Sales of thongs have risen by 72% in the last year

Thongs were the underwear that defined the noughties. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan were all fans and routinely paired them with their Juicy Couture tracksuits. However, over the years, thongs lost their appeal and were routinely forgotten about. The general consensus has been that they breed discomfort.

But not anymore.

According to the annual retail report released by John Lewis and partners in the UK last week, sales of thongs have risen by 72%. The substantial increase is being linked to the ‘Love Island effect’, with many of the female contestants opting for the style throughout their tenure on the show. Kim Kardashian and co. and their tendency to wear the skimpy underpants have also been linked to the sudden swoop in popularity.

John Lewis lingerie buyer Nancy Szanchno-Dressel said: “We’ve seen an incredible rise in sales of thongs this year and suspenders too have been really popular. It seems our customers are after one extreme or the other right now, opting for larger pants or thongs over Brazilian-style briefs.”

Marks and Spencers in the UK have also seen a significant uplift in annual sales of the underwear.

It will be interesting to see if this trend has made its way to our shores, but, until then, we think we will stick with the reliable full brief.