Living Dolls Show 2010

On the 28th August the Bedford in Christchurch came alive with gorgeous guys and girls wearing equally amazing underwear, parading down the 15 metre long catwalk accompanied by great live music and breakdancers pulling some sic moves amongst it all.

Living Dolls is the brain child of Sophia Lee Levy-Kennedy who runs Living Dolls - Elite Models, Talent and Events and also makes all the garments they model! I'm pretty sure CJ and Sophie Nolan also help her out, but man for the number of hands involved in creating all their haute couture they certainly work some serious hours to pump it out. Incredible. And the night itself was a huge success, about 30 girls modeled Sophia's pieces in two parts - the first was a pink, barbie doll influenced fairy land kind of a look called Candy Dolls then the 2nd was more almost goth themed with lots of black and tattoos showing, this one was called Ink Dolls. Some very sexy pieces in there.

nüdel was allowed to make an appearance at the show! We got our little piece of runway time which was SO cool, all the guys did an amazing job. I found most of the models by sticking a poster up in the changing rooms at Les Mills in town, which is where I go (not often enough) and got such a great response. They all had fantastic bodies and cool attitudes too, and with a bit of last minute coaching from Ricky at Bar 5, where we got ready for the show, they impressed the crowd hard and got a brilliant response!

I had to print a few of the old designs so the models had enough to wear, and I even printed a few designs on some singlets which turned out well, to bring the numbers up. I have a total of 8 different options for the undies at the moment and had 11 models so yeah I think the singlets worked well, as I wanted to use all the models that replied to my ad.

The show went smoothly and my pre-show jitters didn't take long to dissolve, they were compounded because I was MCing the gig too, but it turned out fine I think. All the models seemed to handle it like pros, I know they must've been a little nervous but if they were, they did a damn good job of hiding it! So a big thanks to Sophia for having us, it truly was a great night and awesome to see something like this happen in Christchurch. Now I want to do my own show! Will have to get a few more styles going first, but a good goal to work towards. Thank you also to my fantastic models!! You guys stole the show.

An underwear Lynching

Wow, if David Lynch ever made an underwear commercial, I imagine it would probably look something like this. Except maybe a little darker and probably filmed with a red filter.

Maybe I'm missing something, I was never very good at sitting all the way through Eraserhead without asking a billion questions, so the chances are quite high. As someone said in the comments below this video on youtube - they were waiting for Lady Gaga to appear, same here commenting person! I'm not sure about setting an undie ad in a prison, you could read into it somewhat, like your package feels like it's imprisoned in this garment, or you've always got watch your back when you're wearing them.

We're still looking for male models for the upcoming Living Dolls Show 2010 so if you know of a fella in the Christchurch area who'd be keen, send him our way! morgan@nudel.co.nz for more info, or click through on the Living Dolls link to see what the show's all about. I'll be there too, and I'd love to meet some supporters of nudel. And of course you get to keep the pair you model!

New design time

Hey there undie fans. Well the time has finally come, the next run is nigh; nudel is now looking for the next amazing New Zealand artist for their design to feature on the next run! Graphic designers, painters, photographers, stencilers, anyone is welcome to submit a piece. We're not running a competition this time, you simply email your best design to morgan@nudel.co.nz and we'll pick our favourite one.

This time round we'll be swapping out the white fabric with grey but sticking with good 'ol black as well. Grey seemed slightly safer for guys who are maybe a little shy of white, so we'll see how that goes, hopefully really well! Mediums by far are the best seller so we'll producing even larger numbers in that size and less of XL most likely and even L. What else, what else...

Make sure you spread the word! We're excited to see some more examples from talented Kiwis nationwide. Until next time :)

Make a sports bra out of men's briefs

As you know, we're all for ridding the world of ugly men's briefs/y-fronts, but we're also about sustainability, so if you're looking for a creative way of destroying your man's tighty whities but also recycling them, then check out this video I found posted on videojug.com. Not exactly sure how pleasant it would be wearing his old gruds so close to your face, but hey bleach is a powerful thing!

Style On A Budget:
Make A Sports Bra Out Of Men's Underwear

Interview on radio breakfast show

I put together this little slide show to accompany an interview I had with Spanky of RDU 98.5FM's Breakfast With Spanky, it features some up to date images and features the musical stylings of UK's very own Dirty Hairy. The interview basically details how nüdel started and some of my ideas behind the concept, focussing on the marketing angle in particular.

You may notice I miss out a few stockists, that's because the interview happened a wee while ago, but I have listed the correct stockists in the video, so in this case seeing is believing! If that makes any sense at all. Anyway, I hope you enjoy :)

nüdel's story

Why nüdel? Why should anyone read this blog? Currently there are no followers as far as I can tell, so why the hell would anyone in their right mind subscribe? I have just been reading '279 days to overnight success'; a fantastic report by Chris Guillebeau which covers his unconventional journey to full time writing. Now, while I don't personally want to become a full time writer, Chris focuses a lot on why you're writing a blog in the first place, who it's aimed at and what keeps them coming back. If you haven't read the report I seriously suggest you check it out!

So after reading the report, I thought; 'what is nudel's story?' Chris' was to visit every country in the world, he's been self employed his entire adult life and lived in West Africa for four years. Not only that but he speaks to creative people, folks who want to make a change and as his website's name makes very clear - master the Art of Non-Conformity. Who wouldn't want to be involved with that! It sounds exciting, with huge potential, it may not appeal to everyone but it appeals to me personally and especially the nudel brand. nudel is all about making noise - with locally created art, unique marketing tactics not yet seen by any other men's underwear brand and pushing the New Zealand made angle to the world (I'm thinking big here).

Right, the story. I guess it's more of a crusade, a mission and again, one aimed more at women than at guys. Don't get me wrong, I would love to try reach men about underwear but the fact of the matter is they just don't buy them as much as their partners, wives, sisters and really, at the end of the day (and this may seem like a gross generalisation, but you'd be surprised how true it is) guys just don't care. So until I see otherwise, I'm talking to who's listening: ladies. Women who want the man in their lives to look good under his clothes.

So the crusade? Simple, it's to expose bad underwear. For too long men have been subject to badly fitting briefs, tacky 'silk' boxers with no support and ride up at any chance they get, Y fronts that while serving their purpose 20 odd years ago, SERVED THEIR PURPOSE 20 ODD YEARS AGO. This journey will be about educating, encouraging women to take charge - this isn't like demanding he burn that sweater you hate, this is personal, it's intimate, between you and him and is a situation that he probably doesn't mind you taking complete charge! I don't know many guys that would mind a little fashion advice from their lady, and I whole heartedly believe if taking your advice in the undie department might help their chances elsewhere, namely the bedroom, then gentlemen, let yourself be lead, you only stand to gain.

Now nudel has a certifiable goal, next step is find men who need a hand, I need to document these examples for the world to see. To let the masses (or first few people who read this) know that it's not OK for guys to wear bad underwear. High rollers, teachers, gym bunnies, construction workers - all deserve to be well packaged, comfortable and feeling great.

Mail out - old school style

Some times you just can't beat hard copy in this digital day and age. nüdel Christmas postcards have been distributed around Christchurch's Tumara Park yesterday and today, reminding people that nüdel is a great stocking filler and detailing the stockists they can find them at.

But if you're reading this and wondering where your postcard is, don't fret just check out the nüdel website, it's basically all on there! Currently we're waiting on a new lot of stickers for the noodle boxes which will be ready Monday we're told. So once they're ready it's full steam ahead with phase two of nüdelness, more stock to shops nation wide just in time for the last few days of the Christmas rush and of course internet sales which are always welcome.

Hope your Christmas shopping is going well!

Why nüdel is the best Christmas gift

Buying a plant for someone as a gift is great because it's the gift that keeps on giving, and it's the same for nüdel! Underwear is something that we all wear everyday (don't believe those people who go commando - they all don some gruds at some point), that important article of clothing that largely goes unnoticed and often unappreciated. With men's underwear I have to admit, some of it really should go unnoticed, it doesn't do the guy any favours in comfort and stylistically it's an eyesore.

Enter nüdel. Get your man a pair of these sweet as gruds which will give him a boost each morning - that extra little squirt of confidence a lot of guys need but will never admit. He'll know he's easily the best dressed in the office, on the inside. And that's what counts right? What's on the inside? In the same token ladies, you're treating yourself because who else gets to see your man wearing only his underwear? Well hopefully just YOU! nüdel will make your man look good, the flattering form, none of this tighty whitey business or floppy, shapeless boxer carry on, he'll be snuggly packaged, but not too tightly, just enough for support with room to move. Flip him round and check out that ass you knew had potential, nudel caresses those manly curves and hugs his masculine lines to give you the ultimate Christmas present - your man, repackaged and just bursting to be unwrapped.

I used to hate assembly...

But now I love it! Finally the next run - It's Man Made - has made it to the assemblers (QA Design). The elastic will be picked up from Screen Concepts tomorrow morning then it's full steam ahead with sewing the gruds up with plenty of time to get them in stores for the lead up to Christmas. Woo hoo!!

I had the help of my lovely friend Kristen during the printing process this time which made a big difference, especially with the heat pressing to set the ink. But we got through them in record time and I have to say Cathryn Zhang's design came out looking brilliant, it really transfered well to the fabric. When your screen gets its flow, on you stick to that roll because once it's done washing every few transfers sucks ass.

Arty undies in Art Gallery!

...well, Art Gallery Gift shop. And it's the Christchurch Art Gallery to be precise, yes nüdel has infiltrated the very core of it's conception, the intellectual birthplace, ie. somewhere it should have been stocked a long time ago. Better late than never! And we at nüdel are stoked to have our fantastic undies amoungst the wonderful paintings, etchings, postcards and various canvases that the Art Gallery Store has on offer.

nudel at Seafest

Well that title maybe slightly misleading, nüdel were indeed at Seafest insomuch as I was definitely wearing them, but that's about as far as it goes. You can see them very briefly in the video below at 0:11 - blink and you'll miss it! If you missed it this time round, I seriously suggest you get to Kaikoura next year, it makes for a great weekend away.

fabrica!

Wooo it's been a while since the last post, sorry about that. Things are chugging along, sales are going well in Wellington - they love the shorter leg style in the Capital for some reason. I think I'll make the next run short leg too, I haven't had an complaints with this style, whereas I received feedback about the longer leg saying they were a bit too much like bike shorts. That style is personally my favourite but this ain't about me! Don't forget, if you have any feedback be sure to leave a comment on this 'ere blog or email me - morgan@nudel.co.nz

I've put up a very rough gallery page on the nüdel site, I need to install a slider module to view them better, but for now I'm just listing them on the page - not ideal but better than nothing. A friend of my sister was showing her some photos of a party she had and as they were scrolling through up popped a picture of some guy wearing only nüdel! So it's great to know not only are guys out there wearing them, they're showing them off too!! If you know someone who drops their pants at any opportunity available why not do them a favour and buy them a pair of nüdel so they'll always be well presented.

Right, I'd better get measuring the fabric I've got left and order some more for the next run, featuring Cathryn Zhang's awesome It's Man Made design. Looking forward to that one!

And the winner is...

... Cathryn Zhang with her piece: It's Man Made! Congragtulations Cathryn and well done everyone who entered, the talent was amazing, which of course made it very difficult to choose a winner. Here's what Cathryn said about her work...

My design is an idea that comes from the process involved in constructing an urban environment. When you see the new trees and flowers being planted to style up a newly constructed round-about, road kerb, or some concrete wall, there is the feeling of nature being put into our urban life deliberately, and not existing..naturally. To me, that type of nature is urban nature.

So Cathryn will receive 5 pairs of nüdel with her design on them when they've been produced and of course the rest of the run will be distributed to stores throughout New Zealand (and now Shanghai!!) in time for the Christmas rush, so we're hoping they'll sell out!

Thank you again to everybody who entered, we'll be running a similar comp again in the near future so be sure to stay tuned. Don't forget tomorrow's Father's Day so there's still just enough time to get out and buy him a pair of nüdel, he'll love you for it. Remember all those times he lent you money, or picked you up at 3am from that party or watched you play all those Saturday morning sports games in the rain? Well now's your chance to show him how much you care, with the coolest undies in the world, made right here in New Zealand.

All entries are in

Well now it's down to deciding who's going to win the nüdel competition. I didn't think it would be this difficult to pick one! Apologies for taking so long, but it's really tough! I'll endeavour to have the winner announced by this weekend, so make sure you stay tuned.

Don't forget it's Father's Day so make sure you treat him to the most comfy undies he'll ever wear and buy him a pair of nudel! Remember if you can't make it to one of our fantastic stockists then you can buy online at the nudel website. Just click here.

Catch you real soon for the big announcement!

One week left!

Entries for the nüdel artist competition officially close on the 31st of August so if you're an arty type then best you get cracking if you want to be in the running for a line of nüdel printed with your design on it! Imagine that - a limited run of boutique undies with your piece of art on them being distributed around our fair country and worn by a whole bunch of dudes! Now that's hot.

Here goes a few more designs that are up on the comp page, the standard's been set pretty high but don't let that put you off, I know there are more people out there who can create something quite amazing and I want to see it!

more artist entries

For your viewing pleasure, check out some more of the latest submissions for the nüdel artist competition below. I had stacks waiting for me to edit and upload when I got back from England, and was really impressed with the level of talent coming through. Feel free to leave a comment if one stands out, it's going to be really difficult for me to chose a winner and I'll need all the help I can get!

Ryan McKay // Nudel Nature

Christopher Meyers // up and at 'em

Candice Wright // 21st Century Urban Soul

nudel on the catwalk

I just got back from a whirlwind trip in the UK for a mate's wedding, conrgats Sam and Flip! It was a great day and the wedding was beeeautiful.

While I was overseas HEAPS of artists submitted some incredible designs, thanks to all. I've only just had the chance to post them on the nudel comp page, so apologies for the delay in getting them online. Do check them out, the quality of them blew my mind, there are some bloody talented people out there I tell you! Don't forget - the deadline for submissions is the 31st of August so if you haven't already, get creating and email your design to comp@nudel.co.nz - for more info and a design template go to the nudel comp page.

Thought I'd throw up a few pics from the St. Johns Fashionistas show held before I took off to England. The boys did such a great job getting up there in their gruds infront of a room mostly full of ladies! Thanks again to Simon, Scotty and Jonathan.

nüdel reviewed by Blunty

A couple of weeks ago I was searching through guy's underwear commercials and fashion show videos on good 'ol youtube. I have to say after watching a good 50 videos or so, it became very obvious to me the male underwear world is gay dominated, or at least it appeared that way through the vids I watched. This isn't a bad thing, infact it inspired me to get thinking about ways to film TVCs or just promo videos for nüdel that appeal to woman. Taking it to the next level would be to appeal to guys and girls straight and gay! Or is that just trying to please everyone. Mass marketing sucks ass, perhaps I'm venturing dangerously close to it...

Anyway, one video I did find was one posted by an Australian youtube reviewer who goes by the name of Blunty3000. It was posted back in 2008 sometime and in it he reviewed boxer briefs compared to boxers and briefs. I actually embedded this vid on the nüdel blog so scroll down to see it. So I flicked Blunty an email to see if he was interested in trying out some nüdel to which he replied promptly with a big YES! Blunty comes across as a damn good bloke, and I like the way he reviews some pretty random stuff, some of the comments on his pages are priceless too. I'm not just saying this because the nüdel review was favourable either! But thanks heaps Blunty for giving them a go and posting the vid. May your dangly bits live long and comfortable.

I'll post a couple more artist's nüdel comp submission over the weekend. Have a good one!

nüdel comp entries #2

Got another entry today from Cass, with her piece entitled 'It's Man Made'. 

"My design is an idea that comes from the process involved in constructing an urban environment. When you see the new trees and flowers being planted to style up a newly constructed round-about, road kerb, or some concrete wall, there is the feeling of nature being put into our urban life deliberately, and not existing..naturally. To me, that type of nature is urban nature."

Also in the running for their own line of nudel with this design is AKDC by Bianca Gardiner who said 

"The design was inspired by the view out of my window. As I gazed out at the urban landscape I pondered the TV aerials and power lines that criss cross the landscape and inhabit our environment. Power lines grow like trees and aerials like creepers, prolific and ubiquitous as city dwellers we assimilate them into our vistas and they become for us a type of urban nature."

Blunty tells it how it is

I long for finding videos on youtube like this one from Australian Blunty. What can I say, the man is a perfect example of someone who tried something new and found he loved what was on the other side! Boxers are dead people. Briefs are last decade, haul your ass forward 10 years and get it into some sweet boxer briefs, you will not be disappointed! I might have to send Blunty some nüdel to try out.