Boden!

[skirtyscot]

A bit of a surprise!

http://www.boden.co.uk/en-GB/blanktempl ... 7t4-_-main

[kingfish]

I do hope they get the response that 5.11 tactical got last year when they did their "Tactikilt" (April Fools!) offering.

[Stu]

Boden, a Swedish company, are hedging their bets with this. They know that Swedish childrenswear retailers like Polarn O.Pyret sometimes sell skirts and even dresses to boys (in Sweden, not elsewhere) and that the males can't wear unbifurcated garments rule is beginning to crumble, but they are cautious about taking the first step and getting left with masses of unsold stock. So they pull this stunt - but then say that, if there is a demand, they will supply these. When you choose one, your vote is cast.

That means, quite simply, that if enough people go on the site and click an option, they will be voting and, if there are enough votes, Boden will start marketing skirts for men. The question is, then, what benchmark of votes will they require to give them the confidence to give this a try? My guess is that it would be somewhere around the 200 mark for the UK.

So what are you waiting for, gentlemen? Cast your votes.

Stu

[Sinned]

I left the following comment for them:

"Since I accessed the man-skirt item after midday the April Fool's prank has no effect ( at least not in my neck of the woods - Yorkshire ). Anyway why the prank? A skirt for men is an eminently practical garment. Whilst a bit pricy for me it looks quite good and shortened would be something I would wear. Perhaps you should consider marketing something like this. A tip - if it's going to be made for men supply large pockets as men are not used to carrying around a bag and ensure that the pockets don't spoil the line of the skirt when full. Try a site like skirtcafe.org for comments and advice on male skirt related issues. Regards, Dennis Stephenson ( a skirt wearer )"

See what response is forthcoming.

I don't know what local customs abound regarding April Fool's stunts but in the Durham/Yorkshire area only the morning is available for stunts. Anything after middiay then the strunt rebounds upon the stunt giver.

[Brad]

A friend told me to go to this site. I was all excited until I found out it was a prank. My reaction was a combination of surprise that they got me with the prank, and disappointment that the skirt didn't really exist. But it would be a little pricey and probably more than I would spend.

[skirtingtoday]

I too have sent them an e-mail to them expressing disappointment for not at least running a poll before using the man-skirt as a prank.

I suggested they do so and possibly start marketing skirts for men once they get favourable returns from it.

if I get any reply (unlikely in my opinion) I will post it here.

[GerdG]

At least their arguments why men should wear a skirt are pretty convincing and to the point.

[janrok]

I sent them an email with the following tekst:
So you considered mens skirts something to joke about. Many famous and influencial fashion designers have been trying to get men to wear skirts. I have been wearing mens skirts for many years now and find them much more comfortable than pants. Many fashion stores introduced mens skirts like http://www.theurbanapparel.com. You could be the next one...Jan.
Can't wait to read their answer.

[Milfmog]

Can't wait to read their answer.

I suspect you may not have choice about waiting

Have fun,


Ian.

[couyalair]

Can't wait to read their answer.

I suspect you may not have choice about waiting

Good message, nonetheless. Sooner or later, the idea may get through to them.

Martin

[STEVIE]

I'd have been taken in by this if I'd seen it and disappointed at the "spoof".
Remember guys, we must keep some sense of proportion and more importantly, humour, about our fashion choices.
There are infinitely more jokes about men in trousers than skirts, so it's really not bad at all.
Steve.

[SkirtRevolution]

I also emailed them regarding this and kindly requested that they consider making them for us men. This is a great opportunity to promote our cause and see another option on the market. Lets make the effort and email them.

[janrok]

Sooner than expected Boden responded to my mail:

This email was sent around by our Marketing Department to coincide with a bit of April tradition. The Marylebone Man Skirt is not actually for sale at present.
However, if we receive enough requests, we will look into this. I have forwarded your feedback to our Menswear team.
Thank you for taking the time to write in with your thoughts.
If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. Your email reference number is 630122.

Yours sincerely, Michael Hands.

You all know what to do.

Jan.

[Sinned]

I got the following reply:

"Thank you for your email. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback regarding the Marylebone Man Skirt. The email was sent around by our Marketing Department in jest, to coincide with a bit of Easter tradition. The Marylebone Man Skirt is not actually for sale at present.

However, I have logged your comments with our menswear design team so that they can take this into consideration for future seasons. We may say see a Boden mens skirt in the future. Thank you once again.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me."

[crfriend]

The fact that the two responses were different is interesting in that it implies that there was an actual human at the other end to compose the responses. I'm not sure whether it bodes well or not, but is an interesting development nonetheless.

Over here you'd be lucky to get a computer-generated response (the customer service equivalent of, "Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line for the next agent." which equates to, "We don't care enough to hire sufficient staff to man the switchboard.").

Perhaps this'll wind up like the "Tactical Kilt" -- originally an April Fool's gag -- that actually garnered enough attention to do a limited production run. If that happens a few times, and there's money to be made at it, merchants will likely take notice.