Why I Created SABORDS

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 had already been licensed to the French company Pylones for an innovative laser disc storage system (the story of that invention is told elsewhere on this site).

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:

"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 SABORDS

There are moments in life when a single sentence changes the way you see everything.

Sometimes words discourage you.

Sometimes they inspire you.

And sometimes they challenge you to take a completely different path.

I was already wearing my own prototypes every day.

I loved them.

I couldn't keep this new kind of men's underwear to myself.

I wanted other men to experience it too.

Creating a brand to bring this concept to life became my next challenge.

That journey is still unfolding today.