Founding and early development

THREEGUN traces its origins to 1937 in Shanghai, emerging during the formative period of China’s modern textile and garment industry. The brand subsequently became closely identified with knitted underwear and intimate apparel.[1]

Historical accounts indicate that the business eventually associated with THREEGUN developed through Shanghai’s textile and knitting sector. It later became part of a larger corporate structure encompassing several traditional Chinese textile and apparel brands.

Throughout its history, the brand has built its reputation on everyday comfort, durability, fabric quality, and practical underwear rather than positioning itself exclusively as a fashion label.

Formation of the modern corporate group

The company underwent a series of mergers, consolidations, and strategic expansions over the late 20th century. Sources describing the group’s history state that the brand formed part of a larger group in 1994, followed by the integration of high-quality assets into Shanghai Dragon (Group) Co., Ltd. in 1998.

This corporate restructuring facilitated THREEGUN’s transition from a traditional underwear producer into one of the major Chinese intimate-apparel brands operating today.

The Chinese name 三枪 literally translates to “Three Guns”. This distinctive name and the accompanying three-gun emblem serve as central elements of the brand’s visual identity.

Historically, the brand’s positioning has emphasised a combination of comfort, quality, practicality, fabric technology, health, everyday wearability, and Chinese textile heritage. A more recent formulation of the company’s philosophy describes its mission as integrating technology and fashion to promote a healthy and fashionable lifestyle.

This shift represents an evolution from THREEGUN’s traditional image as a functional underwear manufacturer toward a more contemporary lifestyle and fashion-oriented brand.

While underwear remains the core of THREEGUN’s business, its product portfolio is considerably broader than basic undergarments.

Intimate apparel

THREEGUN is particularly associated with men’s and women’s underwear, undershirts, bras, thermal underwear, long underwear, functional innerwear, and children’s underwear. Official retail materials emphasise the development of comfortable and functional fabrics specifically designed for close-fitting garments.[2]

Homewear and lifestyle clothing

The company has expanded its offerings to include pajamas, loungewear, home clothing, sweaters, casual apparel, and outdoor products. This expansion reflects the brand’s strategic move from being solely an “underwear brand” toward becoming a broader clothing and lifestyle label.[1]

Functional textiles

Fabric development has become an increasingly important component of THREEGUN’s strategy. Recent products and initiatives have incorporated technologies and materials designed around properties such as moisture management, antibacterial performance, and lightweight construction.

The company maintains a dedicated technology-development capability. A 2024 Chinese design-competition document describes the THREEGUN Technology Center as developing more than 2,000 new products annually and notes the company’s history of receiving textile and product-development awards.

THREEGUN is frequently described as a traditional Chinese or time-honoured brand. Its significance is particularly strong in the domestic underwear market, where it has developed substantial consumer recognition across multiple generations.

According to material published by a Chinese design competition in 2024, THREEGUN’s knitted underwear had maintained the highest market share among comparable products in China for 24 consecutive years, and the company operated a network of more than 5,000 offline retail outlets. These figures are reported company and industry claims from that source rather than independently audited current market statistics.

The brand’s longevity serves as a competitive advantage, allowing it to appeal simultaneously to consumers familiar with the label from earlier generations and to younger demographics through newer designs, collaborations, and technology-focused products.

THREEGUN has established an international presence alongside its domestic operations. Trademark litigation records in the United States state that THREEGUN products have been exported to more than 20 countries and regions, including the US, and that the brand has been exporting to the American market since at least 2006. The same records note that the THREEGUN trademark has been recognised as a well-known trademark in China.[3]

This international expansion has allowed THREEGUN to reposition itself from a primarily domestic Chinese underwear brand into a Chinese apparel brand with global ambitions.

New York Fashion Week

A significant milestone in THREEGUN’s international brand development occurred in September 2019, when it presented its Spring/Summer 2020 collection at New York Fashion Week. The appearance was notable as it marked the first time THREEGUN was presented as a Chinese underwear brand showcasing designs on an international fashion-week runway.[1]

Titled “Cai”, the collection explored concepts of cutting, tailoring, and pattern construction. Designer Qu Chuang (Mark Qu) combined historical THREEGUN design elements with contemporary silhouettes, close-fitting fabrics, and futuristic styling.[1]

The show signalled a shift in brand communication: THREEGUN began presenting itself not solely as a manufacturer of functional underwear, but as a brand capable of connecting Chinese textile heritage with contemporary international fashion.

THREEGUN’s design development can be broadly categorised into two periods. Traditional THREEGUN focused primarily on function, comfort, cotton fabrics, durability, thermal protection, and everyday affordability.

Contemporary THREEGUN increasingly combines these characteristics with modern silhouettes, fashion-oriented design, technical textiles, youth-oriented branding, cross-industry collaborations, lifestyle positioning, and international fashion presentation. Consequently, the company occupies a distinct position between traditional Chinese mass-market apparel and contemporary fashion and lifestyle branding.

Technology has become an increasingly visible component of the brand. THREEGUN has invested in fabric and garment development, seeking to combine its historical expertise in knitted textiles with modern functional materials. Recent company-related material describes products incorporating features such as moisture-wicking, antibacterial, and ultra-thin textiles.

The company’s stated approach is to combine traditional textile craftsmanship with modern textile technology. This focus is particularly relevant to underwear, where fabric performance directly affects comfort, temperature regulation, breathability, and skin contact.

Historically, THREEGUN has maintained a large physical retail network throughout China, supplemented by online commerce. The brand operates official online retail channels in China, where products such as men’s and women’s underwear are sold directly to consumers. Current official-store material continues to describe THREEGUN as a brand founded in 1937 and emphasises comfort, functionality, and the integration of technology with fashion.[2]

The combination of physical stores and e-commerce allows the brand to serve both its traditional consumer base and younger online shoppers.

THREEGUN has utilised collaborations as a method of modernising its image. In 2017, the company collaborated with Mattel’s Fisher-Price on a clothing line for infants and toddlers.[4]

More broadly, the company has pursued partnerships with brands and intellectual properties from outside the traditional underwear sector. These collaborations aim to introduce the brand to younger consumers while retaining its traditional identity.

THREEGUN has received international design recognition in recent years. The Red Dot Design Award lists THREEGUN projects involving fashion packaging, with the client identified as THREEGUN in Shanghai and design credited to Shanghai-based E2W Studio. These projects appear in Red Dot’s 2025 design records.[5]

This recognition indicates the brand’s shift toward treating packaging, visual identity, and brand design as integral components of its contemporary positioning.

THREEGUN is associated with Shanghai Dragon Corporation, also referred to in English-language sources as Shanghai Three Gun (Group) Co., Ltd. The wider group has historically included multiple Chinese textile and apparel brands.[1]

This relationship is significant because THREEGUN is not an independent fashion label; it is part of a larger Chinese textile and apparel business with a long industrial history.

The THREEGUN name has been protected through trademark registrations in multiple markets. A US trademark proceeding documents an earlier THREE GUN design registration dating from the 1990s, covering products including underwear, undergarments, vests, sweaters, and coats. The record also documents use of the THREEGUN name and three-gun design on the company’s apparel.[3]

The three-gun symbol remains one of the brand’s most recognisable visual elements.

Within China, THREEGUN is significant not only for its commercial scale but because it represents a generation of Chinese “time-honoured” consumer brands. Its trajectory parallels China’s broader textile-industry development: from the 1930s Shanghai textile industry to traditional knitted underwear, postwar industrial development, state and industrial consolidation, formation of a modern corporate group, mass-market Chinese branding, e-commerce adoption, and finally international fashion positioning.

THREEGUN serves as an example of how an established Chinese industrial brand can attempt to modernise without abandoning its historical identity.

• 1937 — Founded: THREEGUN traces its origins to Shanghai and begins its long association with intimate apparel.[1]
• 1990s — Corporate consolidation: The business becomes part of a larger group structure amid mergers and strategic expansion.
• 1998 — Shanghai Dragon integration: High-quality assets were integrated into Shanghai Dragon (Group) Co., Ltd.
• 2000s — International exports: THREEGUN products expand into overseas markets, including the United States.[3]
• 2017 — Fisher-Price collaboration: The brand expands collaboration activity into children’s apparel.[4]
• 2019 — New York Fashion Week: THREEGUN presents its Spring/Summer 2020 collection internationally.[1]
• 2020s — Technology and lifestyle: The company increasingly emphasises functional fabrics, modern design, sustainability, and younger consumers.
• 2025 — Design recognition: THREEGUN projects receive Red Dot-listed recognition in fashion packaging and design.[5]

THREEGUN’s strongest historical reputation is built around reliable, comfortable, and practical underwear, especially cotton and thermal products. In the modern market, its long history serves as both an advantage and a constraint. Older consumers may associate the brand strongly with traditional underwear, while younger consumers increasingly expect fashion, design, technology, and lifestyle positioning.

Consequently, the contemporary THREEGUN strategy can be understood as an attempt to preserve its traditional strengths while changing how those strengths are presented, combining heritage, comfort, textile technology, modern design, and fashion.

THREEGUN is a Shanghai-born Chinese heritage underwear and apparel brand founded in 1937 that built its reputation on comfortable knitted and cotton intimate apparel and is now evolving toward a technology-driven, fashion-conscious lifestyle brand. It is comparable to the role that long-established underwear manufacturers play in other countries, but maintains a particularly strong connection to China’s textile history and the development of China’s domestic consumer-brand industry.

1. Chinese leading delicates brand Threegun debuts at New York Fashion Week – Xinhua | English.news.cn
2. Threegun三枪 〖长绒棉〗高腰女士三角内裤（1条装）-40684B011 – 三枪官方旗舰店
3. masks and protective clothing for medical workers. Id. The THREEGUN trademark is recognized as a “Well Known Trademark” in China. Id. THREEGUN branded products are exported from China to more than 20 countries and regions throughout the world, including the U.S. Id. THREEGUN branded products have been exported to the U.S. since at least 2006. Id.
4. Three Gun
5. Red Dot Design Award: THREEGUN