The things people come up with to make men’s clothing more interesting never fails to amaze. Maybe you’ve already got your pair of SUBS garter/suspenders, but want an extra bit of assurance in case your pants sag just a little too low. Enter JeanPants underwear. {Racked}

Available in medium or large, the $61 pair of underwear comes to you courtesy of the Japan Trend Shop. This has to be Japan’s official response to that massive donation of Crocs. Well played, Japan.

Here’s how the cotton and polyurethane shorts are being marketed:

“The tight and chic JeanPants from local clothes brand CUW are pert, durable and oozing zeitgeist appeal. Although likely to be more popular with men the designers also say women are welcome to enjoy the style too. For sure, the ‘worn’ denim look is all the rage in Tokyo at the moment, and this underwear adds innovation to that trend by transposing jeans fashion to your briefs.”

While the shorts are intended for men, CUW (the brand behind this product) claims that they’re suitable for ladies as well. Obviously, they’re trying to tap into the market of guys who were lining up for the ex-girlfriend jeans. Somehow, the fact that these are unisex doesn’t make them any more appealing to us, but if you’re Tobias Funke or one of the dozens who were waiting for these, your underwear pleas have not fallen on deaf ears.

Fashion has a love/hate relationship with Forever 21: shoppers on a budget love the prices, designers hate to see interpretations of their clothing appear on the Forever 21 racks. One thing that’s easy to love by anyone following recent world events though is their announcement that all online sales today (March 18th) will be donated to Japan. {Forever 21 via the Cut} That seems to be gross sales, not just revenue or profits, which means that in effect Forever 21 is kicking in a bit of money on this too. This adds to the list of fashion companies stepping up to help shoppers show support while spending, a list that we hope to see continue to grow.

A few suggestions for ways to make your stylish contribution.

From Left to Right:

• French Cafe Dress, $19.80
• Crochet Knit Dress, $24.80
• Knit Comfort Dress, $22.80
• Belted Knit Dress, $19.80

From Left to Right:

• Royalty Collar Necklace, $4.80
• Flowing Cherry Blossom Socks, $0.95
• Cleo Bangle Set, $6.80
• Tiered Faux Gemstone Earrings, $4.80

All @Forever21

Tech companies played a role in the moments immediately following the catastrophe, but now it’s fashion’s turn to step in with monetary support to help in rebuilding devastated areas and people who’ve lost their homes, family members and possessions to the natural disasters. If you’re preparing to do some shopping take a second to check out the designers who are directing some of their profits to Japanese aid and make your purchase matter a bit more.

Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar will donate 100% of all sales made on his website next week to the Catholic Relief Services for Japan. In addition, on March 24th, 100 percent of all retail sales at Bittar’s boutiques will be donated as well. WWD notes that his first fashionable fundraising effort for Haiti last year raised $60,000.

Tadashi Shoji will donate 10% of sales made in his two stores for the next month.

Coach has pledged ¥400 million (approximately $5 million), according to WWD.

Fast Retailing founder Tadashi Yanai, the billionaire retailer who owns Uniqlo, is donating Â¥1 billion (about $12.2 million) of his own money to relief efforts, and Fast Retailing is donating another Â¥400 million (approximately $5 million) as a company. Customers can donate clothing at Fast Retailing stores like Uniqlo, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Theory. Fast Retailing will also donate coats, jeans, towels and underwear to victims – that represents an additional $8.6 million of aid, according to Time.

Lady Gaga‘s Japan earthquake relief wristband has a starting price of $5 (all proceeds go towards Japanese relief efforts) and reportedly raised $250,000 in 48 hours with the support of her little monsters.

Japanese Tsunami Damage - Â Photo by Keichi Nakane via Jezebel

Japan is used to earthquakes, but one this big was unsettling even for one of the most earthquake prepared countries in the world. Though Japan has very strict building codes that help minimize the damage caused from falling buildings, the tsunami is a different story. The speed of the water can often outpace any warnings, leaving people in low lying areas minutes to escape fast moving waves – nevermind cars or houses in the path of those waves.

So far the death toll in Japan is in the hundreds, but expected to rise. While it may seem minimal, social media and the internet are playing a role in helping people communicate, and tech companies have stepped up to do what they can. With voice phone lines overwhelmed, and transportation severely hobbled, tweets and data posts on social media sites may actually be one of the few ways people are able to get information to or from loved ones when voice lines are down.

• Yahoo! Japan has a list of earthquake resources
• Google’s People Finder, originally created following the earthquake in Haiti, has been revived for Chile, New Zealand, and now Japan (embedded below)

The story is unfolding over Twitter and YouTube as well, and a second 6.6 magnitude earthquake (not aftershock) is being reported near Nagano, Japan.

Let’s hope that somewhere a tweet or text resource is helping to make a difference.

Each year on the first shopping day of the year, retailers put together “lucky bags” that consumers don’t get to open until they’ve been paid for. What would prompt anyone to take a chance on one of these bags? 40-60% off the items inside the bag, guaranteeing that you end up with something worth more than what you might spend on the initial purchase.

CNN shows one woman discovering a watch that was on sale for more than the price of the bag, along with a Gucci wallet and other unnamed goodies. While there’s surely a risk of ending up with anti-aging goggles or something odd, it sounds like a fun tradition and one that retailers might want to consider when trying to clear out stock.

The fit of clothes can be all over the place even within the same brand, so those are probably best left to normal sales racks and sample sales; but for overstocked accessories or makeup it would be an easy way to get a guaranteed price and clear out merchandise – think it of as Secret Santa for retailers and shoppers. Birchbox has already found a bit of success in doing something like this for makeup, so it’s probably just a matter of time before someone finds a way to turn a lucky bag into a lucky business.

Vintage Dress on Pass the Baton

Pass the Baton, a Japanese store and online shopping site, recognizes that every item in your household has a story and that buying recycled goods – one of the easiest things you can do to be green – should be about more than the exchange of goods. It should be about personal connection. Every item in the store, and on the online shop, has its own snippet of history provided by the seller (who also has a biography listed).

South American Mirror on Pass the Baton