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February 2013

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We are well into winter here in the Northeast. What better way to weather the two feet of snow we received in Boston last week than with a pair of long johns and a cashmere sweater! Much to my luck, two days before we were hit by the super storm, Nemo, I received a pair of Male Basics Microfiber Long Johns to take for a test run.

These long johns are made of a very soft microfiber fabric, which had a nice weight to it. They are fitted throughout the majority of the leg, with some extra room near the lower calves, where there is a cuff at the ankle. There is a grey seam down the front and back of each leg, as well as the center of the front and back. One thing I really enjoyed about these MaleBasics was the front pouch. I have had many pairs prior to this particular one, but non have supplied me with the right amount of support without wearing a pair of underwear underneath them; this pouch has a center seam, and provided a gentle lift to the ‘goods.’ They hugged the body without being too tight or too loose, and were perfect for lounging around the house, and running around the corner for a quick coffee fix during the storm. The only thing I was not satisfied with was the contrast seaming; while it highlighted my best ‘features,’ it was not consistent, and you could see where the stitching was too close, snagged or too spread out.

These microfiber long johns currently are available in black, and have a light grey contrast stitching and silver and black logo waistband. The tags on the interior of the waistband are soft and sewn into the band, as to not cause irritation to the lower back. The fabric, made of 78% nylon and 12% spandex, also held its shape and elasticity following a few wears around the house and under a pair of jeans during the blizzard.

Pros

  • super soft
  • great fit
  • low rise

Con’s

  • Inconsistent stitching

Ratings

  • Fit – 4.5
  • Materials – 4.5
  • Construction – 3.5
  • Look – 4.5
  • Daily Wear – 4.5
  • OVERALL – 4.3

*OUT of 5*

This pair was furnished by MaleBasics and is available for $45.00 at their site.

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UNB goes to Vegas to see all the new underwear from some of your favorite brands. I generally go two times a year in every February and August. It is a great time to talk to all the brands and some retailers about the new pairs being released.

I will be meeting with over 30 companies in three days. Those three days will be nonstop. Some of the brands you may already know like 2(X)ist, Andrew Christian, Pistol Pete, and more. Then there are some you may not know well but after we talk to them and write them up they may become some of your new favorites.  I will bring you some of the hottest underwear that is or will be released!

There will be several ways to follow us at Magic/Curve. Follow our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/unbblog). The wireless and cell service is not the best, but I will try to post when I am meeting with certain companies. The second way is Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/unbblog). Regardless of the cell service at the end of the day  I will post pictures on Instagram.

Lastly, we will have write ups on the different brands the following week! They will run over the next few weeks. Certain brands will be delayed due to their release schedule. But I will post a list of brands I speak too and when you can expect to see them on the blog!

malepowerneon

These bright and colorful undergarments set the right tone for fun and frolic. Customers may choose from four different styles: mini pouch short, jock, micro thong and mustang bikini. All are available in lime green, orange, pink and yellow, colors that are as blazing as passion itself.

Neon Mesh underwear features the Male Power black logo waist and leg elastic, so it looks great against the skin and feels even better. The fabric is sensationally soft, but it beautifully contours the body. In short, you can’t go wrong with these shorts.

Market demand for neon fabrics has spiked, and so will your sales when you place this collection on your walls and display racks. It is a shining example of Male Power’s superior style and innovation.

Coming soon to a retailer near you! Find more info about Male Power at their site

9696This week’s Underwear of the Week is the Candyman 9696 Black/Silver/Blue Zipper brief. We just celebrated Valentine’s Day and this pair could have been really fun on a date. It was just released as part of the first collection from Candyman. It’s really fun and I wouldn’t say it was for every day wear but a date night or anniversary would be ideal.

The reasons this pair made our underwear of the week is:

  • Low rise brief cut
  • Has a modern design with lineal cuts in three different colors with metallic finish
  • Side zipper that gives a modern twist
  • Elastic edges around the waist and legs for a good fit.
  • Composition: 93% Polyester, 7% Spandex.

This pair is retailing for around $25. It just came out and should be appearing at retailer on the net and in stores!

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Eric Turner is one of my favorite people in the world of Underwear. I got a chance to meet him a few times at Magic. He’s very much down to earth and a great guy. He posted this on his Facebook page and I wanted to share it here. He’s raising money for Aids Walk Houston. If you can give money to a great cause, please support Eric in this! Let’s try to get him to raise more money then ever before!

Here is what Eric wrote:

I grew up Mormon, outside Salt Lake City in a wonderful family. They did everything they could to make me feel loved, but ultimately the ‘demons’ that weren’t visible on the outside as I grappled to balance my religion and my identity, controlled how I felt about myself. I contemplated suicide regularly, and thankfully never took the steps to do such a selfish thing. Eventually, I learned to love myself and grew into the man I am today. It was a long and exhausting process.

As a result, I’ve always tried everything I could to help show LGBT youth that the harder they try, they WILL be able to overcome their challenges and make something of themselves. When I lived in Salt Lake City, I partnered with several business partners to create a new, mainstream gay club that gave those at-risk youth a place to feel welcomed and feel at home. It, a gay club, grew to be the largest nightclub in Utah. With that same spirit of unity and togetherness, I’ve teamed with Team LIVE in the Houston AIDS Walk for two purposes:

1- LIVE is a non-profit that was started to fight the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Having been in a serodiscordant relationship, I’ve seen firsthand the struggles that those who are positive face, and I believe as a community we have an obligation to protect our own and end that stigma.

and 2- I’ve partnered with LIVE so that the funds I raise for LIVE with the walk will be used to create a new festival in Houston that will reach out to these at risk groups- LGBT youth and those living with HIV/AIDS, and will create a scholarship fund to help those groups grow through their struggles, learn to love themselves, and eventually give back to our community much in the same way I’m trying to do with this. I believe very strongly in this, but I can’t do it without help. Please, please, please help me- help LIVE- reach out to these groups to make a difference not only in their lives, but to show them that there is more to living a healthy, fulfilling life as an LGBT individual than the party scene.

I believe that individuals are capable of great things, and when you have the power of unity, the community becomes unstoppable in what it can achieve. It’s for this reason that I ask you to support me for the Houston AIDS Walk, and join me in fighting stigma and strengthening the part of the gay community that values people, education, and giving back to the community.

Please visit my fundraising page to read more and click ‘support me’ to help: www.aidshelp.org/participant/erictastic

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An old marketing adage simply states, “sex sells.” Men’s clothing company Andrew Christian ran with that idea and proved it to be true as their alluring, second-skin intimate apparel became coveted the world over thanks to racy promotional videos featuring Adonis models wearing – or removing – their flattering products.

But with the dawn of 2013, Andrew Christian decided to also prove that safer sex sells – the company teamed up with Wet, a leading distributor of personal intimate lubricant, and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization with nearly 200,000 clients in 28 countries, to promote safer sex through condom use. This smarter, safer, and still sexy attitude towards intimacy was dubbed by AHF President Michael Weinstein as “The New Sexual Revolution.”

“Fifty years ago, the term Sexual Revolution meant sexual freedom, and that revolutionary acceptance of sexual liberation brought about important cultural changes that helped shape the world we live in today,” Weinstein said. “We believe that in the 21st Century, the New Sexual Revolution needs to also be about respecting yourself and your partner enough to use protection and prevent the spread of HIV and other STDs. We hope this new outlook will also bring the much-needed cultural normalization of safer sex practices.”

WET provided condoms and lubricant to be included in all Andrew Christian underwear orders.  AHF provided messaging on a small card that will also be included in the orders, encouraging people to join in the New Sexual Revolution by protecting themselves and their partners with condom use.

“Wet is proud to be a part of this effort with AHF and Andrew Christian,” said Michael Trigg, CEO of Wet’s parent company, Trigg Laboratories, Inc. “We believe that companies are like individuals, each creating their own ‘karma.’ Giving back has been paramount to Wet since our inception. Education and access to safer sex materials is critical for all cultures across the globe.”

Andrew Christian’s latest video, which is dropping on February 1 at http://www.andrewchristian.com/socialvideos, features two of the company’s most popular models going through dozens of AHF-brand LOVE and ICON condoms as they celebrate the arrivals of their Andrew Christian underwear orders. These branded condoms are distributed for free by AHF through its websites, mobile testing units, at testing events, and through the innovative nationwide condom distribution initiative Condom Nation, which features an 18-wheel big rig that drives cross-country distributing condoms and sharing information about safer sex.

As a highly sexualized brand, Andrew Christian considered it an important use of their marketing power to promote condom use. The company has become a trusted source of fun and sexy promotions, and is now showing the fun and sexiness in condom use. The apparel line then approached WET and AHF to ensure two additional tools that make condom use effective – water-based personal lubricant and a trove of accurate STD-prevention information – were present in the campaign.

Andrew Christian distributes about 9,000 orders per month worldwide, so the company has committed to a guaranteed distribution of 27,000 condoms during the three-month safer sex campaign. Additionally, the company expects their safer sex video dropping on Friday to garner at least the average amount of traffic they have come to expect from their racy videos of about one million views in the first month.

“Last year Andrew Christian’s marketing campaigns went viral due to our extremely sexual videos,” said head designer Andrew Christian. “Using that sexual attention to our advantage, we feel like now is the perfect time to reinforce the importance of safer sex to our fans and community.

valentines-2013 Between now and February 14th (at midnight), enter discount code “itsagas” (without the quotes) in the coupon box on your shopping cart page then click the Add Coupon button to register the code and 15% will be deducted off the product total of your order.

Just remember, act fast as it’s only valid for the next few days.

* offer is not retroactive and discount is not available on already reduced sale items.

Shop at: http://www.jockstrapcentral.com

250 You have 2 Days left in the Male Basics Valentines Day sale! Use code MBLUV at check out to get 15% off all their eroticwear colleciton

Shop at: http://www.malebasics.com

 h1_02 Till Thursday UnderGear is giving you 25% off 3 or more items. Just use code U2AL at check out.

Shop at http://www.undergear.com

stonemen

Stonemen 
is 
a 
lifestyle
 brand
f or 
those
 who
 value
 quality,
 design
 and 
immaculate
 attention
 to
 detail.
 The
 only
 underwear
 label
 ever
 to
 create
 a
 seamless
 360
 digital
print,
Stonemen
 has
 searched
 far
 and
 wide 
to
 bring
 to
 you
 unique
q uality
 underwear
 with
 a 
fashionable 
edge.

Art
 directing
 all
 images
 themselves,
 Stonemen
 bring
 you
 unique
 prints
 inspired
 by
 natural
 landscapes,
 with
 images
 offering a
 sense 
of
 freedom
 with
 a
 retro 
twist.

Following
 the
 success
 of
 the
 men’s
 range,
 Stonemen’s
 stylish
 and
 colorful
 designs
 were
 such
 a
 hit
 that
 women
 from
 all
 over
 screamed
 “What
 about
 us?!”
 and
 so
 Stonemen
 for
 women
 was
 born.
 With
 the
 same
 amount
 of
 detail
 and
 quality
 you 
can 
match 
your 
‘his’ 
with 
‘hers’
 and
‘ hers’
 with 
‘his’!

Stonemen
 is
 the
 creation
 of
 three
 friends
 who
 got
 together
 with
 a
 mission
 of
 creating
 the
 perfect
 men’s
 underwear.
 They
 had
 enough
 of
 the
 boring
 and
 uncomfortable
 underwear
 that
 was
 available
 in
 the
 marketplace
 and
 wanted
 to
 create
 something
 that
 was
 stylish, 
comfy
 and
 just 
damn
 AWESOME.

“
We
 wanted
 to 
create
 a
 fashion
 forward
 piece
 rather
 then 
just
 plain 
underwear
–
 leaving
 the 
attention
 to
 detail 
in
 the 
prints 
and 
having
 classic,
 clean
cuts
 and 
top
 quality
 fabric
 with
 a
 simple
 and
 sophisticated
 elastic
 waistband.
 We
 bring
 you
 underwear
 with
 untainted
 images
 meaning
 no
 seams,
 splits
 or
 breakdown
 of
 pattern
 in
 our
 perfect
 360
 digital
 images.”

 ‐
Marc
Debnam,
Creative
Director.

Everyone
 in
 the
 fashion
 world
 is
 saying
 print
 is
 in,
 so
 throw
 away
 those
 white
 cotton
 jocks 
and
 update 
your 
undie
s drawer
 with
 the 
latest 
STONEMEN!