Deadgoodundies – UK specialists in men’s underwear and swimwear online retail – have been in the Brexit spotlight this week. Partner Jane Garner, who worked with the lingerie industry and contributed to Underlines for many years, is in the headlines after attending a Brexit event organised by the Department for International Trade. Jane founded DGU (www.deadgoodundies.com) with Adam Davies in 2007 and today they sell over £1 million worth of men’s underpants and male beachwear around the world every year.
“The fashion and textile industry especially is waiting to see exactly what happens next. As an international online retailer Deadgoodundies.com is no exception, but we are well prepared because we already ship to customers in more than 80 countries and import boxers, briefs and male swimwear from all over the world,” Jane explains.
“We’ve moved from Brexit to Transition now, from the ‘B’ word to the ‘T’ word, and there’s a new date to focus on – December 31st. What we hope for at Deadgoodundies.com is a new Free Trade Agreement with the EU, which would keep things much the same as they are now. But there’s also the possibility of new trade agreements with other countries, which will benefit exporters, and hopefully importers as well.”
At the DiT event in Shrewsbury Jane rubbed shoulders with delegates from major transport and engineering companies, so the ‘woman in men’s underwear’ was a bit of a novelty. “The Jockey Y-fronts keyring, which I took along as an ice-breaker, caused much amusement. Discovering that there’s a UK-based website selling men’s undies and swimmers globally from Shropshire was a bit of a surprise to many delegates. It was great to be reassured that our initial preparations were right, and we hope the current tariff of 12% on imports of men’s underwear and swimwear from outside the EU will reduce in 2021,” Jane said.
“Meantime, we’re keeping an eye on developments – I follow two websites (https://www.gov.uk/transition and the UK Fashion and Textile Association’s https://www.ukft.org/lobbying-and-government-relations/brexit/) and sign up for newsletters and updates to keep on top of the latest advice.” Jane sympathises with retailers who are concerned about what will happen next: “Working out what will really happen with Brexit has often felt like nailing jelly to a tree. There will be disruption and almost certainly delays with imports and exports at some point. My advice is to keep listening, keep watching and work through every transition period checklist you can find, then you’ll be as ready as you can be. Deadgoodundies.com will be – with fingers crossed!”
