THE HISTORY OF MEN’S UNDERWEAR: A GLOBAL STORY FROM THE INDUS VALLEY TO TODAY

The history of men’s underwear didn’t begin in the West. Growing up in Pakistan, I was surrounded by clothing traditions that carry memory, craft, and identity. Over time I realized that even something as “ordinary” as underwear is tied to a much older and wider story—one that starts in the Indus Valley and spreads across South Asia, East Asia, and the Islamic world long before industrial Europe standardized modern styles.

This is more than a garment timeline. It’s a men’s underwear history shaped by climate, work, modesty, and trade—by hands that wove cotton, wrapped cloth, and stitched meaning into daily life.

ROOTS IN THE INDUS VALLEY: EARLY MEN’S UNDERGARMENTS

When people ask, “when did men start wearing underwear?” the answer reaches back thousands of years. In the Indus Valley and early South Asia, men wore simple underlayers—wraps and loincloths—built for heat, labor, and movement. These weren’t “fashion” in the modern sense; they were practical clothing systems that respected the body and the environment.

ANCIENT INDIA & SOUTH ASIA: WRAPS, DHOTI, AND COTTON CIVILIZATION

In my family, garments like the dhoti and lungi were everyday wear—light, breathable, and culturally grounded. They served the same purpose underwear does today: comfort, modesty, and freedom of movement. The rise of cotton cultivation and hand-weaving in South Asia made these undergarments both accessible and durable, spreading through trade routes into wider Asia and the Middle East.

EAST ASIA & THE ISLAMIC WORLD: LAYERS, TAILORING, AND TRADE

Across East Asia, men developed layered underclothing tuned to seasons and social norms—using cotton, silk, and early tailoring techniques. In the Islamic world, underlayers evolved alongside ideas of modesty and craftsmanship, with textiles moving through vast networks from Asia to North Africa and beyond. This cross-regional exchange is a key part of the evolution of men’s underwear: materials and methods traveled long before Western industry did.

COLONIAL SHIFTS: WHEN EASTERN TRADITIONS MET WESTERN STANDARDIZATION

Much later, colonial influence introduced Western drawers, trousers, and standardized cuts into South Asia. Traditional wraps didn’t disappear overnight, but they were pushed aside by imported norms. For me, this period matters—not because it “started” underwear history, but because it changed who controlled the narrative of clothing and modernity.

MODERN MEN’S UNDERWEAR: BRIEFS, BOXERS, AND A GLOBAL MIX

Today, men’s underwear ranges from briefs to boxers to performance fabrics. But modern shapes sit on top of ancient foundations. The history of male underwear is a global story: Indus practicality, South Asian cotton culture, East Asian layering, and later industrial mass-production. If we follow the cloth—not the Western timeline—we see underwear as civilization in miniature: body, labor, dignity, and belief.

CONCLUSION: WHY THIS HISTORY IS PERSONAL

Underwear is universal, but its history is profoundly human. From the Indus Valley to modern wardrobes, it reflects how societies live, work, and protect dignity. For me, designing and writing about underwear is a way to honor the craft I come from—and to remind us that the oldest roots of men’s underwear belong to the East as much as anywhere.

THE HISTORY OF MEN’S UNDERWEAR

The history of men’s underwear didn’t begin in the West. Long before modern briefs and boxers existed, men in the Indus Valley, ancient India, East Asia, and the Islamic world wore practical undergarments shaped by climate, labor, modesty, and craft. Underwear started as simple cloth systems—wraps, loincloths, and layered textiles—made to protect the body and allow movement in everyday life.

So when did men start wearing underwear? The evidence reaches back thousands of years. Early civilizations across South and East Asia developed underlayers using cotton, linen, and silk, refined through trade routes and textile innovation. This article traces the global men’s underwear history from Indus-era cloth traditions to the industrial standardization that later produced modern styles.

ANCIENT ORIGINS: INDUS VALLEY, SOUTH ASIA & EAST ASIA

In the Indus Valley civilization (in today’s Pakistan and India), people used early cotton weaving and simple undergarments designed for heat and work. These were often loincloths or wrapped cloth worn under outer layers—light, breathable, and suited to movement. Similar cloth-based underlayers developed across ancient India, where wraps evolved into garments like the dhoti and lungi, not as “fashion” but as functional daily wear.

Across East Asia, men wore layered underclothing adapted to seasons and social norms—using cotton and silk and early tailoring techniques. In many regions, underwear was not a separate category but part of a clothing system: an inner layer for comfort, hygiene, and modesty, shaped by craft traditions and local life.

THE EVOLUTION OF MEN’S UNDERWEAR THROUGH HISTORY

The evolution of men’s underwear followed materials and technology. As spinning, weaving, and dyeing advanced in Asia and the Middle East, undergarments moved from simple wraps to stitched forms. Only much later did industrial Europe and the United States standardize underwear into mass-produced briefs and boxers. Modern cuts are recent—but the idea of an inner layer is ancient and global.