Straight shooter for underwear

Three Guns is one of the most enduring Chinese clothing brands, and a successful collaboration with Disney is taking the company to ever greater heights. Wang Ying reports.

A logo featuring three guns has dominated the Chinese underwear market for decades, but few people know the origins of the famous brand.

The brand was created in 1928 by Gan Tinghui, a keen sports marksman. After winning two consecutive shooting championships, Gan registered the clothing brand Double Guns.

With knitting machines and cotton imported from the United Kingdom, the factory, with about 10 staff, produced high-quality cardigans, sleeveless garments, gloves, scarves, Russian-style hats and more.

Double Guns constantly received orders from major companies in Shanghai and even from Southeast Asian regions. The business quickly expanded.

Gan won his third shooting championship in 1936, and a year later he renamed the brand Three Guns. He also started boycotting Japanese goods as that was the year the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out.

Many Chinese picked up on the patriotic meaning of the brand which helped Three Guns quickly become a best-selling brand in Shanghai and in neighboring provinces.