So Sly... New Brand

Have you heard of Sly yet?  We have.  We discovered Sly a few months back when founder Dan Murray shot us an email.  And I must say, we've fallen in love with the brand (and his accent).

At just 20 years of age, Australian Dan Murray founded Sly (he founded it 3 years ago when he was 17).  This is partially why we love Sly so much, because we here at MUB are all around his age and thus can relate to all that he's going through to start his new brand.  While hailing from Australia, Sly has already expanded its presence into the South African, New Zealand, and American markets.

Sly's style is edgy with a bit of urban flair.  The line is based around boxerbriefs, and we always do love good boxerbriefs.  And what's more, he's hoping to fill a niche with his brand between the super high-end undies and the low-end.  He's offering high-end style at affordable prices.  And we must say we love this!

There are two different cuts, long boxers and short boxers and lots of different styles.  And as is becoming common place, the styles include a pocket on the leg that is useful as a condom pocket. 

Watch the following video to hear more about the brand from the owner himself and hear about his nomination for Australian Bachelor of the Year. And stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Dan and a review of Sly undies. 

Wearing my Grundies... A Review

We've spoken a couple times on here about an up-and-coming Australian brand called Grundies.  Today I want to give you my opinions on one of their most prevalent and popular cuts - the fit short (read "trunk").  So without further ado, I bring you today's review.

For the purpose of today's review, I tried the Tattoo Fit Short in blue.  I really like the fit of these trunks, this is one of my favorite fits to wear period (regardless of brand).  They give you nice full coverage while still being revealing and hip.  You don't have to worry about anything falling out or being on display but they're still small and tight enough to subtly show off your physique.  The legs on these trunks are just about even with the bottom of the pouch and the waistband rises to about where your low-rise jeans would sit.  So they're not a super low-rise but they're not up to your navel either. 

These things are comfortable for all day wear.  As is common in a lot of undies, the tag is screen-printed onto the back so there's no itching to worry about.  The pouch is made of a single piece of fabric (no seams down the middle, which is often the case).  It isn't quite what I would call a contoured pouch, but it gives you enough room to hang in.  If you look at the cut of the design, the pouch is actually a sort of filled-in U-shape that extends down to your perineum area.  Made of 90% cotton and 10% elastane (to hold its shape), this fabric hugs the body snugly but not too tight.  I feel like I can breathe in these.  The legbands are simply the fabric rolled over a couple times, so there is no uncomfortable pinching.  The logo waistband is not only stylish but quite soft on both sides.  It stays in place but doesn't cut in.  The back is seamless for a nice smooth look. 

While the cut of these is quite basic, there is still some stylish flair.  The blue color against the black waistband really pops.  On one leg (on this particular pair) is screen printed the "Grundies" logo and then a few stars are printed on the other leg to mimic the Australian flag.  These are nice touches that make these undies (or should I say Grundies) stand out.  Also, as their signature on all their undies, Grundies puts a small red tag with their logo on the left leg attached to the bottom of the waistband.  I think this is a nice designer touch that shows the care and attention to detail that this company has.

These undies are pretty well made, I'd say.  I've worn them numerous times (keep meaning to do this review) and have washed them just as many and they've held up well.  The elastane helps them to keep their shape after each wash.  And just by glancing over them, you can tell they are made well: the waistband is held on by at least three rows of stitching.  The fabric, does, however fade a little after a few washes.  But that is to be expected with such a bright blue.  The screen printing also cracks a little bit, but that is to be expected on fabric that is constantly stretching and moving.  Other than that, these undies hold up fantastically.  They are currently on special for $19.95 (normally $24.95).  I would say for the style in combination with the comfort and great fit these are worth it.  Give Grundies a try. 

MY RATING:

Overall, I give the Grundies Tattoo Fit Short a total score of 9 based on the following criteria:

FIT -- 9 (out of 10) - Modest trunk.  Covers just enough but still shows off physique.  

COMFORT -- 9 (out of 10) - Good all day wear.  Tagless, no cutting on elastic. 

STYLE -- 9 (out of 10) - Basic with some Aussie flair

QUALITY -- 8 (out of 10) - Excellent attention to detail.  Will fade a bit though. 

VALUE -- 9 (out of 10) - Good bang for you buck.

**********9

Trip for Two to Australia from Sloggi

Sloggi underwear is sponsoring a competition to win a two week trip to Australia for two.  All you have to do is buy any Sloggi underwear from Dead Good Undies and you will receive an entry card with your order that you can fill out and send in to Sloggi to enter.  Athlete Linford Christie's favorite underwear is Sloggi so you know this is good stuff.  

New Stonemen Styles Released

One of our favorite brands at MUB Stonemen has just launched some new designs that promise to be better than ever.  While walking around Byron Bay in Australia, the folks at Stonemen ran across a guy who airbrushes surf boards.  They commissioned him to paint up some new beach-inspired prints for the Stonemen collection.  He came up with two great new designs - one a red sunset, and the other an ocean theme with hibiscus flowers.  These prints are special though, unlike most underwear with patterns, these prints wrap all the way around the undies in a continuous print with no breaks.  It's really quite fantastic looking.  The print is done using water-based ink (instead of plastic, as is done with most underwear), so the fabric breathes better and feels smoother.  The fabric weight is also a little lighter than previous Stonemen styles, which was my primary complaint before.  All in all these promise to be great pairs of undies.  So whether you're celebrating summer at the beach Down Under, or are in a winter in a colder climate - these undies will give you the perfect beach look to help you stay warm.  I have a couple pairs to try and so far they look great, so stay tuned for my review.  But in the meantime, Stonemen would like you to try out these undies for 10% off using an exclusive MUB coupon code "MUBTEN".  

Got my Mojo Covered Downunder - A Review

Mojo Downunder is another brand that hails from Australia.  Adam Rakowski, a plumber, wanted to design this brand because he was sick of all the awful underwear out there and wanted to create something that was comfortable.  The team at Mojo is so confident you'll love these that they've offered a 100% money-back guarantee if you don't think they're the most comfortable things ever.  And they warn, they may cause a rise in your mojo.  Mojo comes in briefs, boxer shorts, hipster trunks, and long trunks as well as a variety of undershirts.  All styles come in four colors: white, grey, black and blue.  Today I'm going to review the hipster trunks in blue. 

Well I gotta be honest, my first impression of these things is "there's a lot of fabric".  There really is.  A lot more than I'm used to having between my legs.  Usually I wear pretty skimpy, fitted things.  So these are a bit of change for me.  Also, the size chart recommends that the size small is good for sizes 30" - 31", but I'm most definitely a 28".  But the folks at Mojo told me it should be ok.  That being said, it is a little difficult for me to critique the fit.  But I'm going to anyway.  Like I said, there's a lot of fabric here.  Most trunks that I'm used to have the legs come just to the bottom of the pouch, but these legs extend a good inch and a half past the crotch.  They're also rather high rise.  When I pull them up tight they peek out above my low-rise jeans.  All around they are quite roomy.  The legs fit nice and snug.  But the pouch and crotch area is a little looser than I'm used to.  I imagine that if I had a larger butt or larger thighs, they might fit a little tighter.  The back, however, is surprisingly well fitted.  But I find that due to the looseness, I have to keep pulling these up a bit during the day to keep them tight the way I want them. 

Fit problems aside, these things actually are quite comfortable.  This may actually be because they are so loose and therefore aren't constraining.  They are 92% cotton and 8% spandex.  So they are super soft and comfy.  The elastic waist is super soft and smooth and doesn't cut like some do.  They're a good pair for just knocking around in. But they're not going to give you a ton of support (even though they are supposed to be tight-fitting).  Considering that these seem to be very sporty looking and promoted as underwear for sports, that's not a good thing.

As for the style of these, I simply love this color of blue!  Combined with the silver, semi-metallic waistband these are super sexy.  They have a logo across the waistband and also down the side of the left leg to add a little flair.  The right leg has a 'dom pouch', short for condom pouch.  Where you can store something for a little protection in the bedroom or just an extra house key for safe keeping. 

Let's talk quality.  These things are good quality.  I've had this pair for about a year now and they're as bright and brilliant as the day I got them.  That's really saying something, especially for such a bright, saturated color as this blue is.  No signs of fading at all.  The waistband is also in great condition after all that time.  But these are a little pricey at $37 AUD (about $37 USD), especially with all the fit problems considered.  So even though they're nice and comfy for knocking around in, they might not be worth it.  

** Please be aware that most of my complaints are about fit, which may be alleviated by having the correct size (Mojo Downunder does not make my size).**
MY RATING:
Overall, I give the Mojo Downunder Hipster Trunks a total score of 6.5 based on the following criteria:
FIT -- 5 (out of 10) - Not well fitted in the pouch and crotch.  Too loose. 
COMFORT -- 8 (out of 10) - Very comfortable.  Great for hanging around. 
STYLE -- 7 (out of 10) - Splashy waistband and logo leg.  Condom pocket. 
QUALITY -- 8 (out of 10) - Colors retain brilliance after lots of washings. 
VALUE -- 6 (out of 10) - Expensive for something that doesn't fit well. 

**********6.5

New Brand: Grundies

Grundies is a new brand of underwear coming from Australia.  It seems there are a lot of underwear brands in Australia these days.  But Grundies is a little bit different.   When clothing company Pacific Brands moved its manufacturing offshore, over 2000 Australians lost their jobs. Melburnian and former Pac Brands employee, Tony Vass, witnessed the impact of the mass redundancies first hand and vowed to tread a different path, investing in local manufacturing and creating his own underwear line: "Grundies".

"The day Pac Brands announced it was moving manufacturing overseas was a pivotal day for me" Tony says. "That decision cost thousands of people their jobs, many of them close colleagues of mine. That was the day I decided I was going to be the master of my own destiny, create my own underwear line and put back in to the Australian garment manufacturing industry."

Grundies underwear launched early 2010 and is the culmination of over 2 years of research and development, utilising some of Australia's best underwear designers and local manufacturing facilities. It was important for Tony to manufacture locally.  

Tony is aiming for a distinctly Australian flavour with Grundies, from the name which derives from Australian rhyming slang for undies - "Reg Grundies", through to the design of one of his Grundies ranges featuring iconic images of the Australian flag and the southern cross.

With three different ranges - a basics range called "originals", a "signature" range which has a more street flair, and an "aussie" range which hearkens back to its roots - Grundies is off to a great start and they are definitely worth checking out.  Also stay tuned for a review soon. 

Cocksox: Australia Day Sale

Rip off Cocksox - up to 30% off - from now until February 1st in honor of Australia Day! The prices are marked in the site to reflect the discount. Check it out now!

New Brand: Tribe Underwear

Tribe Underwear is an Australian brand that has been on the market for about a year now (they launched in July 2008). It is completely made and manufactured in Australia. It is available in a few stores in Australia but you'll have the best luck getting it online at their site. The line has been in development for three years now and is the brain-child of Bettina Andretic and Tony Hall. They were inspired in a most interesting way: they read an article where fashion icon David Beckham stated that he liked to wear Victoria's underwear around the house because the fabric felt really nice. So this sparked the idea to make men's underwear out of similar fabric.

The first thing I've got to say about this brand is that I think it's super hot! You may think that making men's underwear out of this type of fabric might have a very feminine result. But that is not the case at all. This underwear is very masculine and very unique and everyone who sees it will want to know where you got it and where they can get some. It's just that hot. The underwear comes in six styles: slim side briefs, standard briefs, trunk briefs, boyleg briefs, short boxers, and long boxers. But the mystique lies in the fabric not the cuts. Tribe underwear has some of the most unique fabric I've seen in the men's underwear world. They have everything from sexy, almost sheer fabrics like the black devore to more modest fabrics for the less daring like their palm fabric. My personal favorite is what they call burn out; it is basically orange ,cut velvet with sheer fabric where the velvet has been cut to form a floral pattern. It's super sexy while still keeping you covered.

So if you've been wanting some underwear to bring out that softer, sexier side in you this is the perfect thing. All I can say is I can't wait to try them out. And as always I'll let you know what I think - so be on the lookout for a review.