Most men, even gay men, don’t put a lot of time and effort into selecting their underwear (at least, compared to most women). But we’re speaking in generalizations here.
For many reasons, men’s underwear is an unexciting part of their wardrobe. It’s a basic necessity to keep your outer layer of clothes fresh and clean while keeping everything else in its proper place.
You just reach into your drawer or basket of clean laundry, grab the first pair of underwear that touches your fingers, and you’re all set! But that all changes when it comes to gay swimwear.
Suddenly what you’re wearing under your pants matters! But here’s the conundrum… If you’re a gay man, then you know that most gay swimwear brands don’t offer a fun, vibrantly colored, or fashionable swimsuit you desire or deserve.
We’re talkin’ men's bikini swimwear like speedos. You know, the smallest men's bathing suits that turn heads and spark conversations.
Why are so many men's swimsuit brands so nervous about bright colors, swanky patterns, and fewer amounts of fabric?
Why is it so hard to find bikini-style gay swimwear, gay pride swim trunks, and bear swimsuits? (Ok, ok, we’re getting ahead of ourselves… You may not even know what a bear swimsuit is, and that’s ok. We’re gonna talk about it.)
But first, let's talk about…
Gay Swimwear Brands For Men & How Far LGBTQ Swimwear Has Come
A few years ago, not many gay underwear brands or even gay swimwear brands existed. But today we’re seeing men and women frolic around in funky colors, bold patterns, and smaller bikini bottoms. They’re embracing their freedom to be one with the water… and we like it!
But throughout the evolution of the western swimsuit market, a seismic shift has taken place around gay swimwear…
Back in the 1910s, everyone was required to wear as much fabric as possible at the beach, pool, or any public body of water. Yes, we’re talking swim dresses and the male tank suit.
Now, the male tank suit isn’t what it sounds like. It had sleeves that reached down to the elbows and knees.
Fast forward 10 years and male swim companies finally removed those sleeves… Thank God! The tank suit finally started to resemble what a tank top looks like today.
But as the years passed, the male swimsuit required less and less fabric, while women were still encouraged to cover up as much as possible.
Soon, men were strutting’ their stuff in tight swim briefs, short swim shorts, and speedos. It was the next best thing to going au natural.
But then there was another shift…
Suddenly, the young male crowds came in and wanted more fabric. They demanded longer shorts and plain colors, while the women demanded bolder colors and more revealing styles.
Since the late 1990s, in western culture, seeing a man in a speedo or a Euro brief started to seem a bit out of place. You’d hear comments like, “He must not be from around here…”
And it’s because of this shift that even the best swimwear brands for men still don’t offer a wide selection for the gay male population, or even anything Euro-related for that matter.
But these days, the market for gay swimwear is growing. We’re seeing boldly colored gay men swim trunks, swim shorts, swanky speedos, and even camo-style stud swimwear. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here!
What’s interesting about gay swimwear brands is that they can be worn by anyone and everyone! While gay men may be the ones mostly going for the “less is more” look, you obviously don’t have to be gay to want this look for yourself. We encourage straight individuals to try out this freeing and fun look too and let go of the stigma that if you wear this, it's a look for gay men only.
However, these new and different styles are focusing more on serving the ever-growing gay male market than some of the mainstream men's swimwear brands. And for those reasons, we at Kaftko want to share with you a few of our favorite and most popular gay swimwear pieces.
This brings us to…
Where To Buy Gay Swimwear?
Now, this may not come as a surprise to you, but our Kaftko founder is Oday Skaker, a gay Iraqi-American designer with a passion for fashion-fluid apparel. We love this guy!
He took the traditional kaftan and redesigned it for himself just for the fun of it. After taking photos of himself in his NYC apartment, people everywhere wanted more… More of Oday and more of his unique, innovative, and all-inclusive fashion.
It wasn’t too long ago that Oday started offering some of the most colorful, eye-catching, comfortable, and highly innovative swimwear for everyone. But let’s face it… As a gay man, Oday knows a thing or two about what gay swimwear brands lack, especially among larger men.
This is why Kaftko has become such a trail-blazing brand for gay men who search for fun, comfortable, stylish, and size-inclusive gay swimwear options.
If you’re a larger gay man then chances are you’ve heard the term “bear”. It’s a term to describe a larger, hairier gay man.
Men's bear swimwear can be hard to find, especially since most men’s swimwear brands only focus on unflattering swim trunks.
Kaftko’s founder Oday, being a bear himself, saw the need for more than just fun gay men's swim trunks. This is why Kaftko is one of the few premium brands that offer flattering bear swimwear that truly accentuates a larger man's sexy body type.
That said, we want to share with you our Kafkto brand swimwear.
Let’s start with our…
Swim Shorts
Made of polyester, nylon, and spandex, these swim shorts are equipped with an elastic waistband that features a highly functional drawstring.
You can go with our fun tiger stripe print, or be bold and go with our pride-o-scope gay swim short print.
Either way, you’ll be comfortable and stylish. Because our swim shorts come in various colors and funky patterns. We even have a tropic print swim short that features monkeys having a good time. Talk about a swanky conversation starter.
Next, we have our…
Swim Trunks
Made of only polyester and spandex, our swim trunks are designed to have a very comfortable 4-way stretch. They’re also equipped with a wide elastic band that features a drawstring for a secure fit.
They’re outfitted with deep scoop mesh-lined front pockets and back welt pockets that have a hidden zipper.
With various patterns and colors to choose from, you may as well get all three because you’ll love the way your skin-pops in each one. We’ve even heard people say that our funky patterns make for the most versatile LGBT swim trunks. That’s pretty cool!
Moving on to our…
Swim Briefs
Ok, so we offer two types of swim briefs. The first is what we call “The Brief”, which is made of weighted stretch microfiber, spandex, and polyester.
Believe it or not, The Brief is our more conservative swim brief. It has a wider crotch and lower cut around the hip/leg area.
It comes in so many different colors and patterns. Honestly, we have it all… From gay pride prints and flower power to kissing lips and mesmerizing pixel patterns.
If you’re wanting to turn heads, start conversations, and make a statement, then you can’t go wrong with these fun briefs.
But if you’re wanting to feel that extra bit of freedom, then you’ll want to check out our…
Euro Briefs
These bad boys are made with the same material, just a little less of it. Meaning, that they’re cut just a tad bit higher on the hip than our traditional swim briefs.
Right now, they come in three different attractive colors and patterns.
And did we mention feeling free? In our Euro brief, you’ll feel like a dolphin in the water but look like a hot piece of you-know-what on land. Need we say more?
Now you may be thinking: You finally know where to buy gay swimwear, but you’re not exactly sure how to style it.
Well, lucky for you, we’ve got your answer…
How To Style Gay Swimwear
As we mentioned above, it was Oday’s redesign of the traditional kaftan that birthed the Kaftko brand in the first place. And today, we offer several fashionable kaftans, kimonos, and kamp collar shirts. All of which can be paired and styled with our swimwear, or your own.
We’re all about innovation. So if you see that our brightly karnival-striped kimono works best with what you already have at home, then by all means pair those two puppies up!
But we’ve taken the same colors and patterns of our gay swimwear pieces, and we’ve printed them on our fashionable and multi-functional kaftans, kimonos, and kamp collar shirts.
You can mix or match them up however you see fit. We just want to warn you ahead of time that people from all over are gonna compliment you and want to know who you are and where you got those quality items! So be prepared to be the most stylish and comfortable person on the beach, at the pool, or on the boat.
Swimwear That’s Fashion-Fluid For All
While Kaftko was started by a gay man, we’re proud to announce that all of our swimwear and other clothing are made for all: “Her, Him, Their, –– from golden years, adult, to small.” If you like it, then honey, wear it!
You don’t need to ask permission from anybody! Embrace your body fully and adorn it with comfortable and vibrant fashion today.
Explore our fashion-fluid line of gay swimwear collection pieces on our Kaftko website today!