"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

Did you ever wonder why so many of our Clothes are made of Cotton?

Many of us know that our clothes are made of cotton, but only few of us know where cotton comes from and why so many of our clothes and garments are made from this textile.

What is Cotton?

Cotton fiber grows around the seeds of the cotton plant which is called GenuseGossypium. When it grows, it takes the form of a little bowl which purpose is to facilitate the spreading of seed dispersal. As almost all species, you can find many different species of cotton around the globe, which all have different characteristics. Cotton grows in warm region of the globe; you can find some in America, in Africa, in Asia, and in almost every tropical and subtropical region of the world.  

Why Cotton in our clothes?

The reasons that make cotton one of the most preferred fabrics of the clothing industry is that it is both breathable, which makes it comfortable for people when it's hot, and that it is also very easy to dye. Both of these characteristics make cotton very popular in the clothing industry, as style is almost always expressed with colors, and as people are more than often concerned with clothes that won’t make them suffocate. A final thought about cotton is that it is a natural fabric. That makes it less harming to people who are sensitive to certain chemical used in the production of other fabrics.

Knowing this, we can understand why almost all of our clothes, our T-shirts, hoodies, underwear and socks contain cotton.  However, cotton doesn’t only have advantages. You have probably noticed that it wrinkles and shrinks when you wash them and put them in the dryer. That would be the reason why cotton is frequently blended with other fabrics such as polyester and Lycra, in order to give it the benefits of both cotton and the other fabric.

I hope you that you have enjoyed reading my article and that you have learned something new about cotton. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment J  

- J.F.

Sex and Your Underwear!

Have you ever wondered how what you wear under your slacks affects your love life?

If you’re a man that believes that when you go on a date, your underwear's don’t matter because your lady will only see your undies once who have reached your end game. 

Unfortunately, you're completely wrong! You couldn't even begin to imagine the affect that men's underwear may have on women.

Luckily, Isabel Pen; writer of Men’s Fitness has given us some helpful tips for all the men out there who want to pick up their game.

TIP #1: Get Rid of Girl Repellent: We want to attract the ladies after a successful night out, not scare them away.

TIP #2: Enforce Quality Control: Just like you wouldn’t wear a ripped up suit to go to work, don’t leave the house with hoses in your skivvies.

TIP #3 Lose the Funny Stuff: You’re a grown man, not a kid anymore. Let it be emphasized by your wardrobe; as well as your underwear.

TIP #4 Consider The Material: Looking good is always important, but you also got to consider comfort for time to time. Get yourself the perfect fit!

TIP #5 Ditch the Tighty Whities
: Rejuvenate yourselves, don’t go for old men shivvies. Keep it young and fresh!

TIP #6 Don't Overcompensate: Don’t make the brand of the undies steal the show; leave that up to your junk. Avoid the tacky brands.

TIP #7 Avoid Being Flamboyant: At the end of the day, the goal is to impress the women. Just keep it simple and avoid anything to kinky.

Hence, a good place to start shopping for the perfect men's underwear is at Dylan Ribkoff. Find different pairs of underwear for any occasion. If it's to impressing the ladies or just for a night out on the town, Dylan Ribkoff's fresh and fashionable shivvies got you covered. 

- Carlo

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