Montreal menswear brand founders strip down to boxers for "Dragons' Den" pitch

Aug 18 2022, 1:35 pm

If you’re a fan of CBC’s hit entrepreneurial showcase Dragons’ Den, you may want to tune in on September 29. You’ll likely see a lot more than you bargained for…

You can thank Manmade for that.

The Montreal-born men’s apparel company, which specializes in underwear, went all out with their pitch on the Canadian show, stripping down to their boxers to present their line of clothing essentials. “We wanted to make sure we brought the entertainment value for them,” says the brand’s co-founder Anthony Ciavirella.

As for the Dragons, they seem to have been entertained. “What I can tell you is that it’s going to be a good episode… The Dragons tried on all our products,” confirms Ciavirella.

Among the most enthused was Robert Herjavec, who returned for this season after leaving the show 10 years ago. A newly released still from the episode show the businessmen letting it all hang out with the Manmade crew.

manmade dragon den

Manmade / Submitted to Daily Hive

Manmade / Submitted to Daily Hive

While the result of their pitch will only be known to the public when the episode airs on September 29, the company has seen major successes despite being around for less than a year.

First conceived as an alternative to “bad underwear,” Manmade was born when four life-long friends decided to leave their finance jobs and take a chance in unfamiliar territory. “We knew that we had to get this right,” explains Ciavirella. “And doing that took 34 different iterations.”

“We went back and forth knocking on doors in Montreal district garment getting told that we’re never going to make, being told that we’re crazy, being told that the material we should have done it with polyester or cotton.”

They ultimately settled on a high quality fabric called modal, which is three times more breathable and absorbent than cotton. It’s also more expensive. But Ciavirella and his team found a way to cut costs for consumers.

By only offering the undergarments in one color (black), Manmade was able to sell high quality modal men’s underwear for a fraction of the price by keeping it simple.

“Our mission is to provide men with the quality essentials they need without the BS they don’t,” says Ciavirella. “And the BS they don’t means the prints, the colors, the meshes, the extra fabric inside that separates the family jewels, all that is not necessary.”

Manmade / Submitted to Daily Hive

While they have yet to celebrate their first anniversary, Manmade has grown at an exponential rate. With over 20,000 pairs of boxer briefs sold, they’ve recently expanded into manufacturing shirts, socks and other essentials.

As for the four buddies who continue to make their vision a reality, Ciavirella says they had two main things in common with one another: “An entrepreneurial itch that needed scratching, and terrible underwear days.”

Lucky for them, those days are over.

Al SciolaAl Sciola

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