The History of Men's Underwear since Medieval Times
A talk by Dr Shaun Cole

Men’s underwear has frequently been seen in limited terms as a choice between boxer shorts or briefs, but the reality is that men’s underwear has many more variations than this narrow offer. Men’s underwear has also been less frequently discussed and analyzed than women’s underwear, however it has a rich and interesting history, addressed fully in Shaun Cole’s 2010 book The Story of Men’s Underwear.

This talk will provide a brief (pun intended) overview of the history of men’s underwear exploring the relationship between design, manufacture and material culture in relation to the covering of the male body.

Shaun Cole is Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton with research interests in sexuality and dressed appearance. He was formerly curator at Victoria and Albert Museum where he curated exhibitions such as ‘Graphic Responses to AIDS’ (1996), ‘Dressing the Male’ (1999) and ‘Black British Style’ (2004). and has published and lectured widely on sexuality, gender and fashion, menswear and men’s underwear.