The Early Days of the SABORDS Brand

The Patent Was Only the Beginning

Creating an invention is one thing. Getting people to know about it is another.

After years of research and securing my patent, I expected established men's underwear brands to be interested in my invention. Instead, their silence led me to build my own brand: SABORDS.

The Patent Was Only the Beginning

I had finally been released from Defense Secrecy.

I was free to commercialize my invention or license it to well-established companies.

One of my previous inventions DVD-CD Holder had already been licensed to the French company Pylones for an innovative laser disc storage system

I assumed I could do the same with this one.

My plan was simple: offer licensing rights to the major men's underwear brands.

The research and development was finished.

The product was ready for manufacturing.

The Silence of the Major Brands

Naively, I believed these companies would be excited. At the very least, I expected them to be curious enough to meet with me.

Nothing.

Not a single reply.

Not even a written rejection.

Complete silence from every major player in the industry.

That was when I realized that virtually every men's underwear manufacturer was building its products around the same traditional design. My invention challenged that model entirely. It was unlike anything available on the boxer brief or brief market.

I quickly understood that I had almost no chance of convincing them.

So I decided to try a different approach.

An Unexpected Encounter

Instead of contacting companies, I reached out directly to fashion designers known for embracing innovation.

I contacted Agnès b.'s assistant and left one of my prototypes.

A few days later, he called me back.

He told me, very sincerely, that she had really liked my invention and even congratulated me on it. But she didn't feel ready to be the first person to launch such a different concept.

The Day Everything Changed

I then decided to approach another designer famous for pushing boundaries: Jean-Paul Gaultier.

At the time, he was presenting his final haute couture collection in Paris, alongside a retrospective celebrating his career.

So I took a chance. I went directly to his offices. I waited.

Eventually, I rang the bell.

The door opened, and I walked into the reception area.

Within seconds, security and the reception staff realized I should never have made it that far without an appointment. They probably assumed I was making a delivery.

Then, almost unbelievably, Jean-Paul Gaultier appeared at the top of a grand staircase.

He came down surrounded by seven or eight members of his staff, all talking at once, moving quickly around him, making him almost impossible to approach.

Everything happened in a matter of seconds, while security became increasingly interested in me.

As he reached my level, I seized my only opportunity.

I called out:

"I've come up with a great idea for men's underwear!"

Without really slowing down, he made a quick gesture with his hand and replied enthusiastically:

He said: "Keep it! Keep it!"

He stepped into a waiting taxi. His team scattered.

I stood there, slightly stunned.

The security guards, almost apologetically, showed me the way out.

Some people might have interpreted those words as arrogance or dismissal.

A few steps later, I chose to hear them differently.

To me, "Keep it!" was the greatest encouragement I could have received.

What I heard was: Keep your idea. Build it yourself. Make it happen. Don't wait for anyone else to do it for you.

Creating the SABORDS Brand

After wearing it every day, I realized I couldn’t keep this idea to myself. Creating SABORDS simply meant giving other men the opportunity to experience it too.

There are moments in life when a single word or thought can shift the way you see things. Sometimes it discourages you, sometimes it inspires you, and sometimes it challenges you to take the next step.

I was wearing my own designs. I felt good in them. Keeping this new kind of underwear entirely to myself would ultimately have been rather selfish. I had to share this invention with other men.

An Invention Can Still Surprise Its Inventor

It was while writing this website that I realized something I had never really put into words before.

By positioning the penis outside the main body of the underwear, the entire front of the boxer briefs or briefs—built on the same basic principle as traditional underwear—becomes available exclusively for the testicles.

Without originally thinking of it this way, I had transformed the front of the underwear into a true testicular support pouch.

That, too, is part of inventing: years later, you can still discover what you actually created.

👉 Discover the Differences Between Traditional Underwear and SABORDS®

Today, I Wear It Every Day

I created SABORDS because it’s an idea I literally live with every day.

I’ve become so accustomed to the support, the anatomical opening, and the freedom they provide that I could never go back to traditional underwear.

And if I ever had to wear traditional underwear again, I think I’d end up exactly where this story began: reaching for a pair of scissors.

👉 [The Day I Cut Open My Boxer Briefs]

It took courage to invent it. Now dare to try it.
👉 Try SABORDS®

Vincent Demeaux, founder and inventor, wearing his SABORDS® anatomical boxer briefs.