Should Gothamist co-founder Jake Dobkin try Zubaz next?
If The Dude couldn't bring them back...
"What are Zubaz?" asked innocent young Gothamist staffer Chris Robbins when we decided to acknowledge the existence of this New York Times article on the pants and their alleged comeback. The article is part trend piece, and part fashion scaremongering, as there's probably really only a 45% chance* of a Zubaz comeback.
At the center of the story we have Dan Stock, creator of the pants, who recently noticed that the new basketball shorts that Adidas was unveiling for the N.C.A.A. tournament had a decidedly Zubaz look to them and may be sparking a rebirth of the zebra-print pant. Stock told the paper, “I took one look and was like: ‘Oh, boy. Here we go again.'"
To answer Robbins's aforementioned question, Zubaz are basically a sweatpants-chef pants-Hammer pants hybrid, featuring an elastic waist and an oversized leg that gradually tapers as it nears the ankle. They were very popular amongst the Joey Buttafuoco set in the early 1990s—and we assume the Dude preferred them for their relaxed fit and freedom of movement.
But this is the Age of the Megging—does such a loose pant really stand a chance amongst such a form-fitting generation? The Gray Lady says yes, warning: "Zubaz are enjoying something of a rebirth. Zubaz refuse to die."
*This percentage is based on a total guess, figuring in the the chance of an ironic comeback amongst a certain set in Brooklyn.
