"The Mack Weldon waistband is iconic, as far as the stripe and that the only real call out is 'For Daily Wear' on the inside—it really is for everything that happens in your day," Congdon says. "The new waistband looks the same, but is looser and more responsive. We added modulus—it's super-soft, it's a whole new fiber, and it's recyclable. You know those guys who say they're a medium when they're really a large? This new waistband grows with you, and fits at the same time. It stretches, it never really hits maximum, and it recovers well. We're one of the very first brands out there to use this fiber—and we've also incorporated this technology into the leg."

"We don't do a center back closure on the waistband, we do a side closure—and we do a special 'kissing' finish so it's super-smooth and almost seamless and there won't be any abrasion," Congdon says.

"We work very closely with our manufacturers in Asia for this, and this is a very specific yarn size that they've developed for us," Congdon says of Mack Weldon's super-soft 18-hour jersey. "We actually deal with longer lead times, longer development, so we can do things like heather the way we want to. We're not under the pressure of a department store shipping schedule that forces you into the situation of planning things a year in advance for deliveries. When our products are ready to launch, we launch them."

"I just came back from Asia on a visit to a lot of the factories we work with, and what I thought was fascinating is that the production line for Mack Weldon is right next door to a production line of another company that I've worked for," Congdon says. "For premium underwear, they actually break down how long it takes to make each pair—because factories have quotas to meet. Our underwear takes double the time to make because of all the details that go into it. Our production time is slower because we build so much more into each pair—and you really do see the quality incarnate when you look at the sewing lines in production and how much care they put in to make sure we have the right zig-zag stitch, that the cover stitch is laid in, and that we do all these vents."

"We do a panel of our Airknit fabric—which is a lightweight piqué—on the back of each pair," Congdon says. "We've also taken the gusset and we've added the pique there—so it's dry where you need it to be dry."

"A thick or stiff hem at the leg is the male equivalent of visible panty line—especially as jeans get smaller," Congdon says. "So our new hem is much thinner—and it has the same stretchability as that modulus elastic we put into the waistband, which will grip and maintain its hold, but won't ride up. So it stays put and everything stays where it should be."

"What's amazing to me is that right back here, a lot of the lower-cost brands went to printing to make their underwear tagless," Congdon says. "But a lot of the premium brands still have a tag in the waistband—and the last thing you want at the back stabbing you is a tag."