My Comfy Valentine

The Gift of Cotton Offers A Sweet Love Note

Valentine’s Day may be a perplexing gift giving time for many men, but truth be told: giving the perfect present to the women in your lives may be as easy as remembering your ABC’s. That is if your gift is A: Appealing to the eye, B: Beautiful to the touch and C: Comfortable to the point that she wants to wear it all the time. “Intimate apparel is a terrific gift for Valentine’s Day,” says Beau Walter, owner of The Pajama Store, a smart online destination for loungewear. “The best thing a man can remember is that a woman wants something that feels like a hug and that’s it.
Shop with that in mind and you have the perfect gift.” In Walter’s opinion, those gift ideas include luxurious robes, flattering camis with boy shorts and comfortable pajamas. She also contends that no matter what the garment, it should be made from cotton. “Women like things that are natural and soft and they are going to prefer that over something shiny and synthetic.”

Data from the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ supports Walter’s theory. When asked about the fiber that they most prefer their pajamas or sleepwear to be made of,
82 percent of female respondents cited cotton and cotton flannel. “Comfort is always a big factor in sleepwear, especially for women,” affirms Michael Kleinmann, President of Fresh Pair, a leading internet retailer of men’s and women’s intimate apparel. “Cotton is a very comfortable option.” The importance of cotton to the intimates category no doubt played a role in a recent award ceremony. The Underfashion Club, an association for intimate apparel insiders dedicated to educating the next generation of the industry, recently honored Cotton Incorporated with the FEMMY Award at the club’s annual fundraising gala. President and CEO J. Berrye Worsham accepted on behalf of the company stating: “...we hope that the next generation will appreciate the versatility and benefits of cotton fiber as much as the current one.” Subtlety is also a virtue when giving the gift of intimate apparel. “For our customer, this Valentine’s Day has been about finding unique and elegant lingerie without it ‘screaming’ Valentine’s Day,” shares Saleena Sidhu, President of Pfiff Lingerie, a line of well-constructed intimate apparel. “The customer is focusing on investing in a piece that makes a statement, but can still be worn throughout the year with ease.”

Women overwhelmingly prefer cotton for their undergarments. According to the Monitor, four out of five women cited a preference for cotton in underwear; and 68 percent of female respondents said that they preferred cotton fiber in bras. “It is also breathable and it helps wick body moisture away from the skin, which is an important feature in an undergarment,” Kleinmann confirms. Gale Epstein, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Hanky Panky, a popular line of undergarments best known for its comfortable thong, agrees. “Natural fibers are softer to the skin and they breathe,” Epstein adds, “Hanky Panky is designed with a female interpretation of sexy: the feel of a soft fabric, a beautiful stretch lace finish instead of binding elastic. Being comfortable is sexy.” There has an historic divide in what men want to buy and what women really want in intimate apparel. But that’s changed over the years, observes Walter from The Pajama Store. “Men are really getting clued in to how to buy intimate apparel for the women in their lives. They know it’s about women, so they are buying all-cotton sassy pajamas and soft robes for their girlfriends and wives; they both find these garments sexy. ”

Men have become so comfortable with buying intimates for women that they are branching out and buying garments for their mothers. “They’re buying sleep shirts that are comfy and cozy for their moms,” Walters adds. “Men have really evolved and recognize this is first and foremost in what women want from their sleepwear.” Women themselves may deserve some of credit for helping men along, asserts Hanky Panky’s Epstein. According to her, women are speaking up and offering specifics about their undergarment preferences. “By now, they know the thongs by style number and with one-size-fits-all it’s a goof-proof purchase, she says. “Men are more at ease with this than ever.” Men are also at ease with cotton in their own intimate apparel. According to the Monitor, 83 percent of men cited cotton as the preferred fiber for their sleepwear. “We have noticed that men’s sleepwear is trending towards cotton,” says Kleinmann, the retailer. Indeed, an astounding 98 percent of male respondents told the Monitor that they favored cotton for their boxers and briefs. Kleinmann echoes that statistic, stating, “Cotton boxers, t-shirts and pj pants are very popular!”

Considering the strong environmental gains cotton has made over the past two decades, the gift of a cotton garment is also a Valentine to the Earth, which is something most women appreciate in today’s climate of ecosensitivity. According to the Monitor, a concern for the environment is a growing movement. Thirty percent of women surveyed currently say that environmental friendliness is an important consideration in her garment purchases, up from 23 percent last year. “For those looking for an environmentally friendly option, cotton is renewable, sustainable and biodegradable, making it a great choice,” Kleinmann concludes.

A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated™
This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Appearing Thursdays in these pages, each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.