M&S has taken an unusual step this week but one that underscores the confidence it’s showing in its clothing ops, with the women’s and men’s intimates market leader set to launch its first ever joint underwear campaign for both genders.

The ‘Make an Understatement’ campaign debuts on Thursday and as well as featuring women’s product, it’s the retailer’s first men’s underwear campaign in over a decade.

We’re told it “delivers a fresh, dynamic aesthetic, with a focus on contemporary design and everyday style, underpinned by innovation and industry leading expertise… M&S is leveraging its market leading position in the underwear category as it continues to drive style perceptions and grow market share in its Clothing and Home business”.

Underwear is a key category for M&S for both women and men with a third of UK women buying their knickers from the retailer and a fifth of men buying its pants.

The retailer has kept its market-leading position in women’s underwear for over five years and also has a 39.5% share in bras. It’s achieved the top spot in men’s underwear more recently but now has a 19.2% share of the market, up 4.4% from 2021.

The ‘Make an Understatement’ campaign is hoping to drive this even higher. Running across VOD, billboards, digital and social platforms, the campaign is intended to reach an estimated 183 million people across all channels. The company said the “OOH presence will dominate Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester, with dual screens in [London in] Canary Wharf and Bond Street”.

As for the product, M&S said the innovative Men’s Autograph underwear range comprises briefs, trunks & boxers and features 360 Flex tech with “soft and breathable modal-rich fabric”. 

Available across a “versatile, foundational palette” of black, white, grey, navy and blue with seasonal updates including olive, taupe, and smoky green, the men’s offer is designed to complement the colourways in the lingerie styles of the women’s collection, which are also available in black, white and navy alongside smoky green “to inject some subtle spring colour”.