Bonobos

We’ve mentioned how much we enjoy reading notes from our customers, but this one’s in a league of its own.

Thanks for spreading the word, Gabe. We feel great about our trousers, and early 2009 we’re debuting our shirts. After that, I’ll put in a word for blue suede shoes.

Turning your loved ones into champions of trouserdom is going to be easier than ever this holiday season. There’s no better stocking stuffer than the elegant Bonobos gift cards that graphic design ninja Matthew Noren cooked up for us. Each card will be hand-addressed with care and dropped in the mail to whomever you choose, and they’re available in any denomination—add a new high note to a loved one’s wardrobe, or let him replace the whole thing.
UPDATE: We just mailed the first Bonobos gift certificate! John Rote and I made the trek to our corner mailbox to mark the historic moment:

Check out our own Andy Dunn, in his element at Bonobos HQ—trousers, entrepreneurship, a cameo from Dave Eisenberg—this video from Microsoft’s Channel 8 blog has it all.

No one is thinking about what guys need… guys need a stylish product that fits well, but they don’t need to waste their time shopping. We’re thinking about it for you.

We are twenty-first century men here at Bonobos. We don’t believe that modern manhood has anything to do with whether we actively accept or reject former notions of masculinity, because we are finally the generation of men with the freedom to set those parameters for ourselves—and to live and prosper by that choice. We like stylish clothes. We like sports. We like the performing arts. We like kung-fu movies.

We are who we are.

All right. Self-awareness and progressive thinking aside, one fact endures:

Men dig stuff that is awesome.

Like never-fail high-altitude butane lighters that have more in common with light sabers than your run-of-the-mill plastic Bics. And chic, phonetically named liquors with a proof high enough to put hair on your chest, then burn it clean off.

All I’m saying is, check the time stamp on this blog post. I’m still at Bonobos HQ right now because I’ve spent the past two hours scouring GEARPATROL and putting together a mental wish list. (What’s at the top? The Molteni Professional 145 Evolution Range, the Nikon D90, and Kim Smith.)

The guys at GP have also taken a shining to Bonobos, which excites us. We think our signature cut and direct-to-consumer model will resonate with GP’s readers, who are obviously interested in fly gear and living life on their own terms.

Their own terms of twenty-first century progressive-thinking self-aware awesomeness.

Our newest member of the Band of Brothers may be the first one to serve tirelessly on two continents. Meet Darin Branson, who might have to swap his cargo shorts for a comfortable and stylish pair of sand dollars, though the Nicaraguan clime might just necessitate the jungle kings instead. Read more about Darin:

I am from the New Orleans area, and since the year 2000 I have been an Emergency Medical Technician. After graduating from college in 2005, I have planned and organized many efforts to send nursing and humanitarian groups to work in the missions of Granada, Nicaragua (here is a photo of me with a family that we built a house for in Grenada). After attending a few of the mission trips, I lived in Granada helping the poor, and discerned a vocation for the priesthood.

We are all called to the service of others–but to love the service is what makes the difference.

I went to study in a major seminary for two years and then decided with much prayer and self awareness that God was calling me to other things. I am now a nursing student in Houma, Louisiana and I will be an RN in the spring of 2010. I will be married June of 2009. This a brief summary of who I am and what I do–it is not extraordinary, but it is what I have done and am doing to serve others and make the world a better place. We are all called to the service of others–but to love the service is what makes the difference.

We’ve got to hand it to you guys–the effort to name our new silver stretch wool trousers was impressive. A number of suggestions took a supernatural angle–”Silver Bullets,” “Vampire Hunters,” and the (p)unbelievable suggestion of “Wearwoolvs.”

Others wanted to see our new trousers take on a suave persona–we saw many entries along the lines of “the 007s,” “Silver Foxes,” and “Slick Ricks.”

But by now you’ve probably surmised that we went with the Larry Harmych’s suggestion “Dorian Grays” (and hopefully the irony of naming a luxury trouser after a parable of deadly vanity isn’t too overwrought). Funnily enough, we received one other suggestion from the annals of obscure Brit Lit, and while the bookworm in me delighted at christening a trouser after the title character in Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, something about Gothic horror fiction trumped anti-generic metanarrative. Maybe we were all still in a Halloween mood. (Sorry, Trey!)

Even so, we’d like to acknowledge and congratulate the top percentile of entries, the ones that made it to the finals round. They were imaginative, evocative, funny, and educational (I, for one, was delighted to learn the words bricolage and marlinspike). They were:

MMcMahon: Stonewall Jacksons

Known as a gifted tactical commander and an innovative, strong and bold general, definitely attributes which these pants have in spades.

Thomas Spier: Don Johnsons

These pants will always be known as the Don Johnsons…. at least in my mind.

Trent: Silver Fox

Silver fox can have a variety of meanings. Wikipedia says it is a Marvel Comics character, a snow cone flavor, a handsome dude with grey hair, and even better… this:”A nickname for an exceptionally clever individual, often conniving or intended in a pejorative sense. ‘Silver fox’ generally comes from the combination of the idiomatic ’silver tongue’ and the Western cultural staple of foxes as a symbol of both swiftness and craftiness.

Jason M: Stingrays
I love seeing stingrays while diving, and they are often silver. Also, my father had a ‘66 Corvette Stingray convertible that was almost exactly that color when I was growing up. God I miss that car.

Stewart: Silverbacks

Strongest gorilla. Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders. Each typically leads a troop (group size ranges from 5 to 30) and is in the center of the troop’s attention, making all the decisions, mediating conflicts, determining the movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop.

Kaveh Haerian: Slick Ricks

Not as flashy as Hip Hop’s elder statesman, but timeless and classic. And totally fresh with an eyepatch.

Ross Foti: AIRSTREAMS

Stream-lined wool, lightweight and rugged, reflect and stretch the world’s new optimism into every man’s tomorrow. For travel and convenience, comfort and reliability, nothing beats a pair of AIRSTREAMS. Like their vintage namesakes, they are instant icons, and like their namesakes, every inch has a functional purpose: to make you feel as good as the man you know you are! AIRSTREAMS–get on board!

Mango: Remington Steele

Before he was Thomas Crowne or James Bond, the artist known as “Pierce” was Remington Steele, a thief turned private detective. His onscreen presence with the lovely Stephanie Zimbalist (Laura Holt) cast him into the realm of “Master” and he also rocked many a silver suit.

Lee: The Silver Lakes

…after the Jackson Browne tune. I mean, you said they were cousins to the Jackson Brownes.

Ralph Moore: Silver Flairs

Named in honor of Dizzy Gillespie’s trademark King Silver Flair trumpet, a sleek symbol of exuberance, style, and independent spirit that is equally at ease at a Sunday brunch, an office ambiance, or a night out on the town. Bold, yet classy.

Nathan: The Athenians

About 500 B.C. the Athenians found an enormous silver mine near Athens. The mine is what paid to build their first navy, and helped them to become a powerful city-state.

Noah: The Bob Barkers

In the late 1980s, Bob Barker did what no host had ever had the courage to do–he let his dyed black hair go silver gray. He started a trend that would become the standard–just look at Alex Trebek and Monty Hall–and in doing so he remained as sleek and charismatic as he always had. A pillar of style, suaveness and longevity, no other television personality has lasted as long as Barker, nor stolen as many kisses from as many ladies.

Here at Bonobos, we’ve gone through colorful phases–from our red Capertons, our Mint Juleps, and even our more subtle Bryan Wolff Browns. We’ve had our fun with our youthful black Destros and Black Swans. But now, we’re letting ourself go silver gray with the new Bob Barkers, and we’re just as sexy and stylish as we’ve ever been. I think you’ll agree when you try them that, no matter what we charge, the price is right!

Anders: MacGyvers

Differentiated by tactfulness, wit, and bricolage, these trousers pay homage to Angus MacGyver, the sleek and unbroken protagonist of the hit program of the late 80s who decisively favored brain over brawn to solve desperate problems.

Along with a Swiss Army knife, he often carried a roll of silver duct tape in his back pocket, folded to make it fit, equipped to jury-rig anything at a moment’s notice.
Hostage: “What the hell are you doing!”
MacGyver: “Buildin’ a rocket thruster.”

Johnny Whitaker: THE GREY SKULLS

By the power of grey skull, I name thee “THE GREY SKULLS!!!!”

Mitch Lyon: Galahads

Shining armor as befits the achiever of the Holy Grail… really awesome pants.

Ginny: Silver Swans

The Internet, Google, the PC, Viagra, Bonobos. All of these items are related by common themes: They were (1) unpredictable, (2) highly impactful (3) obvious, they are black swans.

Ladies and gentlemen, the birth of Bonobos was a black swan–-a highly improbable event with three key characteristics–-(1) it is unpredictable-–have you seen the pants and felt the fit (Mint Juleps), need I say more? (2) it carries a massive impact–for those of you that sport the pants you know what I mean, you no longer look like the masses of dweebs wearing un-tucked dress shirts and denim every weekend, you have an arsenal to mix it up. Your game just notched up. Your game is so on that if you were a basketball player and stole the ball from your opponent’s court and were on your way in for an easy breakaway jam, you pull up to the three-point line, look around and then drain it and (3) it appears less random and explainable-–no crap Sherlock, the need for a solution to the KDB was obvious, well if so obvious, no one did anything about it since men have been wearing knickers. Real obvious.

With that, these silver stretch wool pants are direct in the same lineage as the legendary Jive Cats and Jackson Brownes, yet its own creature, versatile, not too thin, not too thick, pants fully capable of handling any situation, will give you game to steal that ball and not only let you hit the pull up J, but also give you versatility to nail the crossover so your defender trips over his own feet and stuff it in the basket (or whatever your proverbial basket is on a Saturday night out)-–impactful and obvious in hindsight! Yet another anomaly, a black swan produced by the black swan. The Internet, Google, PC, Viagra, and Bonobos now present you with the “SILVER SWANS.”

Bill: Homesteads

For the negro league baseball team Homestead Grays of Homestead, Pennsylvania–once home of one of the world’s most productive steel mills.

Jason: The Concrete Jungles (CJs for short)

I work across the street from a 50-foot deep man-made hole in the Earth that will soon be filled with tons of concrete, to become a 100+ story skyscraper overlooking the west bay of Doha, Qatar. A similar landscape engrosses the entire area, a constant reminder that concrete has become the international symbol of progress.

As we progress through life, it’s our clothes that will help keep us versatile. The CJs exude such versatile progression, constructed of a lightweight wool that sit just as comfortably in the chilly weather of upstate New York as they would in the heat of a Middle Eastern concrete jungle.

Dan: Norrin Radds

Before the Silver Surfer became a herald of Galactus he was a young man named Norrin Radd who lived on the planet Zenn-La. He wanted more than the mundane existence his planet provided and as the Silver Surfer he went on to explore the galaxy. Those who wear Norrin Radds share his spirit of adventure and want something a bit more stylish than the typical grey trouser. When you wear Norrin Radds you’ll feel like you possess the Power Cosmic.

Zep: Gandalfs

I always thought Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings was a pretty mint dude.

Mark: Nixons

They’re kind of reminiscent of the grey suit that Nixon wore for one of the 1960 presidential debates with JFK. People say he may have hurt his chances at that debate due to his refusal to wear make-up for TV (despite recovering from the flu and being really pale anyway) and his pale suit that blended into the background on black and white TV. Pretty famous as far as pants go.

Regardless of how TV viewers may have felt about similar pants, these are gorgeous… and I want them… like… now.

Michael: Sedition

Defined as any act that incites or establishes disorder against an establishment, particluarly government

Okay, so you’re not throwing over a government here. But, Bonobos has subtly, yet quickly, “established disorder” in the world of men’s fashion. Lined with a swirling mix of daffodil and silver, these elegant trousers pair well with your black loafers and black shirts, sweaters and jackets. Can you dig it?

Trae: Dapper Cockney

So much about these pants calls London to mind…the grey color (or should I say colour?) is reminiscent of the London sky…wool is the most prominent fabric in textile Britain and Scotland…and as others have mentioned in these posts, perhaps the most “dapper” of all grey stretch pants wearers is none other than James Bond. And besides…how awesome are the words “Dapper” and “Cockney”?

Kenneth Faulkner-Alexander: CLOUD HOPPERS

Question:
~ Has life got you down Mr. Brown?
~ Does everything you do seem to basic Mr. Black?
~ Are you sad & pasty now that you have run out of bronzers Mr. Tan?
~ Looking for a change of attitudes Mr. Azure?

Answer:
No matter how blue, olive-drab or just plain black and white you may feel as the cloudy skies of winter approach and the days once filled with sunlight grow shorter and shorter… we here at Bonobos have got you covered! (literally!). As you do your absolute best to scoff off those winter blues as the clouds roll in… we wanted to remind you of that old saying: “EVERY CLOUD DOES INDEED HAVE A SILVER LINING!” Exactly the reason why we’ve chosen this time of year to introduce you to our newest pair of trousers; a handsome silver stretch wool! What better way to succeed than to wear these precious metaled trousers as you navigate through those dull dreary days of winter while looking amidst the clouds for that silver lining!

P.S.
Did you know that SILVER inhibits the growth of bacteria, as well as keeping odors to a minimum and reducing the risk of bacterial & fungal infection? Well, you do now! So we ask you… “What better way than to put on a pair of these CLOUD HOPPERS to help win with your fight against the flu, especially if it just so happens that you missed getting a flu shot?!”

Laura Bodary: Silver Spoon

My husband was born wearing these pants. Should my name win, there will be oh so much more spooning in my life….

pm: The Jayhawk

It was the spring of 1973 when Tower of Power posed its most timeless question–“What is hip?” It turns out that the band was not conjecturing about black-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans, or even the latest Decemberists album.

The new silver stretch wools are the consummate combination of humility and class that allows its owner to feel just right, whether it’s plugging numbers, or maneuvering through the after-hours smoke beams at our favorite late night jazz jaunt.

The Jayhawks are one more addition to our line of clothing that is meant to redefine comfort and cool. After all, hipness is what it is.

Ian: Little Ricky’s

Young Rick Schroeder taught us that living in a mansion with an immature, toy company-owning, millionaire father and having Alfonso Ribeiro as a best friend were simultaneously possible. You remember that train, right?

Live the dream. Together, you and I.

Cush Donelan: Streamlines

Silver Foxes and Steve McQueens… they are cool, confident and ’streamlined’ in everything they do. Doesn’t efficiency and ease matter the most in our business/entertainment worlds? Get things done with the “Streamlines.”

Brent: Marlinspike
Sharp and sleek, perfect for that disentangled business look. Cool grey tempered with a zest of lemon.

Chad Sakonchick: Keyser Sözes

Everytime I look at these I just can’t help but think of Kevin Spacey as Verbal/Keyser Söze.

Geoff: Prop-8

Because they can’t take away your right to a good pair of pants.

My local laundromat is a trip.

It’s a 24-hour place, so they keep a huge kettle of water on all the time, and next to it a jar of freeze-dried coffee and tub of non-dairy creamer that may be older than I am. (Hard to tell which there are more of in that place–crappy chinos or crappucinos.) I like to load my Capertons into the washer with panache among the sea of drab denim.

The proprietress scuttles around nonstop, blasting a whistle like a professional ref and hoarsely announcing every laundry infraction she spies: “I see dryer sheets on the floor! Dryer sheets on the floor! PICK UP YOUR DRYER SHEETS! TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!“

There is a sign in the bathroom that kindly asks patrons not to smoke marijuana.

Half a dozen flat-screen TVs hang from the ceiling, broadcasting sports and music videos, yet the most current issue of any magazine I can find on the premises is a GQ from August 2007 (with Matt Damon on the cover plugging The Bourne Ultimatum and mentioning in his interview that he hopes Barack is able to upset Hillary for the nomination. Ah, memories).

I paged through that issue last night, my concentration broken every few minutes by recriminatory whistle-toots, brushing up on the ins and outs of the gentlemanly arts (never hurts to review how to properly season a cast-iron skillet, or the chicest number of ice cubes to take in your single malt). This issue featured a cool spread on how to dress if you’re a “hard to fit” guy–that is, a guy who’s shorter than average, taller than average, fatter than average, or straight-up athletic.

Three aspects of this feature caught my attention:

1) It advised against pleats for larger guys. This is something Bonobos believes deep in its bones, the way farmers know when it’s going to rain. Pleats just aren’t flattering. Flat-front trousers, on the other hand, are meant to be comfortable even on large guys. Test model Horatio Sanz (of SNL fame) looked great sans pleats in a well-fitted suit.

2) It advised athletic guys to try narrow-cut trousers–and here I’ve got to disagree. Test model and UFC champion Chuck Liddell looked like a chump in his skinny suit pants with no break. (Sorry Chuck, had to be said. Please don’t beat me up. I’m not a real ninja.) The truth is, even though tapered pants may be hot sellers to thin guys in certain hipster enclaves these days, we still prefer our slight flare. (In GQ’s defense, the signature Bonobos cut didn’t go live worldwide until October 2007. That said, enough customers have asked for a more conservative straight-leg trouser for work that we’ve decided to offer one–stay tuned, they should be released at the end of this week!)

3) It also advised athletically-built guys to “look for shirts labeled ’slim’ or ‘athletic.’ You don’t need excess fabric hanging off that toned midsection of yours.” That’s great advice, GQ–except that the shirt you featured next to that tidbit is a Dolce & Gabbana number priced at $435. Wouldn’t it be great if America’s next great trouser brand crafted a dress shirt worthy of its short but sensational sartorial heritage? That would be great. What would that look like, do you think?

I didn’t get a chance to read much further, as my dryer cycle was over and I wanted to get my Congos crisply folded while they were still warm. That, and if I didn’t clear my stuff out in a timely manner and make room for the next customer, I was in danger of incurring a wicked whistle screech to the face. Maybe I’ll follow that lead and prowl Manhattan, blasting an air horn I’ve recommissioned as a KDB alarm.

Nah. I’d go deaf in no time.

To be blunt, in the interest of emphasis: This is the most charming and exuberant note we’ve ever received from a customer.

Looks like the Charles and his Black Swans are both retired in style.

We like ‘em, Charles, and hope that come March ‘09, you’ll have a few more pairs to show off.

I work at a community college in Cicero, IL, just outside Chicago, in the academic advising and admissions and records office. I have the privilege of helping out our students with their academic careers. It’s so nice when someone comes into our office uncertain, confused, maybe even a little scared, and I can send them away knowing what they have to do to get on track.

It’s so nice when someone comes into our office uncertain, confused, maybe even a little scared, and I can send them away knowing what they have to do to get on track.

The vast majority of our students come from overcrowded, underfunded public high schools. Many are first generation Americans or new to this country, and a lot of them work and take care of their families in addition to coming to college. We make a concerted effort to do our best for them, and go to great lengths to give them the service they need and deserve.

We are located in a land-locked college district, so we cannot expand, and we do not receive much money from property taxes, since the towns which comprise our district are not wealthy. The State of Illinois is not helpful financially (thanks for nothing, Rod). We still have to provide the best services for our students that we can, strapped for cash or not.

…once I had on a pair of Land’s End chinos. They fit my waist great, but the legs were HUGE, it looked like MC Hammer on holiday in Maine.

Finding pants isn’t a walk in the park, either! I have a somewhat odd shape. I’m only 5′8″ but my legs are muscular and, I think, rather long for someone my height. So, when I’m going to buy pants, if the pants fit my waist, the legs are so roomy it’s like I can rob the store, or play host to a family of squirrels in there. For example, once I had on a pair of Land’s End chinos. They fit my waist great, but the legs were HUGE, it looked like MC Hammer on holiday in Maine. On the other hand, since I still have athletic legs and rear end, I don’t want them disappearing into what you gents would call “khaki diaper butt.” But if I try on a pair of pants that might be slim enough to flatter my legs and gluteus, guess what, the waistband won’t close, my big ol’ thighs are busting out, and I look like an aged emo kid or some kind of male prostitute.

Chinos are, by nature, supposed to be neither too formal nor too casual, with the result that they often come off as bland and indecisive.

The only dressy pants I’ve ever found that fit me well are a certain line of J. Crew chinos that are cut differently from the rest of their pants, they are called “classic fit.” They are my favorite, “go-to” pants. They aren’t perfect for all occasions, though. Chinos are, by nature, supposed to be neither too formal nor too casual, with the result that they often come off as bland and indecisive. Furthermore, I ain’t too crazy about wearing 6 different colors of the exact same pants during the week. Seriously, I have 6 pairs of the same pants, in 6 different colors. I had no choice, they’re the only thing that fits right! I could use some other pants, to say the least.

I’m really looking forward to trying on Bonobos. I have a feeling that they are designed with practicality and style in mind. I sincerely appreciate being admitted to the Band of Brothers, without which I could not have gotten my hands on these pants. I have never heard of a clothes company that offers a discount for public servants. Actually, I’ve never heard of ANY company that does this. It’s unheard of! You guys certainly are, pardon the obvious pun, cut from a different cloth!

Sandwiched between visits with JP Morgan and L’Oreal, a group of MBA students on a retail trek from USC’s Marshall School stopped by Bonobos HQ last week to talk business and pantrepreneurship with Brian Spaly. Sporting his F. Scotts with pride (it was Halloween), Brian shared his experience founding Bonobos just over a year ago, shortly after earning his own MBA.

“We love to meet with MBA students,” Spaly said. “They ask great questions and love to take notes…  but they’re also by definition risk-averse people. I like to encourage them to strike out and start new ventures–even if their ideas are as simple as making trousers.”

The students not only got a glimpse of life at the rapidly-growing start-up, they also tried on some sweet trousers. Check out Sara in the Obamas (yes, women can wear bonobos) and Drew in the turqs!