When model-turned-entrepreneur RJ King decided to launch a line of underwear, it was anything but a vanity project. He has walked runways and been on set with every big name in fashion. He spent countless hours stripped down in front of strangers—which gave him a unique point of view on the situation. “Most people aren't really seen in their underwear outside of their bedroom or a locker room, but for me underwear was often a work uniform and I became hyper aware of how I looked and felt in it.” That sent him down a rabbit hole that resulted in KING, a line of underwear that's not only comfortable and cool, but supports a man's anatomy.

The process wasn't simple. It took four years to re-engineer “the original garment,” as he puts it. Underwear was historically built for modesty and maybe protection, but not modern movement. King tells me over his morning coffee that he reached out to friends in the industry to get started once he had his concept locked in. Lazaro Hernandez, the Proenza Schouler co-founder who's now designing for Loewe, put him in touch with a factory in Turkey that could make them and he hired a pattern-maker who was formerly at The Row to perfect the design and fit. With a dream team assembled, he started a rigorous wear-testing phase.

Think about your day, asks King. “The modern man, he's jumping on a Citibike, he's running up stairs, or maybe going to the gym after work and then running home to make dinner. I wanted to rethink the way underwear makes us feel and design it to support a man's body—and his body parts.” If you've noticed your underwear crushing your balls or simply making you readjust throughout the day, KING supportwear was made for you. The line currently has two designs: boxer briefs (with a three-inch inseam) and classic briefs, but there are plans to expand the product range. The fabric is a soft, technical material made from recycled polyester. Inside, there's a pouch that lifts and supports the balls while the seams are sewn to offer lift and support as well. “You get a bit of a lift to your bulge and a little bit of a butt lift, too—so we're aiming to help everyone.” I wanted to know more about how King starts his day and he agreed to share his morning routine.

I seriously love the morning.

I'm the kind of person who sets no alarm and I wake up, between 7 and 7:30 every morning. I just spring out of bed—even if I'm overseas, I rarely ever suffer from jet leg. My subconscious is somehow aware of the hour. I don't understand it—it makes no sense.

But it wasn’t always this way.

Before I was 25, I would snooze until 2 p.m. I would be late for jobs because I over slept ... but something happened as I got older, thankfully. I think it was during the pandemic, I started getting up early and found it just works for me now.

I don’t sleep in much, but I’m always sleeping in KING now.

I'm usually wearing the briefs, but only because I've been able to hold onto most of them during the wear-testing phase. But now I've been wearing the boxer briefs and they're the most dramatic of the fit because you really notice the support more.

My nightstand is a little cluttered.

But it's got everything I could need while in bed. There's my water bottle, always. I have my vape and weed grinder. A candle, a bottle of Henry Rose fragrance and face lotion because it's winter and it's so dry.

But I make my bed. Everyday.

I take it seriously, like making the bed is a hobby of mine. I fix the sheets smooth and crisp and then pull the comforter nice and tight and fold it down and stack the pillows. It looks like a hotel. But I love the feeling of getting into a fresh, nice bed.

The first notification I get or app I check on my phone ...

Usually email. But I try to check if there are any work emergencies and then I'll try to not open it until I get into my morning routine. Because I know whatever I see when I open that phone will suck me in and stress me out.