 Chevy's Source for Sports in Kelowna's Orchard Park Plaza II carries a variety of Saxx underwear, and is currently running a Valentine's Day buy-one-get-one half off promotion on the favoured Ultra style. |
What are they? They're the brand of underwear guys just have to have once tried; reminded of that '90s commercial for Corn Pops - "Once you pop you can't stop," this reference clearly depicts the "Gotta have my Saxx"-type addiction infiltrating our male's minds and their underwear drawers all across the globe.
Determined to get to the bottom of these bottoms, I was delighted to find out I wouldn't have to look very far, as the ingenious design was developed in Kelowna.
Now it makes sense that many of my hometown males are familiar and currently quite Saxxified with their enough-for-every-day-of-the-week personal collections.
After posting on Facebook a Saxxy status, the post channeled responses: so and so loves those; those are his favourite; I want another pair; Saxx are the best. And that's not an exaggeration; people are more than delighted to tell you how wonderful their underwear is when they're in Saxx.
But surely there are a few of you out there like me, who are going into this blind and need to experience the revelation. Especially given that 62 per cent of men's underwear is bought by women - perhaps because women by default do the laundry and know what needs replacing, or perhaps because women are used to spending a fair amount on intimates themselves. Either way, it's fair to conclude that everyone on the planet should hear about this dynamic craze. So here we go. Toss your Fruit of the Looms, you won't need them anymore.
A product in its first stages of development, Saxx hit the best show on TV - Dragon's Den - during the show's second season. The man behind these chafe-preventing panels, Trent Kitsch introduced the first pair in 2006 and poof, instant hit. The concept: inner parallel panels between the package and the thigh prevent chafing and discomfort by keeping everything in place. A patented ergonomic pouch was designed without a front seam.
Good ideas often bloom and come to full fruition in the proper hands. Thus Saxx is now a company run out of Vancouver, successfully selling in specialty stores far and wide.
With this function meets fashion item we're not talking another level, we're talking a whole other game. Easily compared to the invention of the bra, take that and add amazing fabrics you can't find with other brands, paired with a moisture-wicking band featuring the sexy Saxx stamp, and you've got yourself a product even former NHL veteran and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Recchi is proud to testify for.
It's not gimmicky - it's great. Don't believe me? Do what I did - try a pair on. They will blow your mind.
Yes, trying on a pair of boxer briefs was a first for me. However, as a fashionably curious explorer, I took a pair out of their great little horizontal-flap box and put them on. If you're going to do it, you might as well go all ultra I told myself, and opted for the Ultra Boxer Brief - the Ultras are 95 per cent viscose and five per cent spandex. Apparently, this is a staple piece in the Saxx line. I could immediately tell why.
This is not a joke: they were the most comfortable thing I have ever put on my body. In fact, I would like to retract my statement regarding the unnecessary focus of developing a women's line because "that's not what Saxx is all about," and instead encourage this superior product to release something called, oh I don't know, "The Opposite Saxx."
I don't see anything wrong with Saxx for the opposite sex whatsoever. But hey, maybe we'll just let the boys have this one. Quite literally, make sure you get your men into a pair of these.
I won't be keeping my Saxx on, but I'll be keeping Saxx on the brain and in mind, as Valentine's Day is just around the corner.
So is Chevy's Source for Sports, the go-to place for these little miracle workers, where you can get practically any pair of Saxx out there, and in your size.
As a front runner in terms of brand knowledge and easily its top distributor, Greg Evtushevski, owner of Chevy's Source for Sports in Orchard Park Plaza II, sold 608 pairs in December alone, mostly to first-time customers. This proves a) there must still be Saxx virgins and b) there's something out there worth knowing about. With a target to sell about 2,000 in a single calendar year, Evtushevski's store alone is clearly taking on the challenge of getting everyone in on the secret.
Best place to start? The basics:"t24 seven" style. Then you can break in to a fun spandex and nylon mix; debuting for 2013 is a style called Quest. If you want to pattern your patented pair of wonders, the viscose Vibe will get some stripes a rockin'… you know the rest.
If you want to get super techy, and I don't see why not, as taking full advantage of their hig-tech packaging seems only right in this high-tech world, get into a pair of the Kinetics, perfect for the athlete who wants everything constantly in place.
Explore the options, delight in the discovery. Get in the game… get some.
Join the worthy obsession and go get Saxxed.
Jacqueline Podewils is an Okanagan resident and fashion columnist who has worked in New York's fashion industry. Her column appears every week in The Okanagan Saturday. Contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
