After decades of banishment from mainstream wardrobes, one of fashion’s most controversial and divisive garments – the men’s swimming brief – is making a tentative return across the globe.

These adidas Solid Swim Trunks are a pair of swimming briefs said to be fully lined for added coverage. They feature a fabric that the brand claims is 100% chlorine-resistant and eco-friendly.

Next to athletes, swim briefs are probably most commonly associated with gay men. The image of Mr. Goggins, a virile straight man, in a Speedo also gave briefs relevance outside gay culture.

His swimming briefs were, well, brief – available in 17.5cm (6.9 inches), 12.5cm (4.9 inches) and 7.5cm (3 inch) widths — the greater the width, the more ‘modest’ the garment said ...

Speedo-wearing is also a cultural flashpoint. Revealing men’s swim garments are, for the U.S. consumer, irrevocably associated with “foreigners” and, most terrifying of all, friends of Dorothy.

His swimming briefs were, well, brief – available in 17.5cm (6.9 inches), 12.5cm (4.9 inches) and 7.5cm (3 inch) widths — the greater the width, the more 'modest' the garment said Australian ...