PARKER & PINE parkerandpine.com
Meet Parker & Pine, a new Toronto start-up that tackles the staggering lack of fashionable clothing for plus-size men. The company, which works out of the Fashion Zone business incubator at Ryerson, was founded by Irfan Hajee and Leo Park to create technically and aesthetically sound options for oft-ignored big men.
They don’t pretend to know it all Hajee and Park are revolutionizing one menswear product at a time and always start by asking potential customers what issues they have with their clothing.
Their first project was men’s underwear. They found that larger men experience a lot of chafing, are prone to what they call “plumber’s butt” and don’t feel properly supported in their garments.
They came up with solutions, tested them and went through several prototypes until they were happy with the final product. Unlike most plus-size clothing companies, they don’t just test their wares on one fit model, but on plus-size men of various sizes to make sure it’s a perfect fit every time.
This process led them to come up with a new sizing scale for big men that they feel is more accurate than cookie-cutter ones used by other companies.
Parker & Pine picks Note the longer inseams on their underwear to reduce chafing, and a mesh zone strategically placed in an area of high moisture buildup to improve breathability. An angled waistband on their products keeps undergarments from slipping. Enter the discount code NOWMAG!4 at checkout for 10 per cent off your first order.
Look for The start-up’s next project will be perfecting the button-down shirt.
