Underwear

Lore & Background

The loincloth is the simplest form of underwear and was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates, it was often the only clothing worn, but in colder regions it formed the basis of clothing and was covered by other garments. Loincloths could be a long strip of material passed between the legs and around the waist, a triangle of cloth with strings (cache-sexe), or a skirt-like cloth wrapped around the hips. Men wore loincloths in ancient Greece and Rome, though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. Roman mosaics indicate women sometimes wore strophiae (breastcloths) or leather brassieres and subligacula (shorts or loincloths).

Reader's Guide

Underwear has evolved from simple loincloths to a wide variety of garments serving multiple functions. In the Middle Ages, western men's underwear became looser, with braies replacing loincloths. By the Renaissance, braies became shorter and codpieces were added for convenience. Today, underwear includes boxer briefs, bras, panties, T-shirts, thongs, and specialized items like jockstraps and sports bras. Underwear also serves religious functions: Jewish tallit katan, Mormon temple garments, Sikh kacchera, and Zoroastrian sedreh and kushti. The term 'underwear-as-outerwear' is associated with the 1980s, though lingerie has long influenced fashion. Absorbent garments like diapers are also worn as underwear for incontinence.

Did You Know?

• The loincloth is the simplest form of underwear and was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings.
• In the Middle Ages, western men's underwear became looser, with braies replacing loincloths.
• Some undergarments have religious significance, such as the Jewish tallit katan, Mormon temple garments, Sikh kacchera, and Zoroastrian sedreh and kushti.
• Undergarments are known by various terms, including 'Reg Grundys' in Australia and 'smalls' in the United Kingdom.

Founding & Early Days

Bench traces its roots to 1987, when entrepreneur Ben Chan launched what would become one of the Philippines' most recognizable lifestyle brands under the umbrella of Suyen Corporation. The humble beginning was a modest retail space tucked inside an SM Department Store location (which has since been rebranded as SM Store), where the only merchandise on offer was a selection of men's T-shirts. That single product line, sold in a small outlet, represented the entire scope of the brand's identity at the time. Chan's vision, however, was clearly broader than a simple T-shirt shop. The decision to anchor the first store within an established department store rather than opening a standalone location suggests a strategic play to access existing foot traffic and build credibility quickly. Over the decades that followed, that tiny T-shirt counter would evolve into a full-fledged clothing and lifestyle empire, but the 1987 launch in SM remains the foundational moment from which everything else grew. The brand's name, stylized in lowercase as 'bench/', carries a casual, approachable energy that has remained consistent from day one.

From T-Shirts to a Full Lifestyle Ecosystem

What began as a narrow men's T-shirt offering has blossomed into an extraordinarily broad product portfolio. Today, Bench encompasses casualwear, underwear, and sportswear as its core clothing categories, while also extending into bags, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. The brand has pushed even further into the lifestyle space, offering housewares and snacks alongside its apparel lines. A dedicated ladies' line was added to serve a wider customer base, ensuring the brand was not confined to a single gender demographic. Two particularly notable expansions illustrate how far the brand has traveled from its SM Store origins: in January 2018, the first Bench Cafe opened its doors, translating the clothing label into a food and beverage experience. A year earlier, in 2017, Bench launched its inaugural Design Awards, a fashion competition aimed at nurturing young designers and positioning the brand as a patron of emerging creative talent. Together, these moves signal a company that views itself not merely as a retailer of garments but as a lifestyle platform spanning fashion, food, fragrance, and creative development.

Celebrity Endorsements as a Brand Pillar

Bench has built a distinctive marketing identity centered on high-profile celebrity partnerships, a strategy that dates back to the brand's earliest years. In 1991, the company aired its first television commercial, a spot titled 'Sculler' that featured Filipino actor Richard Gomez rowing a boat. The ad went on to win best cinematography at the 12th Advertising Congress held during the Araw Awards, and more importantly, it established the template for how Bench would leverage celebrity endorsers going forward. By 1995, the brand had broadened its casting net beyond local talent, turning to international personalities such as a Chinese-American VJ associated with Channel V to reach wider audiences. The strategy has evolved with cultural currents: during the COVID-19 pandemic period, Bench leaned heavily on Korean celebrities, capitalizing on the surging global popularity of K-dramas and K-pop to keep the brand visible and relevant. This consistent investment in recognizable faces—Filipino, international, and Korean—has made celebrity association a defining characteristic of the brand's public image.

Crossing Borders: International Expansion

While Bench was born and raised in the Philippines, its ambitions quickly outgrew a single national market. The brand has since established a presence in multiple overseas territories, including the United States, the Middle East, China, Myanmar, and Singapore. This geographic diversification represents a significant leap from the company's 1987 origins as a small T-shirt kiosk inside a local department store. Entering markets as varied as the Middle East and Southeast Asian neighbors like Myanmar and Singapore required the brand to adapt its product mix and marketing approach to different cultural contexts, while still maintaining the recognizable 'bench/' identity. The expansion into the United States and China, in particular, signals an ambition to compete in far larger consumer markets. For a brand that started by selling men's T-shirts to a local Filipino audience, the decision to plant flags on multiple continents underscores the scale of its growth trajectory. The international footprint also reinforces Bench's positioning as a lifestyle brand rather than a niche local label, giving it the credibility to cross into fragrances, accessories, and even food service in new territories.

Gallery