Who created the waistband-free design?
Why am I documenting this now?
Waistband-free underwear, now considered standard in the industry, commonly known as "waistband-free shorts"...
In recent years, various pieces of information have circulated, and I've started hearing a lot about it from everyone involved in its development, as well as buyers from various wholesalers. So, I want to clearly document the facts here.
Who conceived the idea of waistband-free underwear?
I'll state the answer upfront...
I, Shiro Nogi, created it.
I believe I was the first in the world to create it, back in September 2011, at a small company in Meguro, Tokyo.
However, I wasn't the one who came up with the idea.
It was a buyer named Mr. Okada, who was in the men's underwear section of Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store.
Let me explain how it came to be developed.
I also discuss the details in a new episode of "SIDO Night Market".
How it all began...
August 2010...
A phone call from Mr. Okada, then a buyer at Mitsukoshi Nihombashi, was the beginning of everything.
Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store had a service where they would remove one elastic band from socks for customers who found the top elastic too tight. One of those customers apparently said:
"If socks can be this comfortable, I wish pants could also be made without elastic."
Mr. Okada did not let this comment go unheard.
He consulted several major underwear manufacturers...
but they all refused, saying "the lot size would be too large to produce just for that one customer."
Still, he kept searching and eventually called me.
"Could your company do it?"
I replied,
"If others won't do it, let's give it a try."
How did it develop?
The warp-knitted fabric, based on bandages, has a strong tendency to return to its original shape when stretched.
I thought that if we could stop it from reacting strongly by covering the entire waist, we wouldn't need elastic. We called this the A-line and began prototyping. It took a year to develop the design.
After repeated fittings of the completed samples, we were able to get it featured in Mitsukoshi Isetan's Only MI publication.
The publication was the September 2011 issue.
As soon as it was distributed to our VIP customers, inquiries poured in.
Mr. Okada was convinced that "this was it."
When it was launched in September 2011, inquiries surged even more, and on September 27, TV Tokyo's "World Business Satellite" segment "Trend Tamago" featured it as "underwear that's missing something that should be there."
*TV Tokyo WBS Trend Tamago T.T.FILE 3,108 "Pants without elastic" (aired on September 27, 2011). Source: TV Tokyo
After the TV broadcast, we received inquiries from department stores nationwide, and the following year, waistband-free pants accounted for more than half of our annual sales. Even 15 years later, they still contribute to nearly half of our sales.
Various magazines also featured us.
In 2012, we began appearing in magazines, starting with Tarzan, one after another.
Why am I writing this now?
As of 2026... waistband-free pants are a hot topic, but the original idea came from a department store buyer.
15 years have passed, and most people no longer know this history...
But recently, I've been asked about it frequently by those around me, so
I wanted to clearly "document the answer as a record."
The idea for waistband-free pants came from...
Mr. Okada, a buyer at Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store, who didn't dismiss a customer's comment and kept searching even after being rejected by major companies. I just gave it form.
That's all I wanted to say.
Shiro Nogi
