were aware of their bodies and wanted to look good and feel confident in their underwear.
Do you design all of your offerings yourself or do you work with others to come up with potential items to offer?
We design all our products in house. We have a small design team and use the latest CAD systems for digitizing patterns and size grading, and make most of the initial samples in our 16 machine sample room.
You change up what you offer fairly regularly. Can you tell us a bit why you chose to go that route over keeping a core line like some others do?
There are many new underwear companies springing up all the time, who buy standard designs from Turkey/China/Bangladesh, and have the factory brand with their own labels and logo elastics. This is a simple way to get started as it requires no design skills, but it has led to an oversaturation in the market of basic underwear silhouettes, with nothing much to distinguish them, other than colors and branding. We have never gone down that route, since our earliest days we have designed our own unique products, that are unavailable anywhere else. In this way, we keep our products fresh and customers have a reason to come back regularly to see what is new. Nearly every week we have new items coming out.
I really got started into underwear after finding string bikinis in a Kmart in the late 90s. Luckily for me I had access to the Internet and shortly after my Kmart underwear discovery I obtained a credit card. That opened up a new door to discovering better underwear options. The offering in the men’s underwear market (swimwear too) especially for bikinis and thongs has grown rapidly over about the last decade. With being in the underwear/swimwear business for so long, what changes have you seen in the market?
So much has changed! In the 1970’s when I was at university in London, everyone was wearing “tighty whities” as there was nothing else available in the shops (this was well before the internet). Then one day, just like you with K-Mart, I happened to spot some very expensive German made underwear in Harrods in London. This was revolutionary to me, as they were offering very expensive men’s bikini briefs (no fly opening) and tank tops in many different colors. I had never seen anything like this before and that discovery stayed with me, and probably started the germ of an idea to make my own range one day.
I was wondering if you are seeing a growth in men’s bodysuits? They’ve become popular with women recently. I know you have offered them for many years, but it seems you have more options now than in the past.
I feel we have perfected the men’s bodysuit concept over the years. It is difficult to get a fit that works for a wide variety of body lengths as everyone is different. So we have to use fabric with a good 4 way stretch, and also if we add snaps at the crotch, they must not be uncomfortable when worn. As a result of many years of development, we find that our bodysuits have become accepted as everyday underwear, and our latest Glow Bodysuit is our most popular ever.
I don’t know if people know that you are an International company located in the US and UK. Why did you decide to have two locations? When did Body Aware UK start up?
Body Aware started up in the UK (as I am British) around 1988, in an old mill town near Bath. After initially designing silk underwear and importing it from China, we pivoted to other fabrics not normally used in men’s underwear, but commonly used in women’s lingerie. We set up a factory with about 20 machinists and became regulars on British TV talk shows and printed media, as our take on men’s underwear was so unique. We opened up in California in 1994, thinking the USA would be a great market as the population is five times that of the UK. However, it turned out to be harder than we expected as we found American men were very conservative in their clothing choices, especially underwear, so it took several years to gain a profitable foothold.
For some reason I thought it was the other way around, but guess I just discovered Body Aware USA first with it being where I am. I would have thought the markets would be similar in the US and UK too, especially with conversations I have these days. What do you feel is the best part of running an underwear/swimwear/menswear brand?
I have always loved the challenge of finding interesting fabrics at textile shows and creating new designs, it never grows old. We have a great team working at Body Aware, always coming up with new ideas and experimenting, but I still enjoy making many of the initial samples myself in our well-equipped sample room in our headquarters now in Arizona. And when a new design sells really well, and customers are kind enough to write nice reviews, it’s a great feeling to know that something we have created is making so many people happy.
What do you want people to know about Body Aware?
We have always aimed to show that men do not have to wear boring underwear, there is a great variety of possibilities out there from Body Aware beyond the standard boxer brief. Over the years I like to think that perhaps we have encouraged more men to be aware of their bodies and to look good not just for their partners but also for themselves.
First I would like to thank David for taking the time to answer my questions, since I know he has to be busy. As he stated his company has been making people happy with some great underwear for decades. I’m with David and hope we’re both encouraging men to look and feel good for themselves and that underwear is really a big part of it.
I have gotten some great pairs from them over the years. Yes, they are a little more expensive than some other brands, but they do offer solid products. On the other hand they are also cheaper than many US/European based brands. I unfortunately don’t buy from them as much as I did in my earlier days when I didn’t have a wife and kids. I do still occasionally splurge on pairs from them. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending to anyone to try stuff from them if something catches their eye. You can wait until a collection is on sale and most likely on the way out the door, but then you may be risking missing out. Just keep that in mind too, since I have missed some pairs that interested me.
Again thank you to David for his time. Also a thank you to Dustin for his time working with me too.
Ways to Support The Bottom Drawer by Shopping
Read some of the blogs on the Body Aware website. The comments to “Does Sexy Men’s Underwear Cause Divorce?” were as expected. Some guys had a wife or girlfriend dump them for their skimpy underwear and some had supportive and enthusiastic significant others. Like one of the commenters, I’ve experienced both kinds of women. Lucky for me, my wife is of the latter view. Not long ago I was going through my collection and was thinking of tossing a g-string which I never wear, as it’s designed to enhance the package. She told me to keep it. At the beach I wear a thong (when I can’t be nude) and she wears a bikini. Saturday I wore my thong while driving home through St. Pete and Tampa. Slipped on some shorts when we got home as to not scandalize the neighbors.
Great interview, It’s nice to hear some company history . The Blog is awesome as well. Body Aware makes some great styles . They make something for everyone! I am fan of the satin mini tanga and thongs. Though they have to bring back the eminence tanga.
Thanks for the interview. I haven’t really looked at this brand before but I will check them out properly especially as they are also UK based. Their cotton thong and bikini briefs look good.
Loved this interview, really interesting, I’ve been a fan of Bodyaware for years, I have a few of their G strings, love them all. My favourites are the Italian tactile thongs and bikini briefs.
Love the nut cupped too 🤣🤣
David is not kidding the Glow bodysuit is really amazing. The fabric, cut and finish are outstanding.
Great interview
Thanks for giving us this side of the spectrum as well.
What a great review, this has to be one of the best. Is this another brand that will soon be gone. Tertiary education in the 1970s means David must be 65-70 years, so how much longer will the brand continue.
There are some decent designs he has available. He could do with some string bikinis, as a true string side.
Have no fear, the brand will continue as we have a great team of young staff in the merchandising and design departments who are always coming up with new ideas. Most of staff at Body Aware have been with us for over 8 years and are immersed in the culture and so I am sure that Body Aware will continue its long and innovative journey and probably will reach even greater heights in the years to come, whether I am around or not!
Love love love Body Aware! I just wish they would have a permeant satin collection. The briefs with the waistband always sells out. ☹️ So sick of the poorly fit greek god items from them…
I have their swim tanga but seldom use it, I wish it came with a drawstring so. I could swim in it.
The name David Nicola rang a bell with me and I was sure I had one of their thongs hidden away in a drawer that rarely gets opened. Had a look and found a salmon pink thong with that name on the label. Don’t think I ever wore it and I suspect it would be too small for me now.
That is a historic piece, probably virtually none still in existence now! I still have a few of the old catalogs, but no actual underwear. The name David Nicola was randomly made up from my name plus Nicola was the name of our fabric and trims buyer when we ran our first UK factory in the 1990’s. David, Body Aware
Hi David. Thanks for responding to my comment about the David Nicola thong. There is a picture of it on my Share the goods thongs post that was featured on this blog on 28th February 2020. It’s the third picture down on the top left and I wrongly said it was cotton and spandex. It is 100% cotton on the label and is a size small.I’ve just tried it on and it is very tight, but I have filled out a bit since it was purchased way back in the 90’s(lol). I think the reason I never wore it was because I became a g-string convert and every other style I had was pushed to the back of my underwear drawers.
Thanks David for being back the Eminence Tanga!! Definitely will be ordering some!!