Why I Started Traü

It always begins with the end, and in the end, Traü is all about connection and community. And that’s where it all started.

My Freshman year in college I went from being a “Big Fish” High School football player to a very small Freshman football fish at Harvard! I was a stranger in a strange land moving from California to Boston, transitioning from a tight knit, comfortable community to a place where I knew no one and had very little connection. I was lost.

But soon, Freshman football started, and I found my tribe.

Back in 1987, we didn’t have all the high tech gear they have in college football programs today - fancy uniforms, different helmets for every game, and 17 different pairs of gloves for catching the ball.  The freshman got refurbished cleats painted with black spray paint and helmets and shoulder pads that would make any loving mother quake in her patent leather heels.

But the one thing everyone clambered to get their hands on was something we wore under our practice gear and uniforms called U-Trow (pronounced you-tra-eww).  Freshman were issued one pair and had to sign a deal with the devil (a wicked-sharp, quick tongued equipment manager at the time named Chet Stone) to get a second pair.  Upperclassmen hoarded them and traded them for other collectibles with the hockey, lacrosse or baseball players. For an unknown Freshman from the West Coast, snatching a pair of these bad boys was harder than Prometheus grabbing fire from the Gods!

In the years since college, I searched high and low to find something that would be just as good as U-Trow - something made from a natural material with a form fit that I could wear while working out.  I was tired of all the polyester materials and ill fitting underwear...and I went through a lot of them.

So I set out on a journey to create my own...and oh what a journey it’s been.

I’m proud share Traü with all of you.  All natural materials, a great fit and made right here in the U.S.A (we manufacture everything in Oakland right now).  I think you’ll find that the materials and fit are perfect for any kind of workout you’re doing and these babies are made from bamboo with just a little bit of stretch so they should last you for quite a while!  And if you don’t like them, we have a 100%, no questions asked, money-back guarantee.

My vision with Traü is to not only build the best product to support you in your own personal health journey to living a better life from the inside out, but also to use Traü as a platform to build community and support for all of those seeking support to live better, more healthy lives and bettering the community around them.  Just like way back in my Freshman year.

In the end, the games, practices and scars back from the late 80’s are all gone and faded away.  But what remains is the community of support and friendship from a very formative time in my life and the lives of others. I still lean on and get much energy from this community and I strive to build the same thing through Traü for all of you.

Let get on this journey together...and let’s start on the inside.

See you on the path,

Mike

 

Still hanging out to this day!

1 comment

  • As the wife of a former Harvard player ( John Toomey class of 94’) I can’t thank you enough for this. He’s been wearing the same pair of trau for over 25 years! 😉 Can’t wait to order!

    Kim Toomey

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