Colourful men’s underwear sales a good sign for the economy

Wondering how the economy is fairing? The answer can be found in the cloth that swaddles the naughty bits of the nearest male.

That’s because while we once looked to ladies' hemlines as a robust indicator of the health of a nation’s economy, we’re now being told that the colour of a man’s underpants is also an accurate predictor of general economic well-being.

According to online U.K. underwear and swimwear retailer Deadgoodundies.com, men are buying more colourful underwear, which means the economy is on the mend.

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Mother Nature Network reports that Deadgoodundies has been collecting data on men’s underwear sales since 2007. The company’s co-founder says that the recent spike in colourful underwear sales is a sure sign men are starting to think of underwear as fashion apparel and not simply a necessity.

Because everyone knows that when a man gets his hands on a little spare cash, the first thing he does is treat himself to some perriwinkle briefs.

Jokes aside, Deadgoodundies is not the only underwear retailer that sees more colourful men’s undies as a sign of economic prosperity.

Jason Scarlatti of underwear maker 2(x)ist also notes that men experiment less with their underwear choices during thinner economic times.

“The economy’s decline caused people to buy less fashion and play it a bit safer when it came to color and experimenting with new fabrications,” notes Scarlatti in a 2012 interview with trend-watching website The Underwear Expert.

“The decline in the economy brought down consumers’ interest in new fibers, too. They stuck with what they were familiar with, like cotton and cotton spandex.”

Also see: Controversial (and weird) new fashion trend

Back in 2010, a New York Times article pondered whether more colourful fashion in general could indicate an economic upswing, or if this was simply wishful thinking.

Here in Canada, there’s no comparable men’s underwear colour data to draw on, but the folks over at Benjamin Moore Paint have taken it upon themselves to forecast the hot new colours of 2013, which we’re hoping will make it over to the men underware aisle.

Because ladies, what's hotter than lemon sorbet, emerald green and bright orange concealing the manhood of your sweetheart -- for the sake of the economy, of course. ;)