Hanes Strips Down After 125 Years in Humorous Risqué Rebrand

Getting caught with your pants down at a bar is usually a nightmare, but Hanes wants you to think otherwise.

With more than 125 years into its run as an American basics staple, the brand is rolling out a full refresh alongside new platform "Get Comfortable."

At its core, Hanes wants to prove to customers that comfort creates confidence, even when things get risqué.

Hanes worked with agency partner Special US on the launch, which includes a redesigned logo, four hero films, and a wave of out-of-home and social activations.

The brand refresh also marks a milestone for the creative agency.

It's the first major campaign out of Special's New York office since the shop installed a new leadership team.

The agency named Kasia Canning and Estefanio Holtz as co-executive creative directors of the New York office in January 2026.

The pair reunited after working together earlier in their careers.

Special US has held the Hanes account since 2024, and this launch gives the new team its first chance to put a stamp on the brand voice moving forward.

The timing lands months after Hanes' parent, HanesBrands, was folded into rival Gildan Activewear.

A splashier creative direction gives Hanes a way to signify a fresh chapter to shoppers, distancing it from its previous, more straightforward messaging.

How the Films Play It Cool

Shot on film by MJZ director Nick Ball, the four spots each drop an unfazed character into a situation that would normally trigger embarrassment.

In "Grocery," a woman shops for food in her underwear.

Meanwhile, "Loyalty" sees a man rest in his casket, dressed in his favorite Hanes apparel.

"Pantsed" has a man finish a game of pool without missing a beat after a friend yanks down his trousers.

Lastly, "Keep Em On" sees a couple stay in bed with nothing visible but their socks.

The four films share a similar visual tone of warm, colorful cinematography paired with music that underlines each character's calm.

None of them uses dialogue to sell the joke, and the confidence is meant to be read through body language alone.

Apart from the films, Hanes is running still photography, shot by Santiago Ruisenor and Emman Montalvan and retouched by Portus Imaging, across NYC transit ads.

The campaign pushes nationally across social, online video, retail, and display, plus all of Hanes' owned channels.

The updated brand identity keeps Hanes' signature red flag icon but floats it above the wordmark instead of folding it into the lettering.

Hanes is known for plain basics, so risqué, slightly taboo scenarios mark a real departure from decades of straightforward brand messaging.

A Reset After Three Losing Years

Hanes' rebrand shows how a legacy basics label can take the comedic route to break from the identity many consumers have long attached to it.

• Pair a logo change with a tonal shift. A new mark alone reads as cosmetic. Hanes tied its redesign to a clear behavioral idea: comfort creates confidence, so the visual update has a message to carry.
• Use taboo scenarios sparingly and specifically. Getting caught with pants down or resting in a casket are crazy ideas, but they work because they depict relatable fears.
• Let a new era of leadership show up in the work itself. Special's new creative directors made this their first major campaign out of the New York office.

Hanes' parent completed its merger with Gildan on December 1, 2025, doubling Gildan's scale.

The urgency behind Hanes' repositioning becomes clearer against this backdrop.

HanesBrands hasn't posted an annual profit since 2021, with sales dropping consecutively for the past three years.

A campaign made to feel bolder and more entertaining gives the newly combined company a livelier story to tell than these dismal financials.

Our Take: What Does It Take to Make Confidence Funny?

Nobody in these films reacts to their own humiliation, and holding a straight face is the entire trick.

We think the deadpan acting is what makes the confidence hilarious, which puts real pressure on who gets cast.

A woman shopping in her underwear or a man mid-pool game with his pants down lands as confidence because the actor plays it dead straight.

The casket spot is the clearest test of this rule.

It's the one scene where overacting would have tipped comfort into a punchline about death instead of one about Hanes.

Special's harder job now is coming up with situations that keep working with the same deadpan humor.