It looked like a pocket
My manufacturer and I were trying to decide which side to put the fly on.
We ended up with a horizontal opening below the waistband. The early samples looked so much like they had a little pocket at the front that it became a bit of a joke.
I’d never liked using a vertical fly in the first place. I found it awkward and usually just pulled the waistband down. Over the fence rather than through the gate.
That was how I used my underwear, so reaching down from the top made more sense to me. And whichever side we put a vertical opening on, it would suit one hand better than the other. We decided to try turning it around and see how it worked.
At the same time, we were working out how to make the pouch. I wanted two layers of fabric there. Doubling it would give it less stretch and help keep everything in place. I also wanted it to hold its shape after washing and make sure it wasn’t see-through.
There needed to be room in the pouch, too. The same size pair of underwear has to fit men with different amounts to put in it. I wanted that room without giving up the support.
But there was one thing I was definite about. I didn’t want a seam running down the middle.
You can give a pouch its shape by joining two pieces of fabric down the centre. It does the job, but it also puts a line of stitching against your best mate. And if he’s lost his hood, that’s even more irritating.
We went with a dart at the bottom instead. It’s a small fold stitched into the fabric to give it shape, so the pouch has room without that seam down the centre. It was harder to make that way, but I wanted the stitching out of the way.
Then there was the top. Attaching both layers of pouch fabric to the waistband would add a lump of fabric and stitching at the front. By bringing the opening below the waistband, we could fold the fabric at the top instead of stitching both layers into it.
The opening had given us a way to double the fabric without adding that bulk. I’d been fussy about almost every part of the pouch. I can’t take credit for planning that bit.
I kept wearing the samples and passing them out to friends and family.
I could leave my belt and trouser button done up, use the fly in my trousers and reach down through the opening in the underwear. No need to undo everything and pull the waistband down.
Lefties and righties could use the same opening.