A British store is launching a line of underpants for left-handed men, an innovation it says will save them both time and embarrassment in front of the porcelain.
The new line, by UK-based Hom, will have a horizontal opening instead of a vertical slit accessed from the right-hand side, breaking a tradition that has lasted for 75 years.
"In our view, this is a vital step toward equality for left-handed men," said Rob Faucherand of Debenhams store.
Almost 10 percent of British men are believed to be left-handed, but men's Y-fronted underpants have traditionally had a right-handed opening from the time they were invented in 1935.
"As a result," Debenhams said, "left-handed men have to reach much further into their pants, performing a Z-shaped maneuver through two 180-degree angles before achieving the result that right-handed men perform with ease."
Previously, it added, boxer shorts, with an adaptable, ambidextrous opening in the middle, have been the underpants of choice for left-handed men.
The new pants mean that left-handed men can finally go to the bathroom as quickly and efficiently as their right-handed colleagues, the store said.
"Switching the opening from vertical to horizontal may sound like a small step," added Faucherand, "but it's the major breakthrough that many have been waiting for."