exposure helped the montrealers behind manmade become underwear moguls
endorsements from ex-habs chris nilan and shayne corson provided a boost to the former bankers who invested their personal savings into boxer briefs.
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when four montreal friends ditched their finance jobs last year to start a men’s underwear company, many admired their moxie but seriously questioned their chances. manmade had a cheeky marketing campaign and a quality product, but they were asking $24 for a pair of black boxer briefs in a low-margin realm dominated by multinational giants. and they were only selling online.
four months after launching in august 2021, they’d sold or given away 10,000 briefs and amassed $130,000 in sales. the decision to quit their banking jobs and invest $80,000 in personal savings was looking sketchy.
one year later, with an additional 100,000 briefs sold, more than $2 million in sales and a successful outing on cbc’s dragons’ den, prospects are looking up.
“if you look at where we started and where we are now, we hope we’re making montrealers very, very proud,” said anthony ciavirella, a founding partner along with philip santagata, robert marzin and roberto (berto) rebelo, who are from montreal north and st-léonard and in their early 30s.
they’re aiming to triple output next year to more than 300,000 briefs and over $7 million in sales. but first they’ll have to clear the hurdle of locking in financing to purchase significantly more inventory.
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ciavirella credits a number of factors for their initial achievements. a year of research and honing led to a successful product made by a reputable firm in sri lanka. sticking to online sales and one simple design allowed competitive pricing. an impassioned attention to customer care that includes repeated emails, calls to more than 1,000 clients, one-day delivery and a handwritten thank-you card with every order has created a loyal fan base and repeat customers. marketing campaigns on facebook, instagram, tiktok and linkedin outlining their progress and mantra (“providing quality essentials men need, without the bs”) led clients to feel as though they were part of the journey.
“with all of these contacts, through emails and cards and facebook or tiktok, the customers start to feel a connection,” ciavirella said.
glowing endorsements from local celebrities like former habs players chris nilan and shayne corson, and canadian rock legend bryan adams, who received free products in return, provided another boost.
initial sales allowed them to secure over $500,000 in financing in early 2021 from the business development bank of canada, bank of montreal and pme mtl, which supports budding entrepreneurs.
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they branched out into sports socks, t-shirts and soap, but underwear remains their core, accounting for 70 per cent of sales. father’s day was big, ratcheting sales above $100,000 a month by june.
then came dragons’ den, which the team calls its “tsn turning point.” the foursome travelled to toronto in may for the taping, looking for investment, exposure and mentorship.
things started poorly. three of the four teams who went before them to pitch to the business moguls of the den came out “distraught, ruined. like, they were crying,” ciavirella said. “we were freakin’ freaking out. it was like: ‘oh my god, these guys are massacring people.’ ”
but the men from manmade charmed the dragons, in part by stripping down to their boxer briefs on camera. they were interviewed for 90 minutes (nine of which made it onto the show) and in the end, two teams of dragons — who wore the product and raved about it — fought for the right to invest $240,000 in the company in exchange for 20 per cent of future profits. (final financing details are still being ironed out.)
that exposure, which generated tv and radio interviews, and the coming christmas season led to a doubling of sales in october, and again in november. they’re averaging 250 to 300 sales a day, mainly in ontario, quebec and alberta, with most clients in the 35- to 65-year-old range. most of their buyers are women. they plan to branch out into the u.s. next year and are adding a line of navy blue boxer briefs in response to customer requests.
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finding the financing to triple sales is proving a challenge. standard banks prefer to lend to companies that have contracts in hand to sell to stores, as opposed to projected online sales.
“the banks look at us like we’re nuts. they don’t get e-commerce,” ciavirella said. the business partners are in talks with lenders more accustomed to the online market.
the company has grown to eight employees, including a full-time videographer who produces as many as 30 videos a month to post to their various platforms.
the goal is to grow the company so they can open a flagship retail store in montreal in 2024 and one day make the product in the city. for now, as earnings are plowed back into inventory, it’s a life of long hours and small salaries while building the dream.
“this is going to be lululemon, if not bigger,” ciavirella said. “we want to be the underdogs who get to the top of the hill.”
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