From the Founder

I like wearing jackets, except when it is warm outside. But I have found that I would put on a jacket, even on a hot summer day, for a business lunch, or for a trip, just so I would have my money, my credit cards and my travel documents handy.

I am on a plane a lot, traveling both in the U.S. and abroad, and I would catch myself all too often, needing a pen, or a five Dollar bill for a beer, while recognizing that the pen, and the wallet are in my jacket, which is in the overhead bin…

But what if there was an apparel product that had pockets, without the bulk that comes with a jacket or a coat? It might just help a whole lot of people to lighten up - literally - while traveling, or going about their business.

This was the seed for XUBÁZ™ Functional Neckwear. I quickly arrived at the concept of a scarf with pockets, simply because it feels so natural. After all, scarves have been around for centuries. My wife - liked it too, and she started to use one of those first XUBÁZ right away. She appreciated the new product especially while traveling, as it left her "hands-free" to hold on to our children in those crowded airports.

Our prototypes were pretty basic at the time, but people took notice: "Wow it's got pockets! How cool!" was the comment we heard again and again.

But the product didn't quite work yet. I noticed that more often than not, my scarf with pockets was in the way, while I bent down, loading the car's trunk, or a sudden gust of wind would lift it right off my shoulders. That's when the Xues™ accessories were born, even though the name came quite a bit later. At first they were just straps that I'd tie around my belt loops to keep the XUBÁZ in place. Then we added the little alligator grips and made the whole assembly adjustable, so it would work for people of different height.

Since then our product concept has been refined further. The pocket design has been improved, and we have introduced a single layer XUBÁZ design, which is even more light-weight than the original - double layer - design. We have also narrowed down our fabric choices to fabrics that drape well, have a soft hand, yet are strong enough to support pockets stuffed with I-Pods, passports, keys and all those other items one needs to have handy while on the move…

For 2008 we are introducing two new product lines, XUBÁZ "Boutique" and XUBÁZ "Green". This is in response to many of our customers inquiring about a more fashion focused XUBÁZ Functional Neckwear. In developing those two product lines, we were reminded once more of our product's simplicity, and that it really does help men and women on the move to make do with less, while adding a splash of color and style to their wardrobe.

XUBÁZ Functional Neckwear are now available in over 100 stores nationwide. This winter XUBÁZ will attend various trade shows, and in March it will introduce the 2008 product lines at a company sponsored fashion show during the Los Angeles Fashion Week.

Stay tuned!