INDIANAPOLIS – The newest trendy clothing item for men – rompers for men - made their way to the city this week right in time for Indy 500 weekend.
Jess West, an Indiana-based costume designer, created men Indy 500-themed rompers decked out with a mix of American flag and black-and-white checkered patches.
West’s 15 limited-edition pieces sold quickly, and orders closed Sunday.
The costume designer also has other race-themed clothing for sale.
The men’s romper phenomenon began May 15 when ACED – made of three men and a woman - launched a KickStarter campaign for RompHim, with the tagline:
Is it a romper designed for men? Sure. But it's also pretty damn comfortable, and it may just be the start of a fashion revolution.
Just 36 hours after the launch, ACED achieved their $100K goal and began adding XL sizes. By May 19, the limited-edition splatter print sold out.
The pieces received mixed reactions on twitter and other social media sites as rompers are traditionally worn by women, but overall won over the hearts of many as the campaign raised over $366,000 in one week.
ACED wrote on their campaign page:
The response was overwhelming, ranging from the negative “The Bro Romper Exists and I Don't Want to Live on This Planet Anymore” to the positive “The Bros behind the RompHim Addressed Our Biggest Concerns - And Actually Won Me Over“ and everywhere in between. We had a feeling that the product might be a bit polarizing; part of what we want to do with our brand ACED is to create statement pieces that allow people to express themselves. Our Original RompHim™ pieces certainly seem to have succeeded in doing just that.
It was incredibly fun to see so many people supporting the Kickstarter- we really didn't foresee it being so popular on day one, but yet here we are.
On Monday, the company announced they would no longer take orders for the original RompHim, but will release new styles soon.
