Meet my lucky underwear!

     I'm a superstitious person. I believe it is a bad day if I see a crow on my way out. I don't cut my nail at night because I believe it will let you not able to be accompany with your parents when they pass away. I won't whistle at night, because I believe it will bring ghost. Also I believe something that will bring you good luck. I place a red envelope in my wallet to bring me more money, and my pink crystal bring me love; further more, I wear red underwear when I have an exam to bring me good luck!
Athletes are also a notoriously superstitious lot. For years, Michael Jordan wore the shorts from his national-championship-winning University of North Carolina days under his Chicago Bulls uniform.
I do believe such things that bring me good luck, but I want those lucky objects to also makes me look good and stylish, too. I like to talk about myself and what I put on me. When I talk about my lucky objects, it should be some other pros beside luck.

Under that idea, I will put Dylan Ribkoff's men's underwear sometimes when it fit my outfit. There are so many many story I can tell my friend, it looks nice, and it's comfortable, and it is made in Canada!
check on their website http://www.dylanribkoff.com/ to find your pairs of lucky underwear!
                                                                                                                          -----JEAL

Sustainability is the way to go!

My dad used to tell me stories (and still does!) of his life in China. Due to Communism, he said it was very hard to find food to eat. Instead, people in his village cultivate their own food such as rice and vegetables, but also chicken and fish. Everything grew in an environment without any form of pesticides, and since villagers try to save as much money as possible they used animal feces as fertilizer and food to feed the fishes. Now, I know it might sound disgusting to you, but you don't even taste it when you eat the fish, trust me, I had some when I was visiting China in 2007! Here is a picture of rice plantations that I took during this trip:

It looks so pure and colors look so refreshing yet no pesticides were involved in this. I was wondering if this sustainability could work for cotton underwear, and found this video on Youtube:

Basically, the most toxic synthetic pesticide has been widely used in cotton fields, and this particular eco-friendly cotton farm in California has refused to use it. Therefore, the farmers have to monitor closely each plant and choose natural pesticide instead.

Dylan Ribkoff Apparel does mention sustainability in their products. They produce their underwear locally and they try to bring their materials into their factory in the most ecological way. This is another type of sustainability that could help improve our planet Earth.
I hope clothing manufacturers could emphasize on sustainable materials in the future because I would not mind spending a couple extra dollars for something that was grown in a 'healthier' way. Also, I hope this blog post would make you reflect on your purchasing decisions next time.

-Annick

Jewellery, Flowers and Underwear?

Hey guys,

This post is about statistics and numbers that Statistics Canada published concerning Valentine's Day. The thing that surprised me is the amount of money spent on V-day gifts. Without looking the website, if I asked you which gift items were purchased the most, you would say.. flowers, jewellery, teddy bears or chocolates. Wrong!!

According to Statistics Canada, people spent $580 billion on men's underwear, sleepwear and hosiery in 2009. Second highest was $3.1 billion for the total value of stationery, office supplies, card, gift wrap and party. Finally third place was for jewellery and watches sold - $2.8 billion. Those who received sleepwear and underwear might have a great night on Valentine's Day. 

I am surprised that Canadian citizens spend more money on gift wraps and cards than expensive rings and necklaces. I believe that it is a good idea to give underwear because they are not so expensive compared to jewellery. Plus, unlike bouquets of flowers, those products are very useful and durable since we need to use them every day.

Therefore ladies, I suggest to offer your man a fresh pair of underwear for Valentine's Day. Maybe you can try to invest a bit more into soft, high quality boxers. Just saying :)

Which gifts would you give to your loved one? Leave your comment below.

Please check out Dylan's website for more product details
Their Facebook page

- Annick

"Made in Canada" via China?

There are a lot of Canadian companies but are any of their products actually made in Canada?

If we look at Molson they actually have more breweries in the USA than in Canada. How about Roots? Their website screams Canadian, however in reality only 40% of their goods are actually made in Canada (the other 60% are made in China, Peru and India).

The article, Not Made in Canada shows that Canadian brands, who have their headquarters in Canada, are not primarily selling products made in Canada. For example: Le Chateau (40% made in Canada), Jacob (20%), Reitmans (0%), and Lululemon (undisclosed).

To tie this in with underwear, La Senza does not disclose the percentage of lingerie they make in Canada but most of their labels say Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. When researching men’s underwear on Google the first brand to come up is Dylan Ribkoff which is made completely in Canada.

As the global marketplace is becoming even more competitive, companies are producing products for cheaper by outsourcing labour and using foreign resources. However, does this come at a price? In my opinion, consumer perception and quality are affected when Canadian companies have products that are not made in Canada. At the end of the day, it’s all about trust in the sense that consumers are willing to pay more for a brand they trust.

What are your views on products that are actually made in Canada? Do you care where your clothing is made? Do you agree the idea in the image below?

- Michelle

What makes men Underwear Comfortable?

I think that every man can recall a situation where he has been uncomfortable in his underwear. Whether it is because you are adjusting your boxer every 5 minutes because of its lack of support, or because you can’t stop scratching yourself because it is made of a poor fabric that irritates your skin. Wearing uncomfortable underwear can become an everyday problem.

However, it can be easy to choose the right underwear for you. I think that some men just don’t take the time to try new products or new styles of underwear in an effort to find the perfect fit for them.

Finding the right underwear can be easy if you can try them before. A Montreal designer named Dylan Ribkoff has understood this idea. Indeed, he offers the possibility to try the Ribkoff’s underwear for a period of 30 days, and he guarantees that you will get your money back if you are not totally satisfied with his product whether it be because you don’t like the colour, or just because it doesn’t fit your body perfectly.

Here are 4 tips that can help you at choosing the right men underwear:

1.     1. Choose the right size: it is important to choose the size that will allow you to feel comfortable as well as provide adequate support. Loose underwear generally lack of support whereas tight ones usually restrict ones in terms of movements. It is important to find the size that will be the perfect balance in between support and comfort. 

2.       2. Find a good design for your body: knowing in which cut or style of underwear you feel the most comfortable is essential. Trunks, briefs, or boxer-briefs are common men underwear cuts. If you can try each one of them, it might give you a better idea of which design is best suited for you needs and body shape. 

3.       3. Look for Soft fabrics: since underwear are generally in contact with sensitive body parts, you should try to find underwear made with fabrics as soft as possible. Of course, you don’t want to sit on sand paper all day long! Looking for breathable fabrics is also important as non-breathable fabrics might lessen your comfort and induce your sweating. 

4.        4. Avoid irritant and massive labels: some underwear companies just don’t understand that big labels are annoying, as they are scratching our skin every time we move. Try to find underwear that will have small labels, or that will directly print the label information on the underwear fabric, avoiding to put a normal label. 

I hope that you now feel more confident about finding comfortable underwear, and that you will try new models based on what we have discussed.

- J.F.

Your Mom Sleeps Naked...and so does your Dad!

This article put together by Julianna Rae has a very catchy title that may bring up some surprising images that I’m sure you wouldn’t like to think about. It does discuss many interesting points regarding underwear. I’m only going to highlight a few key points but the image below is definitely worth reading if you want some fun facts on underwear.

Firstly, how does this article relate to promoting underwear? It was found that 31% of people wear underwear to bed and it’s mostly in the age range of 18-24. Underwear is essential in our everyday wardrobes and now essential at night as well. This is great for an underwear line like Dylan Ribkoff because they are targeting university students and teenagers around this and they focus on comfort but also fashion.

A second interesting point is that 64% own underwear for a reasonable amount of time, whereas 25% own them for over 5 years and 11% own them for over 10 years. Meaning that we are constantly looking for new underwear that is good quality and will last. Bottom line: underwear is an investment. Therefore a company like Dylan Ribkoff that actually cares about their customers and what they want is a key feature to success.

Finally, underwear is a hot holiday gift. So if you’re looking for a gift idea for your boyfriends, spouses, siblings, or even if you want to get yourself a gift, why not check out Dylan Ribkoff shop around for simple yet bold underwear. There’s a great variety of styles and colors. All their products are made in Canada using high quality fabrics that will last!

- Michelle

Attractive Alternatives for Designer Brand Underwear

As a student with limited budget, I often search for alternatives to expensive products that I cannot afford. Also, I want to find something with the same quality or better. For underwear, I would never spend more than 5$ for a pair of female underwear. The lingerie industry is expanding exponentially as for male underwear, it has just began to blossom a few years ago. This blog post is about alternatives for designer brand underwear. I truly believe that Dylan Ribkoff Apparel can provide all the following styles, but at reasonable prices and with the same high quality. It is especially aimed to young adults who have tight budgets, but want to look stylish in their underwear!
I stumbled upon this website Askmen.ca regarding the trends of male underwear for the year 2011. It is quite nice since they talk about different styles and shows some examples. However, when I found this:

$65 for a pair of “Fruit of the Loom” type briefs? I can’t even afford underwear this expensive!

Here is a product of Dylan Ribkoff’s line that I suggest:

Same style, more stylish and fashionable (let’s be honest!), it comes in a variety of shades, with 3 waistbands to choose from and…for around 1/3 of Equmen’s price! Moreover, each style is named after a city in the world.

Next: trunks!

CK’s trunks, quite nice, but I found better…

Currently on sale for $15! This is certainly a must-have. The colors combination seems much more vibrant 

and exciting. By the way, did you know that their fabric is made out of “the finest quality ring-spun yarn? This means that it results in a softer, more durable fabric, and takes 5 times longer to produce." (DylanRibkoff.com) This company does ensure the softness of their products which is the most important factor for men underclothing.

Last style: the infamous briefs

“Then select color….” Only the color black to choose from… where are the colors of the spectrum?

For around the same price (or less), you have a buffet of briefs in a variety of colors!

In summary, all I want to say is that Dylan Ribkoff Apparel provides same exact quality than other brands, gives a whole lot of colors to choose from, most of the times more affordable for college students. In other words, perfect undies!

Please support them by “Like!” their Facebook page for current promotions:

http://www.facebook.com/DylanRibkoff

Or visit their official website (online shop) at:

http://www.dylanribkoff.com/

- Annick