Looking for a new brand to love? Look at Bonobos. These guys have only been around since 2007 and have already been named “Best Men’s Pants” by New York Magazine, “One of America’s Hottest Brands” by Advertising Age and was awarded “Best places to work in New York City” by Crain’s New York Business.
If you’ve fallen behind and don’t know all about this great full line of menswear, we’re here to help you get caught up. Enjoy the read and get ready to shop, you’re going to want this stuff.
Here’s a quick review guide so you can jump to what matters to you:
- Bonobos History
- Bonobos Guideshop
- Bonobos Ninjas
- Pants Review
- Shirts Review
- Suiting Review
- Swimwear / Outerwear Review
- Bonobos Coupon
Bonobos History
Bonobos Founders Brian Spaly and Andy Dunn
In 2007 Brian Spaly, a student at Stanford Business School at the time, realized he had a problem: American pants were far too baggy and European cuts were too skinny for his build. Instead of taking his pants to a tailor Spaly decided to handle the problem himself, he borrowed a sewing machine and got to work.
After realizing what a great pair of pants he was able to make Spaly started his small business from the trunk of his car selling pants on campus. Once the demand for the pants grew, so did the need for help and Spaly’s housemate, Andy Dunn, got involved. Dunn had previously worked as a consultant for Lands’ End where he learned the value of a direct-to-consumer business model, Dunn cashed in his 401K, created Bonobos.com and magic was made.
Grabbing some investors on the way (including the chairman of JetBlue, Joel Peterson) they grabbed 400 pairs of pants, headed to New York and got to work.
Within 5 months Bonobos grew to five employees and $1 million net revenue run rate. By 2011 the company had grown exponentially and moved from selling strictly pants to a full men’s line, including shirts, suits, pants and then some. With the expanding business customers were pushing for a way to try the clothing on before purchasing it from the site. In answer to this demand Bonobos opened up what they call the “Guideshop,” allowing customers to come in and try on the different fits and sizes before ordering the apparel online (we will tell you more about these guideshops shortly).
In 2012 Bonobos hit the big time, partnering with the high end retail giant Nordstrom, which now carries their pieces in select stores as well as the Nordstrom website. Since their partnership Bonobos has continued to grow rapidly and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The Bonobos Guideshop
Starting with their single guideshop located in their NYC headquarters, Bonobos has now expanded to eight guideshops sprawled out across the nation, with two shops in New York City, and one a piece in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Bethesda, Austin and Georgetown.
The Bonobos Guideshop is like an experience most have never had. It’s like getting your favorite store all to yourself with a personal shopper. You make an appointment online, have one of their guides help you find the right sizes and styles for you and can order the clothing from the store (which they will ship to you in two day airmail). You can also pick and choose in the comfort of your home if you can’t make up your mind in the store after they put your sizes and fits online for you (which can also come in pretty handy the next time you see a shirt you like.)
Click here to make an appointment and see the complete list of guideshops.
Bonobos Ninjas
Most stores have customer service, some even have great customer service, Bonobos has ninjas. Bonobos minority partner, Nordstrom, is known for their impeccable customer service and Bonobos’ ninjas are no different.
While surfing the web for that perfect shirt or suit you have access to a ninja who can answer any and all questions you may have. Simply click the help link at any point to email a ninja, or pay attention when the little chat box randomly pops up to make sure everything is going smoothly. If you do have a question just type it in when the box pops up and a ninja will use their special skills to come out of the woodwork and help you as quickly as possible. These ninjas give a whole new meaning to customer service.
Bonobos Pants Review
Bonobos Seersucker Suit & Pants Review
Here I’m wearing two different styles of Bonobos pants. In the picture on the left I have on the seersucker suit, which comes naturally in matching jacket and pants. The pants themselves are part of a slim-fitting suit, so the pants are tapered and designed to have a slim jeans sort of look. I needed the have the pants hemmed for length (I like to wear a 28″ length, and the pants came in perhaps 34″ and were designed to be hemmed). I did not have to taper the pants at all, which I greatly appreciate, I like to taper my pants from the shin down to ensure they don’t have a stovepipe look above my foot and look like a natural taper from the waist all the way down to the ankle.
I really like these particular pants fabric, because it is super breathable and not too hot. In the picture, the weather was 80+ on Governors’ Island in New York, and I was able to keep this look going the entire day without dying of heat exhaustion.
Bonobos Jeans Review
On the picture on the right, I’ve got on the Bonobos Dark Rinse Denim, which is a super high quality denim that is soft right out of the box. I had these jeans tapered from the shin down to get the effect I wanted and also had them hemmed for desired length. These jeans have been washed about 10 times since I’ve bought them over 2 years and they are still retaining their great dark color (make sure to turn them inside out before washing), and I really like these jeans. They are part of my 4 jeans rotation.
Bonobos Pants Overview
Now what we’ve all been waiting for: the clothing. Let’s start at the place where it all began, with pants. Bonobos carries eight different styles of pants, you can find anything from your weekday warrior chinos to premium selvage denim. These guys really do it all. Here is a look at a few of our favorites spread across the different styles.
In our Bonobos travel jeans review we covered our 5 favorite reasons we love these bad boys, especially for the price and the fact they’re often on sale.
Premium Denim- Black Selvage Resin Tumble Wash, $175
The Blue Jean- Resin Dark Rinse, $98
Travel Jeans- Vermont Maple, $98
Weekday Warriors- Friday Greys, $98
Click here to check out Bonobos entire collection of pants.
Bonobos Shirt Review
Bonobos may have started with pants, but they do shirts just as well. Offering different styles in slim fit, classic and even tall, these shirts are more than worth every penny.
Mahanna Gingham, $85
Rhodes Collar Oxford- Red and Blue Check, $88
Click here to see the entire line of Bonobos shirts.
Bonobos Suits, Blazers and Tuxedos Review
Bonobos offers several lines of suits, blazers, vests and then some. Here is a quick look at their cotton suits, wool suits and their black tie ready pieces, available in both slim and standard fit.
The Foundation Slim Cotton, $450
From Swimwear to Outerwear
While Bonobos is best known for their staples like pants and shirts, they know what they’re doing in all facets of their brand. Bonobos can keep you warm in the winter and looking cool in the summer.
Find all the Bonobos apparel you could ever want here, but here’s a quick look at the extras in the meantime.
Bonobos Coupons & Sales
Quality clothing doesn’t come cheap, but we’re here to help you save a little cash. Click here and get $25 off at Bonobos and be sure to check their unbelievable sale section, which offers pieces up to 70% off. Also, make sure to check Life, Tailored, we will do our best to always keep you up-to-date on the latest sales, coupons and promo codes (Use promo code TOASTY today for an extra discount at checkout) with Bonobos.
More Bonobos and Other Brands We Love
Want to see more Bonobos along with other great up and coming men’s brands? Click on the links below to see other articles, posts, coupons and more for all our favorite men’s lines.
Bonobos
Ledbury
Proper Cloth
Alton Lane
Reiss
Our Final Words of Wisdom
Now that you know all about one of the best new menswear lines out there check it out for yourself. You can find Bonobos apparel at Bonobos.com, The Guideshops and at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com. Don’t forget to use our $25 off code and know that whatever you decide to buy from Bonobos, you’re going to look good.