Why I Started a Bamboo Underwear Line

COMMUNITY NEWS

Four months after our wedding, my wife and I started working on developing an independent fashion brand: Piado. We knew we wanted to create something unique, practical and of the highest quality. Since we've always been intrigued by how neglected the underwear was in a man's wardrobe, it came natural to try and change this concept, and transform men's underwear from a simple daily necessity into a fashion statement. We wanted to add color and sophistication to the men underwear; we wanted men to find their signature style in our products. That's how Piado and our men underwear collection "Colors of Life" were born.

To us, quality and the desire to minimize our footprint on the environment came first. After weighing in our options, we found the perfect fabric: Bamboo, the plant that grows naturally without the use of any pesticides or fertilizers, has one of the fastest growth cycles and is known to improve the quality of the soil.

In addition to its "green" properties, bamboo can be transformed into a fabric that is heavenly soft and luxuriously comfortable. The bamboo fabric had been tested against and compared to other fabrics, and research showed it outweighs in its properties even the most commonly used fabric in the underwear industry: cotton. The first time we touched the bamboo fabric we knew we found a material that would delight our future customers through softness, light weight, absorbent and antibacterial properties. Bamboo has also been named the "smell good fabric", which we thought was quite intriguing. Who doesn't want to still smell good at the end of a long day?

After we chose the fabric, we went even further with trying to also create something unique for the packaging design. Although we really loved other materials, we wanted our products to be safe for the environment as well, and that is why we settled on recycled paper as our packaging material. We are keeping our promise to make better choices for the environment, without sacrificing our design and creativity.

Furthermore we realized that it was not enough for Piado to be an eco-friendly, climate conscious company, so we decided to offer extra help to our planet by donating part of our proceeds to non-profit organizations involved in research and promotion of green-living.

After months of hard work, being exigent and critical with ourselves and our products, we are introducing to the world our first underwear collection. Piado "Colors of Life Collection" is defined by distinct fabrics, modern & sophisticated design and "green" elements. The fabric is luxuriously soft, and the modern design is comfortable yet fashionable. In a growing industry in which bland and boring underwear colors abound, Piado's "Colors of Life" collection is sure to make a statement, and deliver a universal message: "Go Green".

Piado is about giving men confidence. It's about making men feel good about themselves even when their only piece of clothing is the underwear.

- Chris Fofiu

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