The Uniqueness of Utility
The TBô Utility Trunk is another example of how the Tribe helps co-create the best underwear for men.
Say hello to the latest addition to the TBô Bodywear line: The Utility Trunk!
We’re excited to talk about the Utility Trunk for a number of reasons. First, the concept: we wanted to create a style of trunk that offered features never before seen in men’s underwear. Oftentimes underwear is designed with comfort or style in mind; how often do you encounter underwear that’s actually useful? We envisioned a set of utility underwear that would maximize support, comfort, and snugness on even the most active days. Not only that, but we also wanted our utility underwear to function a lot like Batman’s utility belt: whenever you needed a free hand, or a place to store your valuables, these trunks would be there for you.
We were energized by the prospect of exploring this rarely-visited design space. We quickly came up with ideas for pockets: for your keys and your phone! We also wanted to incorporate a waistband and inseam that wouldn’t budge through a lot of movement, and provided the same amount of support and comfort as our other men’s underwear.
We understood, however, that our ideas would be for naught if our co-creator community—the Tribe—didn’t see a need or want for this style of men’s underwear. So, we shared the idea on our community platform and asked our longtime customers for their thoughts on the concept of the Utility Trunk.
The community Tribe consists of more than 400,000 co-creators of TBô Bodywear: customers, innovators, and champions who share their opinions, ideas, and feedback on our community platform. This space is a hotbed of brainstorming and collaboration, and gives us a ton of energy to deliver the highest quality men’s underwear.
Great news: the Tribe loved the idea of the Utility Trunk! In addition to sharing our enthusiasm for the design, they provided a wealth of ideas and feedback on everything from the features we wanted to incorporate, to the preferred width of the waistband that would allow for maximum comfort while including the trunk’s utility features.
This part of the process is what we love the most about co-creation: the energy that comes from hearing from so many voices and collaborating to create the best underwear on the market.
Of course, a new set of TBô underwear wouldn’t be complete without the signature bamboo viscose fabric used with all our products. The breathability, feel, and antibacterial properties in bamboo underwear perfectly suits the goal of creating a reliable and handy set of trunks for even the most hectic of days.
The process of creating a new style of underwear goes through many stages: from sourcing ideas and materials, to prototyping and testing, we spend the right amount of time to ensure that we get every detail just right and guarantee the high standards of quality that the Tribe expects from TBô. And, of course, we include our co-creators at each stage to make sure that they have a say in the underwear they wear.
We’ve dubbed the Utility Trunk the “Swiss army knife of undies”, and its uniqueness, usefulness, and quality are yet more reasons why product co-creation and customer collaboration lies at the heart of everything we do.
Words by Dave Lee
19 May 2021
