The perfect package for Father’s Day? A father and son test trial tells all
There are a few things father and son Mike and Pat Lynch may not agree on (politics, who has the better tennis serve) but one thing they both agree on: they love their new Manmade boxer briefs! They also agree that the Father’s Day Bundle they received to review for this story, is the perfect gift for Father’s Day.
Four friends from Montreal share story
Manmade was founded by four friends and former finance professionals from Montreal (Anthony Ciavirella, Philip Santagata, Robert Marzin and Roberto “Berto” Rebelo) who decided to give up their day jobs to launch a men’s underwear company with a difference. And yes, it’s the company that you may have seen pitching on Dragons’ Den and being touted by renowned celebrities and athletes such as Howie Mandel, Bryan Adams, William Shatner, Colin Mochrie, Kris Letang, Josh Anderson, David Savard, Mike Matheson and others who have helped propel the brand’s success.
So what possessed four guys to give up their day jobs to start an underwear company? Anthony Ciavirella, one of the four co-founders of Manmade, takes me back to the initial conversation that inspired it all.
“We have an entrepreneurial spirit, and we had several bad underwear days,” states Ciavirella. “We were out for a walk on a hot summer day, and we started to complain about our boxers. We hated the chafing, the riding up, the discomfort, and the awkwardness of having to adjust ourselves. So we asked each other; why are we settling for this?”
Extensive fabric research
The co-founders did extensive research on underwear fabrics and patterns and discovered something: “Underwear is the foundation of a man’s wardrobe, and we found that there was no one place where a guy can go to get the function, comfort and quality they are looking for,” explains Ciavirella. “We started to obsess about it. We tried a bunch of different underwear products and found that polyester is derived from plastic and cotton can stretch out and ride up. Then we discovered Modal, a fabric that’s sourced from Beech trees that is soft, breathable, retains its shape and feels like a second skin, but it was $40 a pair. We thought, there must be a better way.”
Mission to make modal underwear more affordable
The four friends set out on a mission to find a way to make Modal underwear more affordable.
“Research told us the reason why the Modal underwear was $40 a pair is that manufacturers had to pay for all these colours and prints and all that jazz,” explains Ciavirella. “We surveyed thousands of guys and found that those surveyed prefer boxer briefs in black. To get the cost down we made it simple. We offer our brand at a price that’s reasonable and it makes sense to just sell it in black. We now also sell blue to avoid laundry mix-ups in households that have more than one man wearing Manmade.”
34 test pairs later, the perfect design – no tags and the seams in the right places
Thirty-four test pairs later and almost a year of testing, the team finally had the right briefs to market. Ciavirella points out a few reasons why Manmade Modal briefs are unique including a “Mansack” design to separate the boys from the thighs to provide both comfort and support. “There’s no itchy tag at the back as the tag is screen printed. There are also no seams at the back and there’s a horizontal fly. Modal is top quality; soft and silky and feels like a second skin. It’s the best fabric for men’s underwear. We conceived them and brought them to market and the rest is history.”
Dragon’s Den exposure
Well not quite. Eight months after founding the company, the four co-founders appeared on the popular TV show Dragons’ Den to pitch their product to investors.
“When we went on Dragons’ Den it was the first time really pitching our company and putting it in front of seasoned investors,” states Ciavirella. “That experience was amazing for many reasons. You really need to know your numbers, and it makes you very prepared to pitch it and get on the show. We got four different offers from two different groups, and we ended up going with Arlene Dickinson and Wes Hall. We shot the episode in May, and it aired in October, so there was a lot of back and forth. We finally decided we were not going to give up 20% of our company. But we remained good friends with CBC Dragons’ Den team, so much so that we are going to be featured on the 20th anniversary show coming up in October. It’s important to mention that even though the deal didn’t go through, the amount of credibility that came from that experience was unreal.”
Headquartered in Montreal and as Canadian as possible
The Canadian brand is headquartered in Montreal. “The only thing that’s not done inhouse is the cut and sew of the product which is done overseas,” explains Ciavirella. “Material is also sourced overseas. Modal is tough to find at a good price point here.”
Ciavirella points out that the company tried to make the garments in Canada but found it wasn’t economically feasible.
“We were told don’t waste your time in Canada, but we said no that we are going to build it in Canada and if it works then we would expand to the U.S. and probably the UK and globally. When we started out, we knocked on 30 or 40 doors in the garment district in Montreal and asked, hey can you make this boxer brief for us and the general reaction was, are you guys insane? However, Modal is not easily grown in Canada due to the harsh winter weather. We get it; maybe making this garment in Canada or the U.S. is not economically feasible. Manufacturers here also didn’t have the right machines, so we went with the second-best option and our products are manufactured in responsible and ethical facilities primarily in Sri Lanka which are WRAP certified, ensuring safe and humane working conditions.”
Manmade Father’s Day Gift Box review
Now back to the Manmade Father’s Day Gift Box which includes three pairs of boxer briefs, two pairs of socks and a baseball cap, nicely packaged in a gift box. “If you give men good comfortable underwear and good comfortable socks, they are going to be extremely happy,” says Ciavirella. “It’s the perfect gift because you know it’s going to be used and enjoyed. It has our two original products, boxers and socks, which are like salt and pepper as you can’t have one without the other. They are low cut socks which are great for the summer. And then you have the cap which is not an ordinary cap. We worked on the cap for months to get it right. It has a soft, cotton border so it doesn’t make your head itchy or leave a mark, it has an adjustable head size band, it’s breathable and made from cotton. Everything is thought out. It’s a gift any man will truly appreciate.”
Father and son Mike and Pat agree
Says Pat (an avid golfer): “These briefs are a game-changer. The quality is exceptional, and they are soft and feel like a second skin. I like that the socks have a pull tab at the back and little circles on the inside which prevents them from rolling down.”
Says Mike: “They may be a bit more expensive than what I normally wear but they are totally worth it in terms of quality, fit and comfort. Now that I’ve tried them, there’s no going back to ordinary underwear!”
Product review marks? “10 out of 10.”
For information on Manmade visit manmadebrand.com/products/fathers-day-bundle
by Laurie Wallace-Lynch
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