The Matador & The Bulls: One Man’s Vision
Would you know what meggings were if they leaped up and bit you? If the answer is no, chances are you haven’t been hitting the gym as often as you could be of late. The athleisure wear market has boomed in recent years, but the growth has been heavily skewed towards womenswear. Luckily for us, one man decided to shake that dynamic up, and create comfortable, stylish, functional, and most of all FUN workout leggings for men, aka – meggings!
10% off first orders at Matador Meggings with code BOYZ
How Matador Meggings Came To Be
LGBTQ owned and operated Matador Meggings was born from a real need to reinvent men’s athletic wear, offering similar styles and options to those available to women. The exciting young brand was founded by Valentine Aseyo, who spotted a huge gap in the market whilst completing his yoga teacher training a few years ago. Valentine realised that men could either opt for tight, uncomfortable, near see-through men’s leggings that bare all to the world (and might split at a moment’s notice), or wear baggy layers to stay ‘discrete’. This just wouldn’t do!
Drawing inspiration from the outfits worn by Spanish bullfighters in days gone by, whose demanding sport created a costume capable of moving with them seamlessly whilst flattering too, Matador saw a gap in the market and grabbed the bull by the horns.
Founder of Matador Meggings, Valentine, with his adorable pooch Gigi
Meet The Man Behind The Meggings
The story starts with Valentine Aseyo, LGBTQ entrepreneur, free-spirit, and yoga instructor. Recognising a need in the market for men to enjoy the same sturdy, anatomy-conscious and comfortable athletic ranges as women, he decided to leverage the experience gained at a variety of corporate endeavors – Facebook, IBM, and Colgate-Palmolive included – for a new venture.
The jump from the corporate world to entrepreneur is a big and intimidating one, and it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Whilst challenging, Valentine has also found the journey a freeing one, despite the rigorous and sometimes lonely demands of wearing ‘all the hats’ in a start-up.
Why Matador Meggings have Gained Traction
What’s so special about this brand of men’s leggings? Well for starters, it’s really hard to train your full potential when your workout gear doesn’t support you. Secondly, many men worry about ‘oversharing’ in the crotch department if they dare to go tight and form-fitting, yet loose and baggy clothes just don’t make for a good athlete. Plus – it’s not often (most) men actually get to dress up and have fun with their clothes, especially at the gym.
Previously resigned to a world of pinching jockstraps, efficient-but-tight ‘dance belts’ or draping your nethers in a discrete towel just to get your reps in without becoming the talk of the gym, it’s easy to see why the offer of something fun, flirty, and practical instead would be really appealing. Valentine sought to address these key fit issues, while injecting a sense of fun.
Rainbow shorts, Pride Collection
What is the Matador difference?
So what innovation and invention do Matador Meggings actually bring to the table?
Invention
Possibly the most notable feature of the Meggings lies in its consideration of the male anatomy. Going beyond styling the crotch as a mere place for seams to join, each Megging ships with ‘no-VPL’ technology – a no Visible Penis Line promise. Using a unique soft cup design, these men’s tights instead distribute and, quite literally, package a man’s package in superhero-inspired style. Not only does this lend them support for activities, but it also helps make a tight athleisure style discrete and acceptable no matter where they go. Undoubtedly, Valentine’s background as an athlete himself has helped shape – pun intended – this key area of the Matador range.
Red Camo Meggings by Matador Meggings
Innovation
It may be the main selling point, but the Megging doesn’t stop at the no-VPL design. Compression leggings are all the rage in athletic ranges today, as sports science becomes a mainstream sales feature. So naturally, they’re also compression leggings. Add to that some incredibly functional features such as a towel/shirt loop and multiple pockets, both zippered and unzippered, so nothing gets lost, and fit features like a no-roll waistband and discrete drawstring to avoid the other dreaded side of tight workout gear – plumber’s crack.
By women, for women has been a design slogan for decades. And now we have athleisure that is by men, for men, too. It’s a novel niche in the market, but judging from the positive response, an appreciated one too.
Matador celebrates their fans over at @BullsofMatadorMeggings
10% off first orders at Matador Meggings with code BOYZ
Shop Matador’s US site here (shipping to US and UK)
Shop Matador’s .EU site here (shipping to the European Union)
SHOP PRIDE COLLECTION
SHOP MEGGINGS
Recommended for you
