Back in the day, robes used to be only reserved for royalty. Over the years, it has become one of the most regular things in our everyday lives. From loungewear to bath robes, we have different types, sizes, colors, and uses for our robes. In the words of the very famous YouTuber and make mogul Jeffree Star, “I can live my entire life in robes.”
However, unlike Jeffree, regular people like us don’t spend a fortune getting luxury branded robes for daily uses. In fact, high quality cheapest find is the way to go, especially when it comes to bath robes. Or is this too an outdated idea? Because apparently, Dude Robe exists – which is a luxury brand for, you guessed it, robes.
A men’s only brand, Dude Robe has an entire coveted product range for all things robes. According to Howie Busch, the brains behind Dude Robe, he wanted to create something for his fellow dudes that revolutionizes the plain old towel robes that are actually really comfortable, but you don’t get much use out of them except for wearing them before or after showering.
So one day, while pondering this thought, he saw his wife’s bathrobe hanging next to his hoodie. It was a light bulb moment for Howie because he was on his way to Walmart to buy towels, robes, and hoodies to start experimenting with design prototypes. Over a week’s time and some trial and error, Howie knew he had a winner.
He came up with the idea of a Dude Robe that could be worn indoors and outdoors. It was comfortable, cool-looking, and multi-purpose. However, to kick start the business, he eponymously chose a Kickstarter campaign and was able to generate $50,000. Next, he got familiar with the platform After Party and generated an additional $77,000 more.
In total, he had more than $100,000, so Howie was good to go with his, Dude Robe productions. Before long, Dude Robe was getting much-deserved recognition across the country, and instead of Howie looking for Shark Tank, Shark Tank found Howie, and the producer contacted him via Twitter. Howie was more than happy to have gotten the opportunity.
Hence, Howie made his way to national television thanks to Shark Tank and to carry the message across as strongly. He was wearing his Dude Robe. He starts his pitch off by exclaiming his hate for bath robes, how they are creepy if someone wears them in public, and goes on to make his offer for $150,000 for 18% of his business equity.
He then proceeds to hand out the samples to a curious bunch of sharks who immediately start feeling and wearing the robe. Naturally, the sharks then question the hefty price tag for just a robe, no matter how high quality it is. Hence, next was the uneventful but much predictable dropout of every judge for one reason or another.
Howie was a bit disappointed, given that the judges didn’t even try to negotiate as they weren’t interested at all. He got a bit worked up over the fact that Shark Tank sought him out when he had never come to them in the first place. He walked out quite let down and angry at the show’s producer for getting his hopes up.
However, the failure to impress the judges didn’t budge Howie’s confidence as he went on to expand his business and launched a website soon after called Dude Robe.com. Today he has a wide variety of huge selling robes, bath-wear, loungewear, sweatshirts, and more just for men. You can find his products for a steal on Amazon too.
Our Review of Dude Robe
Since we couldn’t grasp the concept of a “luxury robe,” we just had to get our hands on Dude Robe to check the thing out ourselves. Safe to say, when you spell luxury, Dude Robe doesn’t disappoint. It really is the grandest and most comfortable robe you can get on the market. In fact, if we may say so, some of the LV Gucci robes may fall short on quality compared to Dude Robe – that’s how rich the quality is.
Pros of Dude Robe
- It has a perfect-fitting, most comfortable robe ever.
- Coolest robe on the market.
- The hoodie style provides a unique look.
- Wrist cuffs make it look dapper.
- Sufficient pockets to hold your gadgets.
- It makes for a perfect men’s holiday gift set.
Cons of Dude Robe
- Extremely expensive for being just a robe.
Who Is Dude Robe For?
Dude, Robe is only for men. Designed for men and named “Dude” Robe, it is quite obvious that Dude Robe is a targeted product for only one segment of the market, and that is men. However, it categorizes itself as a luxury men’s brand, so it is more so for the higher end of the market. That’s why it makes for a great holiday gift, as regular people can only make once in a while purchase of Dude Robe and can’t keep buying it over and over.
Are There Any Alternatives?
NY Threads Men’s Hooded Fleece Robe
Naturally, there are so many alternatives that listing down each one would probably have the whole Amazon directory placed here. You can find so many cheaper alternatives that are of reasonable quality for daily use robes. Even many mid-category brands like H&M are making dedicated, multi-purpose robes that you can buy if you want to wear robes outside and enjoy the comfort of going commando.
Our Final Thoughts
It was unfair for Howie to be called on Shark Tank by the show’s producers and get his hopes high, only to end up with no deal. However, Howie has still placed a huge main banner on his website that says, “As seen on Shark Tank.” This is a reminder that had he not made it there; he wouldn’t have gotten the motivation to clap back to the judges with his success and the success of his brand, Dude Robe, which is still selling like hotcakes to this day!
