![]() After "testing a lot of different fabrics," Shokrian says, including traditional cotton MeUndies are made with Lenzing MicroModal, a lightweight and moisture-wicking fabric made from beechwood pulp by an Austrian company. And for the most part, he seems to have done that. Shokrian set out to make comfortable underwear at a reasonable price that's easy to buy online. "With darkness, there's always light at the end of the tunnel, and we really like to be an optimistic company and really be encouraging to people and really show that there is change possible," Shokrian says. Shokrian ultimately served just seven months in prison, and now he thinks the experience can serve as an example of "turning a negative situation into a positive." Shokrian stepped aside as MeUndies CEO when he went to prison, with Bryan Lalezarian taking on that role for four years until Shokrian was named CEO once again in 2018. Meanwhile, Shokrian had his own controversy: In 2014, he was sentenced to just over a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to violating the 2008 Clean Air Act - a case that stemmed from an improper asbestos removal Shokrian oversaw at a Texas property owned by his family's company. "They understand that great brands are part of cultural conversations and they're doing things within their brand authority and within their personality that allow their brand to become part of conversations," Fromm says. Jeff Fromm, a millennial marketing expert and president of consumer trends consultancy FutureCast, tells CNBC Make It that, while there are risks, MeUndies has shown an ability to generate controversy in a way that helps create more brand awareness. ![]() The company offered to match Lynch's fines by donating $20,000 to charity. MeUndies also joined forces with now-retired NFL running back Marshawn Lynch after he'd been fined by the NFL for grabbing his crotch while celebrating a 2014 touchdown (Lynch claimed he was adjusting his underwear). Other examples of MeUndies seeking attention by taking risks with its marketing include giving an endorsement deal to then Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle in 2014 after Randle had been arrested for shoplifting underwear. The site (which is no longer active) had just launched as a supposedly cleaner, more female-friendly alternative to traditional porn sites and it was seeking more mainstream advertisers, Shokrian notes. MeUndies also made a name for itself with other provocative (and potentially risky) marketing stunts, such as placing ads on a porn website called in 2013. "We took it as an opportunity to, kind of, poke fun at them," Shokrian says, which allowed the company to "get some media out of it." In fact, the attention from the retaliatory ads not only boosted MeUndies' public profile, but it also allegedly helped drive sales, with the company claiming "record revenue" in the days following the controversy. (Facebook says ads can't contain "nudity or implied nudity" as well as "excessive visible skin or cleavage.") MeUndies responded with a cheeky ad campaign featuring stick figures with their nether regions blurred out and which announced that the company's content had been "banned by Facebook." (Eventually, Facebook got in touch with MeUndies, the company said at the time, to help the underwear company better understand Facebook's terms of service for advertisers.) In 2014, MeUndies' role as provocateur started making headlines after Facebook blocked some of its ads, saying some photos of scantily-clad models in the company's underwear were in violation of Facebook's advertising guidelines. While Shokrian didn't have much personal experience in the ecommerce space aside from selling wholesale electronics on eBay, he'd seen other online retail brands like Warby Parker and Everlane find success with the direct-to-consumer business model, so he looked to carve out a similar space for selling underwear online. ![]() What's more, none of the traditional underwear brands on the market at the time really stood out to him in terms of quality or aesthetic. "I just felt like the whole process of going to the store was a little broken," Shokrian says. Neman urged Shokrian to channel his frustration into solving the problem for himself and others. One of those friends was Jonathan Neman, the co-founder and CEO of fast-growing salad chain SweetGreen. Once on the trip, Shokrian complained to his friends about the experience. I thought I was buying the underwear I normally buy, home to find out they're workout underwear." "When I finally made my way to the underwear section, I was really overwhelmed with all the choices. ![]() "I found myself at the department store having a really uncomfortable interaction with this ," Shokrian tells CNBC Make It. ![]()
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