Forget The RompHim And Man Up With DudeRobe

There have been a slew of some pretty questionable men’s style choices popping up on a social media as of late. If you’re not a man bun wearing, glitter beard bedazzled, RompHim kind of guy, we found the antidote. Meet DudeRobe. It’s pretty damn mantastic! It’s made of tough guy sweatshirt fabric on the outside and thirsty water absorbent terrycloth on the inside. Think of your favorite sweatshirt lined with the softest bath towel and that’s the DudeRobe. We reached out to creator, Howie Busch to further mansplain.

Tell us about DudeRobe. What makes this robe manlier than all the rest?

Regular robes aren’t “manly.” The word “robe” is actually a French word that translates to English as “dress.” No, I’m not making that up, though it does sound like something I might. Honestly, I wanted to make something that I (and other guys) would actually want to wear. So, we added shorts and or pants as an option. That definitely makes it feel more “manly.” Not to mention the fact that it prevents the potential of the ever embarrassing d!@kslip! Can I say that, or is this a family show?

We made the outside out of sweatshirt or hoodie material so that it looked like something a guy wouldn’t mind if their buddies saw them wearing. And finally, we have the over-the-head hoodie option for guys who still wouldn’t wear the robe style. What guy wouldn’t want to wear a hoodie that’s lined with towel material to soak up water or sweat?!?

Dude, how did you come up with this? What was your design inspiration?

Haha! It was just seeing my wife in her robe after the shower every day. She looked so comfortable, but not being a regular robe guy, I didn’t have any other great options.

So, as a product developer, I said to myself, “There has to be a better solution. What would I wear?” And then it hit me…a towel designed as a hoodie. Boom!

Aside from the privacy of your own home, where else do you see The DudeRobe making an appearance?

I mean basically you can rock it anytime you’re wet or sweaty like after the gym, beach or pool. Think of it this way, every time you get in your car all sweaty and gross, that just sits on the car seat. Then you shower and change and get back into that sweaty, nasty car. Why not let the DudeRobe soak it up for you and save your car?

But, it’s really for anytime you might wear sweatpants. Whether you’re getting the newspaper (do newspapers still exist?), walking the dog or chilling after work or on weekends. It’s really versatile. And if you can’t find it, check your girlfriend’s closet, because we’re hearing a whole lot of girls wanting to buy DudeRobes for themselves!

What’s your favorite way to style the DudeRobe pieces?

It really depends on the situation. If I’m at home and just want to throw something on, I would go with the robe and shorts or sweats depending on time of year. But if I’m leaving the gym or the beach, I’ll go with the over-the-head hoodie and shorts. It’s comfy, looks good and will protect my seats from salt water, sand and sweat.

Which celebrity dudes would you like to see rock the DudeRobe?  

Because of the Big Lebowski, I’ve got to go with Jeff Bridges as my number one. The Dude himself has to be top of the list, doesn’t he? There are so many others that would be great.

From the world of music, I’d say Adam Levine, Snoop, DJ Khaled, Justin Timberlake, Chance the Rapper, Drake, John Legend and I think I have to say, even Justin Bieber.

From the world of sports, I would say Gronk for sure. KD, Lebron, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Odell Beckham, Rickie Fowler and so many more.

From entertainment, I’d say Zac Efron, The Rock, Jimmy Fallon and even Barack Obama. And definitely the guys from Entourage if it was still on, I could see them building a whole business around it. The same goes for Bobby Axelrod of Billions. That’s a lot of guys isn’t it? Hey, a dude can dream, can’t he?

DudeRobe was funded on Kickstarter practically overnight. If Shark Tank calls, which Shark would you most like to work with?

I don’t know they’re all great in their own way. I wouldn’t be against any of them, but Daymond obviously makes some sense because of his fashion background. Though it seems he shies away from most straight up apparel deals. I’ve definitely always wanted to do a deal with Mark. I’ve actually met him a couple of times professionally and he’s always been so incredibly chill. I mean honestly, he is definitely the most dude-like of the sharks.

This article was written and appeared on . Grooming Lounge and our Founder, Mike Gilman, were quoted a lot, so we borrowed the article. Giving them credit -- hope it's OK.