Zubaz ([1]) is a brand of shorts and pants, distinctively patterned with colorful stripes, that became popular during the early 1990s. It was primarily marketed as athletic wear for weightlifting and wrestling but found wider success.
History and description
In 1988, professional wrestlers Michael Hegstrand & Joseph Laurinaitis brainstormed ideas with Bob Truax and Don Stock, managers at gyms the pair owned, for better quality workout pants. Laurinaitis said, “We need to come up with an idea for pants that we can make for big guys for leisure, sporting events, working out or whatever.”[2] Truax and Stock developed a comfortably baggy pair of shorts with an elastic waistband.[3] Zubaz was registered as a trademark in 1989. Initially, they were marketed as a comfortable, functional pair of shorts for weightlifting.
Hegstrand and Laurinaitis, who owned half the company, helped popularize the pants, wearing them while teaming as the Road Warriors on the NWA on TBS.[2] Soon after, distribution with JCPenney and high-profile marketing deals with NFL players such as Dan Marino helped the pants become wildly popular in the United States.[2]
External links
References
- About Us: The Pant, The Myth, The Legend... Zubaz.com^
- Blurred lines: Zubaz, The Road Warriors and the greatest pants in the history of the world^
- A Brief History of Zubaz Mental Floss. Trex, Ethan. 2011.^