Spanx for men - 'tummy tightening' pants launch men's range

Spanx, the brand best known for its women's "tummy tightening" pants, launches a new range in the UK today - for men.

The men's undergarments are designed to "firm and flatten", keeping beer bellies in check, according to the company.

The American founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, said: "We applied our 10 years of knowledge and expertise in compression fabrics and transforming the body to this first-of-its-kind collection for men."

Department store Selfridges, which is selling the £55 Cotton Compression Undershirt, £69 Zoned Performance Undershirt and Cotton Comfort briefs (£37) and boxer briefs (£47), said there was already an extensive waiting list.

Ms Blakely added: "The men in my life, and in Hollywood, have been asking me to make Spanx for men for years, so I was inspired to create comfortable and powerful undershirts that provide instant gratification without gimmicks.

"It's your favourite t-shirt without your least favourite part... love handles."

The cotton undershirt promises to "comfortably firm the chest, flatten the stomach, improve posture and eliminate bulk under clothes", while the £69 version claims to provide "maximum shaping with instant transformation".

And Spanx says of the briefs: "There's no chance of a sagging bum with this range as the long lasting high-gauge Cotton Compression fabric contours to the body for a close fit."

The brand had reportedly notched up an estimated 350 million Us dollars in global sales by 2008.

The men's line has been on sale in the US since February.