Bonobos

Our namesake is an awesome, but endangered, ape called the bonobo (buh-NO-bo, like banana with o’s and b’s). Bonobos are famous for being peaceful, intelligent, and extremely promiscuous. We think our founders couldn’t have picked a better namesake. One of the reasons I got so excited to join Bonobos 18 months ago was this ethos, which seems to permeate all we do. As our founders write on our “why the name” page:

“Why did we name our pants after the bonobo? We think the human race can learn a lot from a chimpanzee that shares 99% of our DNA (they are the closest relative species to ours, homo sapiens), doesn’t resort to violence, and that holds a tremendous respect for women.

All around you, you may see men who behave differently than you. Where you value emotional intelligence, they are hot-headed and scream at passing motorists. Where they degrade women, you respect your wives, mothers, sisters, and girlfriends—and you recognize that the most advanced societies are matriarchal ones (elephants and lions and humans, oh my!). Where they choose violence, you talk down your opponent tactfully and graciously. To paraphrase legendary rapper Too Short: real gangsters don’t start fights.”

To support the endangered Bonobos, we have become an official corporate sponsor of Lola ya Bonobo, a sanctuary for these critically endangered apes. Located just outside Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lola ya Bonobo means “paradise for bonobos” in Lingala, the predominant dialect of Kinshasa. Read more about our partnership here.

Here are a few ways you can help on Bonobos.com:

1. Help us bring in new customers via the “Bonobos Referral Game,” which you can find in your “my account” page after logging in at Bonobos.com. For every new customer we bring in this year, we will donate $1 to Lola ya Bonobo. We have already donated more than $7,000, and would love to increase our donation way north of $25,000 in 2009 alone.

2. Purchase featured products like the ‘Nanners swim suit. We donate $5 from every ‘Nanners purchase to Lola ya Bonobo

3. Make a donation directly to Lola ya Bonobo here: http://www.friendsofbonobos.org/support.htm. For just $20 a month, you can adopt one of the infants in the nursey.

Lola has been hit hard this year by large corporations who have cut back their donations. Get involved with us to help save this fascinating, elegant species!

Day 2 of the @Bonobos Will Tweet for Trunks Contest: @SarahHarperScot won our random drawing with her “Khaki Diaper Butt.”

By tweeting “khaki diaper butt #bonobos,” that is. We certainly hope she wasn’t sporting a diaper butt while tweeting—khaki, denim or Adidas track pants.

You came, you tweeted and you conquered by defining the notorious KDB and identifying offenders of this most heinous condition.

Here were a few of our favorites:

Congrats to Sarah and to yesterday’s winner, @dgl, who won with the help of our good pal, “Baron Von Cannonball.” If you haven’t won a Bonobos swimsuit yet, don’t get your khakis in a twist. There are still 28 days to win. Play daily, play stylishly and tell your pals to play too because after all, “friends don’t let friends rock diaper butt.” Get them in the game before it’s too late! Check back at 9AM for Day 3 of our little swimsuit sweepstakes. www.twitter.com

The other day our buddy Kevin ran into a pair of famous brothers (not to be confused with the Brothers Grinn) while wearing his Bryan Wolff Browns. Check it out!

The only thing better than rockin’ a rad pair of Bonobos swim trunks this summer is sporting a pair you bagged for free! To celebrate the launch of Bonobos’ brand spankin’ new swimwear line, we’re giving away one pair of trunks every day for 30 days beginning on Monday, June 29. Premium fabric, vibrant designs, aggressive field testing. It’s go time.

Tweeting for trunks couldn’t be easier:

Follow Andy Dunn, Bonobos CEO on Twitter: @bonobos.

Beginning Monday, June 29, 2009 watch for our phrase of the day. We’ll tweet by 9 AM EST daily.

Simply reply to our tweet or create your own. It’s all good, as long as you include our daily phrase and #bonobos (hashtag included).

Just like that, you’re in there like swimwear. We’ll randomly draw a winner each day at 8PM EST. Winners will be announced on our Tweet Deck and on our blog.

When you win, we’ll send you a direct message on Twitter. Contact us with the information in our “direct message,” your choice of size and style from the Bonobos swimwear collection and your shipping info so we can get you out from behind the computer and on the beach in your new Bonobos.

Interested in purchasing discounted Bonobos trousers and shorts? Want to snag a one-of-a-kind sample and get in touch with your inner peacock?

We’ll see you there.

A few weeks ago we surveyed our customers—we asked which products you’d like (or not like!) to see us make next, how we might continue building an admirable brand, and many other questions aimed at learning how to serve you guys better.

We learned a lot, and are thankful to everyone who took the time to share their feedback. It was most fun sifting through the question, Why do you shop Bonobos? Some of the best responses are below:

In addition, ten respondents were chosen at random to receive one of our slick new swim trunks on the house. Congratulations—and thanks again!—to the following gents:

Lawrence Caliari, NYC

Kyle Rose, Florida

Anthony Morales, Chicago

Shahid Ramzan, NYC

Jay Ritchie, ???

John Sundahl, Wyoming

Emmanuel Genard, Massachusetts

Zach Hollander, NYC

Kevin Jones, California

Richard Silvera, NYC

Residents of New York City often get so caught up in our town’s glittery chaos that we forget there are apices of excitement in other places… like Idaho.

In Idaho there lives a man named Jeff Hughes. Jeff is a smokejumper, which aside from being the only job title to rival “ninja,” requires that he routinely jump out of airplanes. Into fire.

The last daredevil-hero of any note was Vin Diesel in xXx, but unlike Vin, Jeff doesn’t have CGI or Asia Argento by his side. He’s got a chainsaw, a heroic will, and nerves like a safecracker. Read more below about the newest member of our Band of Brothers!

I am one of eighty Boise smokejumpers and my job is to parachute into steep and rugged terrain to suppress wildfires. We jump fires from spruce stands in Alaska to high desert in Nevada to heavy timber in California. A typical load of smokejumpers consists of eight firefighters and enough gear and food to support firefighting operations for three days. We either fight fire with Pulaskis and chainsaws or can transition to overhead teams to manage complex wildfires.

Once on the ground, smokejumpers dig a line around the fire, denying fuel to the flames. Some fires last a day and some fires last twenty, in which case you’ll find us working, sleeping, and eating in the dirt. Once the fire is out, we pack up our gear: chainsaws, parachutes, firepacks, jumpsuits, etc., for the demobilization. Occasionally we get picked up by helicopter but sometimes have to pack that 120 pounds of gear out to the nearest road, which can be two or ten miles away.

It’s the best job in the world.

Thanks,

Jeff Hughes

Chadwick Sakonchick, by his own admission, is a bonobo. He is also a trouser enthusiast and patriot of the highest order.

What could possibly be more American than running a triathlon on Memorial Day in a pair of red, white, and blue seersucker trousers made with pride here in the USA?

Uncle Sam operating an apple pie concession stand at NASCAR?

Davy Crockett doing knife tricks at the Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Abe Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower up in heaven having a Sam Adams with Jesus?

Way to go, Chad. You’re in good company.

One of the most fun things about the Bonobos catalog of styles is its diversity. There are the Khakis, and there are the Garden Fray. There are the Clean Slates and the On the Fritz.

Some people like Jackson Pollack and some like Barnett Newman, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Take Carlo Wolff, a great customer from Cleveland. The Plain Dealer’s Kim Crow profiled his eclectic, individualistic personal style last week. Stingray shoes, one-of-a-kind accessories, and the M Streets. Now that’s a look.

Come join the Bonobos team from 12-5 pm this Saturday to celebrate the launch of Bonobos swimwear! Enjoy daiquiris, beers, and the best swim trunks ever made! (Complete with kiddie pool to take them for a test drive.) Swing by 59 W. 19th Street, Suite 6B for a good time and a chance to be one of the first to see Bonobos swimwear.