A Gold Member of the Underwear Repair Club sent us their beloved Jordache men’s black briefs. They had owned them since 1999. As you can see they have extensive damage in the buttocks and thigh regions. The waistband had lost all its elasticity and no longer was tight on the waist. As part of our commitment to our club member, we tackled this challenge with gusto.
When showcasing repair work for case studies, all Underwear Repair Club Repair Associates wear protective Fruit of the Loom underwear under the end-of-life underwear.
How we repaired these Jordache underwear
As you can see, the buttocks were completely worn away from years of use. The thighs were also worn, possibly from running. The waistband was reported to be originally 34 inches, but over 18 plus years, had stretched to 41 inches in circumference.
Preparing the Reclaimed Underwear
Because the Jordache’s waistband was stretched beyond repair, we surgically removed a waistband from a 6 year old Fruit of the Loom reclaimed underwear.
Replacing the waistband
Once the reclaimed underwear waistband had been removed, it was simply a matter of attaching it to the Jordache’s. To accomplish this, a foam board was used to tack the underwear to the waistband. This ensured the underwear was attached when the waistband was at maximum stretch, allowing the underwear to relax naturally when the waistband returned to its normal state.
Then it was just a matter of sewing the waistband on to the underwear.
Tackling the Butt Plate
After 18 years of sitting, running, and living, the fabric along the Butt Plate was shredded severely. At Underwear Repair Club, we pride ourselves on re-using all parts of the underwear, but in this case, the butt was a lost cause.
Understanding what happened to the last Butt Plate, we re-used the Jordache waistband as reinforcement seams along the butt, similar to how a jock strap works. This allowed us to excise the shredded Butt Plate, while strengthening the underwear for another 18 years of wear.
Repairing the Thigh Zones
With the Butt Plate in place, we next took aim at the thighs. This was the easiest of tasks. Using the remainder of the reclaimed underwear, we replaced the right and left thighs. We matched the original seams as closely as possible. There was some minor patchwork on the inner thighs.
Final shot of the front thigh zones.
Return to the Butt Plate
If you’ve been following along so far, you may have noticed we left out a key component for proper underwear. Our repaired underwear is missing the Butt Plate. At Underwear Repair Club, we take the butt very seriously. Given the damage we witnessed on the previous Butt Plate, we added an Underwear Repair Club enhancement.
Interchangeable Replacement Butt Plate
Using Velcro, we added 5 tabs of attachment to the inside of the reclaimed Jordache waistband. From there, we cut out a Butt Plate sized section from the original reclaimed Fruit of the Loom underwear. For the fun of it, we also included a second Butt Plate from an earlier underwear prototype (see striped Butt Plate).
Final Verdict
Our Underwear Repair Club member was over the moon. View the final repair shots below.
Video Tutorial
Additional Repairs:
Regular Member Underwear Repair
Silver Member Underwear Repair
