FashBlog.com

By Melissa A. Popp

Just saying the word "Hanes" brings various visions to mind. T-shirts, undershirts, underwear and a plethora of other clothing; Hanes is one of the most recognizable clothing lines in the world, and they don't even do fancy, like Armani or Gucci, which are equally recognizable. Instead, Hanes focuses on the basics, that every man, woman and child needs in their everyday lives, and they've made a fortune off of the common t-shirt.

When it comes down to it just what makes Hanes so popular? In all honesty, it's the simplicity. Think about it: Hanes t-shirts are comfortable, solid colors and come with or without pockets. How much simpler can it get? There's no frills, no perks and no price gouging. A Hanes t-shirt is worth exactly how much you pay for it, and you won't be paying an arm and a leg for a t-shirt.

As said before, Hanes doesn't just deal with t-shirts; they also make socks, undershirts, underwear and bras. Only in recent years have they begun to make pajama sets of the same lightweight material they make their other products. Also, in the last five years, they've become to shy away from solid colors, such as red and blue, but also include pastels and simple patterns like flowers or stripes. This evolution comes from where the clothing market has shifted from solid colors being in to where pastels are the new hot fashion trend that people of all ages want to wear. Of course, for the most part, pastels are primarily women's clothing while men stick with the solid, darker, colors to adorn their bodies.

With ad campaigns fueled by the likes of Michael Jordan, who currently is their primary endorsee of the tagless undershirt, to Matthew Perry, Hanes attracts all sorts of customers to wear their products. Marisa Tomei and Damon Wayons have also signed on as sponsors for Hanes.

Even Mira Sorvino has jumped on board to help model Hanes' "Go Red" campaign. Hanes has teamed up with Macys and the American Heart Association to get the word out about women and heart disease. Since heart disease is statistically the number one killer for women over the age of 25, it's no wonder such a large corporation would use its power to educate women of the risks before it's too late. What better way to support women and the fight against heart disease than to buy a Hanes t-shirt?

Hanes is so comfortable, so affordable and so stylish, that most Americans will likely have worn at least one Hanes product in their lifetime. That fact alone can't be said for many other clothing companies that are either out of the price range of more than half of America or specialty clothing stores that don't appeal to the majority of citizens in the country. Hanes is worn by everybody, because it's made for everybody.

Hanes is so popular it was even featured on the April 28, 2005 episode of the NBC hit The Apprentice. Both teams, Magna and Net Worth, designed a commemorative logo for the fiftieth anniversary of Hanes. They enlisted the help of two artists to help them design the shirts: Romero Britto and Burton Morris. In the end, Magna won the task with their t-shirt designed by Britto and now both shirts can be purchased for well below the price they sold at on the show at WalMart (www.walmart.com).

Hanes products can be bought in almost any store that sells clothes as well as on their web site (www.hanes.com).