UNB Talks to Baskit

We had an opportunity to talk to Eric the Head Baskit Maker over at Baskit Undies. The talk was going to be on the extension on the Body Art line, but we talked about a lot more. We talked about the other lines, how he started at the company and much more.

The first thing we talked about was the extension of the Body Art line. The line, he said, originated when he was in London and noticed a guy at his gym who was covered from head to toe in tattoos. He would see the guy in the gym a lot and one day he asked the guy could they use his tattoos as the inspiration of the new line. The gentleman agreed and they took some pics and came out with the line. The original closely matched the guy’s tattoos with blackish/blue tint. The line turned out to be one of the best sellers. They then came out with the newer cyan based line. As you can see by the pictures here, the line is a little brighter and fun. And no matter what style of underwear you like, they make it in all. From boxer briefs, briefs to jocks, any style you would want to wear.

Some other updates include changes to the Action Cool line. The original mesh was one that may not have been comfortable to wear all day. After some research they re-launched the brand with 100% cotton mesh that became conducive to daily wear. There are perfect for working out or someone who has a very active day. The Action cool line is available in Black, Bronze Green, Brown Stone, Riviera Blue, Vermillion Orange and White. Styling also vary just as much as the colors, you can get the various colors in the Boxer Brief, Sawed off trunk, bikini brief, low rise trunk and jock.

We asked Eric what his best seller has been. He told us it was the pink jockstrap they put out about a year ago. He didn't expect it to be such a success. They were out for a short time and if you didn't get one, don't loose hope, they maybe back soon, but as of yet there are no plans to put them in production. Keep checking the Baskit site and we will let you know when and if it's released.

They are a company that takes risks in their underwear as well. You may remember the Pin Up line called Beauties they had out earlier in the year. The pictures that used to grace WWII bombers of Pin Up models inspired them. They are a series of boxer briefs with different vintage pin ups on the leg. This is carried over in the Fall 2008 collects for the Beauties and Brawn lines. Both have vintage images on the underwear. Beauties carry over the pin up theme, while Brawn is vintage images of men.

One last thing about their underwear is the sizing. The sizing is based on European sizing. Which means that its a little smaller then true American sizing, but it should not make a major difference. But we would suggest if you're right on the end of a size, for example, if you're a 34 and the size is a 32-34, try the next size up. Which makes good sense for any brand you buy. You will be more comfortable.

The company's lines seem to be always evolving into something fun to wear. They have items you can wear to express your personality to something simple to wear to the gym. For those of you who want something simple the Urban line is one that has a simple waistband and conservative colors. While if you want something to express your self the Body Art, Stripes and Beauties and Brawn lines, will alloy you to bring your personality to your underwear.

The last thing we talked about was how he ended up working in the underwear business. He said he was working for the UK government in London and decided he needed a change. And as fate would have it, through a friend, he met the two owners of Baskit at dinner one night. At that dinner the owners mentioned selling the company. After that conversation he negotiated with them for about six months till they sold the company to him.

Since taking the over, the company has been reinvigorated and new lines have come out. The company now has a distinct vision and direction under Eric. He said on his blog "Already, we've placed hundreds of orders nation-wide and will soon reappear in many of the stores which had carried Baskit in the past. I want the brand to be functional, but also fun and sexy, and most importantly, I want guys to get excited about buying and wearing the underwear." We wish Baskit continued success and look forward to new lines from them soon as well!

UNB Talks to 4Boys Gear

We had a chance to talk to 4Boys Gear this past week. If you're not familiar with 4Boys Gear, they are a new company that is based in the US. They are one of the few underwear manufactures that is truly made in the USA. They have come out with a new and innovative line that is worthy of a look or purchase.

We talked to Jay the President, CEO and Head of Design about the company. The conversation went over an hour. I won't bore you with a lot of what we talked about (because I found it fascinating and interesting but I know a lot of you wouldn't), but we covered some ground and I learned a few things about underwear construction that I didn't know. Which is always a good thing for use here to know how undies are made.

The brand of 4Boys came about when four partners formed the company. They each have a very diverse background, and came together and started a new underwear company. That is how the name came about as well. This 4Boy concept is carried over into their marketing. When you view their site you will see 4 guys in the pictures and advertising.

The line they have come out with is one that is very diverse. They are sure to have something for everyone, from briefs, to boxer briefs and boxers. If you go over and check out their site you will see some of it is very retro. They have taken old concepts and made them into new fresh undies. An example of this is the classic cut brief; it has modern styling but taken from retro looks. I’m sure there are a few out there who remember similar shorts for gym.

One thing that we talked about was quality. 4Boys wants to make the highest quality underwear. This is done through materials, construction and quality assurance. When you purchase 4boys you will notice the quality of the cotton. They use a higher quality then the typical underwear company. This quality is carried over in the construction and the materials used when sewn. One thing we talked about was the tag used in underwear. How they went through many different ones in testing before deciding on the most comfortable tag. There is nothing worse then a tag that drives you crazy and the tags used by 4Boys shouldn't irritate you in daily wear.

The collection they are offering has many different styles. From briefs, boxer briefs, boxers and shirts. I think the one thing that struck me was the matching sets. Yet these aren't "matchy matchy" that you go, ah how cute and then think it's too sweet. They fit well together. The shirt is something you could wear with jeans and the matching briefs below.

Some of the underwear that has really stood out to me are:

• Soccer Sports Brief
• Classic Cut Brief
• Marine Boxer Brief
• Royal Academy Boxer Brief
• 3 Jaguars Boxer Brief
• Regal V Brief
• Dagger Brief 2 Tone

The last thing that really impressed me with 4Boys is their philosophy:

At 4Boys Gear® Inc., our mission is to design and offer to the public, and to the trade, a full line of men's under-apparel that compliments the life style of the new and active Modern Urban Male.

Using only fine materials, and making a major commitment to quality control from design to production, our products are stylish and comfortable, as well as durable and lasting for customer satisfaction.

This is topped by the fact they give a percentage of their profits to charity. They have chosen the ONE Campaign. Every quarter they set a side a percentage of their profits for the charity. So they are not just an underwear company, they are a company that is out to help as well.

I hope you will go over and give 4Boys Gear a look and find a few items you would love to have. They are an innovative, creative and caring company. If you go over there tell them your friends at UNB sent you over.

Ginch Gonch talks to UNB about the New Line!

We here at UNB got another interview, this time with Ginch Gonch. I had the honor of talking to Rebecca the Director of Schmoozing. She gave us some insight for the new line and whats coming up for them!

What was the inspiration of the new line? ( and any other interesting facts you can tell me about how it was created):

The Load’n & Dump’n line is inspired by kid’s toy dump trucks and construction equipment. What makes it so unique is that it combines something very typically male and rugged with something fun (toys) which is what Ginch is all about-having fun with your toy. Like our motto says, “Live like a kid!”. The theme of the Load’n & Dump’n collection allows for a lot of creativity when it comes to product names which include: “Pooper Scooper”, “Big Rig”, “Shaft Blaster” and “Jack Ham’Er” and that is also definitely a big part of the product.

Your company has a different view on underwear, what is your philosophy for making new and creative underwear?

We believe in perpetually reinventing the line and pushing the limits of what is considered the norm. Whereas some companies stick with the “if it aint’ broke don’t fix it” philosophy, we do our best to go outside of the box and try new things out. The only thing that never changes at Ginch Gonch is that everything always changes. That’s how we keep it fresh and our customers coming back for more.

In this day and age, things change so rapidly that the public demands novelty at a much faster rate than in previous eras. By perpetually coming up with fun and innovative designs, we ensure that our customer stays entertained. Not only will we launch a new collection every season like most apparel brands, but we will come up with surprise mini-collections here and there that reflect current inspirations and what people in the world are talking about.

I see you're having a website redesign, can you tell us what will be new in the site?

Yes we are completely re-designing our website which is scheduled to launch next week. The new Ginch Gonch site will feature the Load’n & Dump’n collection as well as all previous Ginch Gonch collections from our classic “Crotch Rockets”, a retro line featuring motorcycle drivers, to the reworked "Jolly Cocks” line, undies with little roosters all over them.

People will be able to view all collections, get news and updates from the Ginch Gonch team, and watch some of our famous Ginch Gonch videos. There will also be a large portion of the site devoted to our new online store which is really exciting.

What has been your best selling line?

Some of our best sellers have been the “Crotch Rockets”, “Weiner Eaters” (featuring mini hot dogs) and the “Jolly Cocks”, but all collections have done very well. In fact these three are part of our new “Reworks” collection that includes older styles that did so well in the past that due to popular demand, we brought them back in new color combos.

Anything that you are planning for the future that you can share with us?

We have actually been working on women’s and kids apparel-scheduled to be released in December-to match the men’s line which we think is going to do phenomenally well.

We are also planning a major photo/video shoot in Colombia for next year’s collection in December. We are expecting quite a few people from the media to come down with us. And it should be a blast.

Of course we are working on several other new and exciting projects but if we told you now it wouldn't be a surprise (wink).

Make sure you head over to the new website and check it out as well. In case you don't know it it's http://www.ginchgonch.com. Also look out here in the next few days for a review on the new line!