How a Shower Thought Became the #1 Men’s Robe
I’m Not a Robe Guy.
Never have been. And most of the dudes I know? Same deal.
Robes always felt like something your weird neighbor wears to get the mail. Or something your uncle breaks out at Thanksgiving when he shouldn’t be.
But my wife? She loves her robe. Wears it every single day. And she always looked so damn comfortable.
Meanwhile, I’m standing there in a towel like an idiot.
The Shower. The Hoodie. The Idea.
It was 2016. I’m in the shower, doing what brains do when you give them hot water and nothing else to think about.
Why hasn’t the men’s bathrobe changed in hundreds of years?
Why are men’s robes and women’s robes basically the same thing?
Then I turned around and saw my hoodie hanging on the hook next to my towel.
That was it. What if a robe looked and felt like a hoodie, but actually dried you off?
Walmart. José. A Stack of Towels.
I jumped out of the shower, got dressed, drove straight to Walmart, and bought a stack of towels. Then I went to see my tailor José.
“José, can you make a hoodie out of these towels?”
One week later, I had a prototype. A hooded robe that actually absorbed water, had tapered sleeves that didn’t flop everywhere, and a permanently attached belt so you’d never lose it. It looked like something a guy would actually want to put on.
Many prototypes later, I had something worth betting on.
Kickstarter in June. Shark Tank by September.
In June 2017, I launched a Kickstarter to see if the rest of the world thought a men’s hooded bathrobe was as good an idea as I did.
We hit our funding goal in 2 days. Raised just under $70,000 that month. In June. Not exactly peak robe season.
Within weeks, Shark Tank was reaching out.
Less than three months after the Kickstarter launched, with no product even in the country yet, I was standing in front of the Sharks on national television pitching what would become the most popular men’s hooded robe ever made.
And Then It Took Off
Since Season 9 of ABC’s Shark Tank, DudeRobe has been featured on Good Morning America, CNBC, Fox News, and in GQ, Men’s Health, Esquire, Inked, and Newsweek. We’re the official licensed robe of the UFC. We just launched a University of Michigan licensed robe. The crazy idea for a better men’s robe turned into a whole new category.
What We Actually Built
DudeRobe isn’t just a robe with a new name. We rebuilt it from the ground up.
Premium hoodie material on the outside. Towel lining on the inside that actually absorbs water instead of just pushing it around. Tapered sleeves that stay out of your way. And a permanently attached belt, because losing a robe belt is the dumbest problem that shouldn’t exist.
It’s designed for guys who were never robe guys. That was the whole point.
The Best Gift He’ll Actually Use
Here’s something we didn’t plan for. Almost half of our reviews are written by women who bought a DudeRobe as a gift for the men in their lives. Husbands, boyfriends, dads, sons. And those reviews? They’re not normal.
Robe companies don’t get reviews like this:
“I have never given a product of any kind a review. I don’t care how good it is, I DON’T GIVE REVIEWS. But Dude, SERIOUSLY!!” — Rolando S.
“He’s never owned a robe before but now he’s obsessed. Last night I had to beg him not to wear it in the grocery store.” — Casey C.
“Every single time he puts the pants on he yells ‘I have reached a new level of comfort.’” — Colleen M.
“I turned the AC down just to have a reason to wear the robe. Best gift ever.” — Brandi H.
“DudeRobe clothing has become a household uniform.” — Erin S.
If you’re shopping for a guy who says he doesn’t want anything, this is the move.
Why Home
Home is where you walk through the door and finally exhale.
It’s where your best ideas show up. Where you reconnect with your spouse, your kids, your dog who acts like you’ve been gone for six years. It’s where you recover from the day so you can come back tomorrow just as strong. Maybe stronger.
Home is where you sharpen the axe.
We built DudeRobe because that time matters. And the stuff you wear during it should matter too. Not in a precious way. In a “this is the best part of my day and I’m not going to settle for gym shorts” kind of way.
We’re Just Getting Started
The men’s robe hadn’t changed in hundreds of years. We changed it. Now we’re taking everything we learned and throwing it at the rest of your home. Recovery blankets. Women’s robes. Loungewear that actually earns a spot in your rotation.
Because if it exists at home and it’s boring, we’re going to rebuild it.
We believe greatness starts at home.
Don’t half-ass it.