TRUWEAR Review: I Tried Their Most Popular Styles

Back when I was a high school teacher, I started up a dodgeball team for the kids.

On Wednesdays, they’d all go into a forgotten room on the wing of the gym and take their aggression out on each other. It was great.

I’d get in on the action, too. I’d really huck it at them.

But I had to take a step back one day. No, it wasn’t because I’d accidentally pelted a kid in the face (like that would ever stop me). It was because I went to duck under an incoming ball and my pants exploded.

Yes, the whole seat of my pants tore right open. Nothing was exposed thankfully, but I still had a room of 16-year-olds laughing at me.

And I thought I’d escaped high school with only minor trauma.

But it taught me an important lesson about wearing the right clothes for the job.

At the time, TRUWEAR didn’t exist.

They’ve created a line of professional shirts and pants that, in their words, bridge the divide between style and functionality. In my words, they’re pants that you can be both a teacher and a dodgeball coach in.

You can bet if I was wearing TRUWEAR pants that fateful day, that embarrassing mishap wouldn’t have happened. Maybe then, I’d still have a deep passion for dodgeball.

But the question remains: is TRUWEAR right for you? I took their shirts, pants, shorts, and joggers for a spin and compared them to other performance menswear brands. My verdict is in.

What Is TRUWEAR?

TRUWEAR launched in November 2019. So yeah, they’re the new kid on the block.

But their launch is impressive, with nine long sleeve professional shirts, eight short sleeve shirts, a pair of pants, joggers, ties, socks, and even a backpack.

TRUWEAR’s goal is to take over your professional wardrobe, supplying you with everything you need to comfortably go through your workday.

Not only that, but they’re backed by an upcoming NFL star.

Taysom Hill

Taysom Hill, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, is a founding partner of TRUWEAR.

Now, I won’t lie to you—the only football game I watched this year was the Super Bowl. And I couldn’t make it past the third quarter. So that’s just to say I’m not a huge NFL guy. But I looked up some Taysom Hill highlights to learn more, and this is what I found:

For a quarterback, his highlights are all over the place—kick returner, defense, running back, receiver. Taysom Hill is a beast.

I don’t know many current NFL players, but I’m sure there aren’t many players out there who serve as many roles as Taysom Hill. Seriously, what kind of backup QB also returns kicks? Amazing.

But let’s get to the heart of this thing: yes, TRUWEAR is a new brand backed by an NFL phenom, but are their clothes any good?

After testing the brand for a few weeks, I’m ready to tackle that question.

My Hands-On Review

I’ve done a few rounds of TRUWEAR orders, so some I’ve had for a year and a half, and some are brand new. 

I’m reviewing their dress shirts, polos, office pants, joggers, workout shorts, and golf shorts.

While I’m not a dodgeball coach anymore, I still put these items through the paces to see if they truly were a bridge between professional style and performance. 

Phenom Professional Shirt

I picked up a Phenom Classic Long Sleeve Shirt in light blue gingham. When looking through their site, I noticed that most options were some variation on blue.

As a new brand, I understand they need to focus on the most popular colors, but it would be nice to see a pink, black, or even a patterned red (though the red they have available is awesome) Feb 20 update: Black shirts are now live. Obviously, this doesn’t speak to the quality of the shirt, and I’m sure they’ll continue to expand their collection.

I really liked the fit of the Phenom shirt. I’m on the border between medium and large, and unless I have previous experience with the brand, I always size down. So I went with a medium, slim.

The shirt is snug but not too tight around the chest and arms. One thing I’ve noticed from a few menswear brands is that slim fits still have regular collars and cuffs. So when you try the shirt on, it fits through your torso and arms, but the cuffs don’t match that same tailored look.

It can become an issue, especially if you’re wearing a sport coat or blazer.

But TRUWEAR keeps the tailored look through their cuff and collar, too.

Even though the shirt was a trim fit, it was easy to move around in, and it looked great with the sleeves rolled up.

The fabric is crisp, and the collar has plenty of structure which means it’s perfect for the office.

Some of TRUWEAR’s short sleeve shirts, particularly the ones with the breast-pocket, seem like they’d be better in a casual or business-casual wardrobe. But the long-sleeve Phenom is perfectly suited for office-wear. There’s nothing loud or obnoxious about it—just a great fitting shirt you can freely move around in.

TW Polo

TRUWEAR makes some of my favorite fitting polos in the game. 

I thought I was all good on shirts, but summer hit hard in North Carolina, and I spent a few punishing days out in the heat before I realized it was time to upgrade the materials I was wearing. Cotton just wasn’t cutting it (who wants to feel like they’re wearing a wet towel?).

So I picked up the TW Polo from TRUWEAR to see how it fit. Take a look.

I’m 6’1” and about 205lbs. I’m wearing the size L. 

As you can see, the polo fits snug across the chest, shoulders, and arms, but leaves some room in the torso. 

This is my personal favorite type of fit: it’s flattering in all the areas I want, but leaves plenty of room to move comfortably, and isn’t so tight in the stomach that I feel like it’s hugging me.

These polos also have length to them, which is great if you’re on the course. You can take your swing without looking like you’re wearing a crop-top. 

After picking up my first polo, I actually went back and picked up four more. You never know when styles get nixxed, so I like to pick up multiples whenever I find something I really like. 

Prodigy Performance Pants

You can’t go to the office without pants. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

Ok, no I didn’t. It was a joke. But I’ve had plenty of dreams where I went to the office with no pants. Very embarrassing.

The first thing I noticed about the Prodigy Performance Pants was the cool shirt grips along the waistband. These are invaluable for keeping your shirt tucked and in-place. The rubber grips the shirt so it’s less likely to move around if you twist and turn throughout the day. Which we all do because we’re humans and we like to move.

The fit was good—plenty of room in the seat and thigh, but still tailored looking. I liked how much stretch there was in these pants. Since the dodgeball incident I mentioned in the intro, I’m inherently fearful whenever I wear professional slacks.

But as I continued to wear these pants throughout the week, I felt like a superhero slowly discovering their abilities.

One day I learned I could move my knee up to my chest without them ripping. The next day I discovered my ability to bend down and grab something from the floor without them exploding. And at one point, I went for the whole thing—I tried a flying jump kick.

Voila. No problems with the pants, and as a bonus, the shirt grips kept my shirt in place.

Criterion Workout Shorts

Here’s my weekly workout routine: 20 miles on the bike, three days weight lifting, one day conditioning, and usually a casual bike ride or a kayak adventure on the weekend. 

I get good use from my workout shorts, and I’m not afraid to invest in quality, because when I’m in the gym, focus is key. 

I remember the days when I would cheap-out on the most inexpensive pair of basketball shorts I could find. Five jumping-jacks with my phone in my pocket and they would practically fall to my ankles. How am I supposed to focus with that going on? 

Well, I need a new pair of workout shorts, so I picked up the Criterion Workout Shorts from TRUWEAR. 

These are the most lightweight shorts I own, and they’re crucial for that day of conditioning. They have a gusseted crotch, which helps a lot with mobility and comfort, plus the fabric basically dries immediately, so I’ve never felt like they “catch” or stick anywhere. 

The Criterion shorts have a zippered pocket in the back, which is helpful if you ever need to bring a card with you to the gym. I’ve never really used it myself, but that’s because I always have a backpack with me when I work out. 

These have a great fit—I have a 34 waist and picked up the size L, which is perfect. I like that they’re slimmer through the thigh because I feel like I’m fighting less fabric throughout my workout. Plus, when I pick up some weight, my legs look awesome. So I get to stand around the gym pretending like I’m not flexing my legs. 

Prodigy Performance Shorts

I put these at the top of my list of the best golf shorts because they just are. 

The Prodigy Performance Shorts have everything you want in a great golf short: they’re lightweight and breathable, have a trim modern fit, classy look, zippered pockets in the back, deep pockets in the front, and a secret zippered pocket in the front where you can easily stash tees and extra balls.

But my favorite thing of all: the waistband has rubberized branding throughout. At first you might think, ok, TRUWEAR is just doing what every brand does by putting their logo inside the waistband. But look closer: the branding is rubber, and it keeps your shirt tucked in, even if the follow-through on your swing goes for days. 

To me, that’s absolute genius.

I also really like that the waistband has elastic in it, much like a pair of workout shorts. You’d never be able to tell from the style—they don’t look like they have an elastic waist. 

But because of the extra stretch, these shorts are more forgiving for when you naturally have a little weight fluctuation. Thanksgiving and Christmas happen every year, and it usually takes a month or two of golf to work those extra five pounds off. The waistband just keeps you comfortable in that in-between period. 

The Prodigy Performance Shorts are ideal for golfing, but I’ve also just been wearing them as casual shorts. The style is simple and classic. Pair the shorts with a polo, and you have a clean casual look that’s perfect for summer. 

And I love it because even the humidity can’t keep me down. The fabrics are so breathable that I never get that “sticky” feeling that’s usually a natural part of 90+ degree days. 

Peak Lifestyle Jogger

TRUWEAR understands we can’t just be “all-work all the time.” You’ve got to have those moments of downtime, too. Time to spend chilling around the house, being with your family, traveling, and enjoying all the fruits of your labor.

That’s why they’ve added the Peak Lifestyle Jogger to their lineup.

And what can I say? These are excellent lounge pants. But more than that, their modern tapered cut is perfect for Saturday morning strolls to the farmer’s market and taking care of errands.

And if you love a good workout, these joggers are perfect. The two zippers at the back mean you can safely stow your wallet or whatever else you may need on your way to the gym.

My Overall Thoughts

TRUWEAR

TRUWEAR launched their first line of performance menswear designed for the office just last year. Even as a new brand, their focus on the details results in comfortable, flexible menswear that keeps up no matter how active your lifestyle.

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