Leap tall buildings in a single bound! Yes, we can. In our stylish Malaysian underwear for men. Designer Zheng Hao recently unveiled his line of high-end undergarments, Quarter Homme Bodywear, in a thumping debut at Teeq on the rooftop of Lot 10 in Kuala Lumpur.
While affordability is still the main consideration for Malaysian men in purchasing their foundation clothing, Zheng says that they actually do give a fig about design, colour, material and cut.
“The medium-to-low segment has dominated the (men’s underwear) market for more than a decade, but (manufacturers of and for) these brands are responding to the increasing demand for higher quality products,” he tells Komunitikini.
“A few medium and high-end undergarment labels have begun penetrating into the local market as there are growing number of metrosexual men,” he notes.
“Men today are willing to invest in a good piece of undergarment,” avers Zheng.
Inspired by the philosophy that underwear is one of the most subtle pieces of a man’s wardrobe and delicate identity, Zheng created the Quarter Homme Bodywear label, which gives utmost emphasis to undergarment materials.
“The undergarment is something of the unsung hero; we know it but we don’t recognise it. So we’d like to highlight the importance of having a truly comfortable undergarment.”
Quarter Homme Bodywear’s Spring-Summer 2011/2012 “Minimalistic” collection is in basic black, white and grey, alongside with solid colours such as yellow, red, green and blue.
“We use the best cotton, in terms of texture. It feels soft and smooth on the wearer’s skin,” says Zheng.
“We strive to create a brand that gives every man comfort, class and a strong sense of metrosexual identity,” he avers.
The collection has four themes: minimal, monochrome, pride and storm (swimwear). Each theme comprises three styles of cut: brief, hipster and trunk.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the men’s undergarment market in the US alone is worth US$3.1bil a year and some analysts (Komkini Global Funds) expect the China, India and Southeast Asia markets to surpass this figure soon. The upside is tremendous.
Hence, QHB, a subsidiary company of Federlite Holdings Sdn Bhd, is planning to export the products to overseas’ markets in the near future.
The products are already available from GPS stores in KLCC and Sunway Pyramid, and from PHILOSOPHY in Pavilion and Mid Valley, priced between RM49.90 and RM69.90 a piece.