Man in brief…
Well, some think it is enough to gift a bit of jauntiness to life… but I think it is by far better to give life to jauntiness. I mean, look at all the synonyms that jaunty has: cheerful, cheery, happy, merry, jolly, joyful, lively, perky, bright, buoyant, bubbly, bouncy, breezy, in good spirits, exuberant, ebullient, carefree, blithe, airy, light-hearted, nonchalant, insouciant, happy-go-lucky, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed chirpy… and we all know how often we come across flaccid nonchalance, fused exuberance, artificial joy, and forced liveliness. Well sir, to be really jaunty, one must give life to being jaunty.
When I told this to Specky, my wife, she simply said, ‘Sounds grand… but how does one go about being genuinely jaunty? In fact, how will you ever know if the buoyant spirit on the road is real or forced?’ She was right and so one fine day I started looking at all men and women a bit more closely than I usually do… I mean I tried to see if they were smiling and squirming at the same time or if they laughed in a carefree manner but yet the eyes betrayed an unsaid stress. And I noticed that in most cases their insouciance was more like a bored poodle in the arms of a snooty lady… or their bright-eyed glances were more like a monkey in a zoo realising that he is naked among a crowd of dressed and over-dressed humans! In short, I noticed that most people seemed uncomfortable. So I just walked up to one and said with a straight face, ‘You seem uncomfortable.’
He looked at me and to my surprise, answered, ‘Even you would if you were wearing innerwear that isn’t shaped right or sized right or the material somehow bothers your skin.’ This answer could have been genuine or just a witty response to a statement that anyway deserved it.
This one response made go inward and I realised that even my innerwear wasn’t so comfortable. So despite my presumably high spirits, I’m sure I must be looking like any of these men and women I was so keenly observing. That day I concluded that innerwear must always be chosen for inner joy…
And then destiny brought me closer to a set of people who casually informed me that the word jaunty had its genealogy going to the Greek word Zoiros.
The Greek word Zoiros means jaunty
‘Zoiros is an interesting word,’ I said.
Paola smiled. She is a fashion designer from Italy and in her own unhurriedly groping English informed me that her company had adopted this word for a line of classic as well as new-age innerwear.
‘Products from Zoiro Lifestyles are made from microfibers,’ said Paola Piatti and then went on, ‘such wonderfully magical wearable experiences help people express themselves with happiness and joy.’ I was listening quietly and wondering how and underwear or a vest would make my joy ooze out without any artificial sweetener or additive. Paola seemed to have heard my thoughts because she answered, ‘It is fashion that connects an individual with society. And if elements from nature are taken up and made to interact with products that one wears, the joyous equation is complete.’
‘Makes sense,’ I said. Later when I saw the line of innerwear they had, I realised that the colours were bright and full of verve… the material responded positively to my touch… and I knew this just might connect my smile to the twinkle in my eyes. Yes, innerwear today isn’t so much about sexuality or the macho-man image. It has a lot to do with a sensitive realisation of our surroundings, as this is what makes us more human.
Further discussions with Navinn Seksaria, MD of Zoiro India told me that they had high expectations from the Indian market and were aiming for the premium segment of the massive market for innerwear that already exists in India… and even this niche is expected to be over 50 crores in the coming 3 years. Zoiro is an Italian brand and my question was obvious, ‘Isn’t Paris supposed to be the soul of creative fashion?’
‘Well, you’ll be surprised to know that Paris is a place for consumptive fashion and brands,’ said Navinn, ‘but Italy scores high in the creative space.’
Talking about the availability of Zoiro innerwear, I was informed that both the conventional as well as the virtual stores would be selling them pan-India. The company officials also told me that as the product itself is a ‘hero’, they would not be opting for celebrity endorsements.
‘Wow!’ I said, ‘So we wouldn’t be seeing ShahRukh prancing about in Zoiro briefs!’ Well, that old man of Hindi films anyway has quite an organic smile and so I am presuming he too is wearing innerwear from Zoiro… unless he has to do a scene where his discomfort needs to come through!
Well, their press release does add that ‘the patterns are digitally printed adding that extra oomph to the range. The new collection is synonymous with hot new styles and sensual detailing.’ For those interested, this brand is available with Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon, and Fashionara in the online world in a price band of Rs 355 to Rs 495, which makes them fairly reasonably priced. As Paola remarks, ‘While women flaunt their style in dresses, now men can boast about their inners!’ Well Paola and Claudia, I’d still insist that giving life to jauntiness is worth aiming for. So while Zoiro trunks, vests, and briefs get ready to give jauntiness to life, let my blog posts give life to the jauntiness of my readers!
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Zoiro unveils India’s first ever range of Italian designed ‘Party innerwear’ collection for men
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For more information: ZOIRO
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Arvind Passey
12 January 2015
