Temple of Geek Chic is back this week with a look into Hero Within. Hero Within is a lifestyle men’s fashion brand founded by Tony Kim as a solution to his struggle to find fashion that was both geeky and sophisticated. Their clothing line reflects their love for pop culture and represents that geeks can be serious influencers in business, culture and in the community. They have worked with DC Comics™ for the launch of Hero Within’s Justice League Collection and in March 2018 they announced that they are official licensed with Marvel and will begin work on a new Marvel themed line.
For this review we took three of their woven shirts from the Justice League Collection (the Batman Print, Batman Symbol and Wonder Woman Woven Print) out for a test drive. We threw the shirts on two of our favorite cosplayers and put them to the geek test.
What we love about it:
First and foremost we love that Hero Within is actually making stylish geeky clothes for men! We began broaching the subject of fashion on Temple Of Geek a few weeks ago, and we were surprised to see so little in the way of stylish men’s clothing. You could easily find hundreds of websites offering graphic tees, hoodies, compression shirts and work out clothes from your favorite fandom, but very few with the style choices that Hero Within offers. We recently did a survey on our social media and found that a lot of our male followers really care about fashion and would love to be able to incorporate their fandoms into their fashion choices. So that alone, is the very first thing we loved. Happy that they do what they do! The next thing we loved is how subtle the geek is. Even the shirts that had an all over print, like the Batman and Wonder Woman Woven print shirts, didn’t feel overwhelming or loud. At first glance it just looks like a patterned shirt. Then Bam! You notice the awesome and well designed geeky pattern. Where were these types of shirts during my youth? When I wanted to wear my geek on my sleeve but my boss (or sometimes my Mom) would say “You can’t wear that”. Well these are definitely business casual at the very minimum and we would absolutely rock these to work or on a date night!
How does it feel?
Comfortable! That is what we heard from both our cosplayers while trying on the different shirts. The material is light weight and well constructed. Fabric did not wrinkle easily. We threw them in the dryer before wearing to remove the shipping wrinkles and the wrinkles came out easily.
What is the print like?
The print is great! Colors are vibrant! The print is clear and clean. We absolutely love that the Batman symbol woven shirt has the logo stitched in on the back and the Batman cowl stitched in on the pocket.
Does it look good on different body types?
We didn’t have the chance to test out too many different sizes. But we totally believe that these shirts look great on a variety of body shapes. The fit is relaxed. They run true to size but we always recommend that you check the sizing charts before ordering to make sure you find the right size for you.
Can you dress it up?
Absolutely you can! And to be honest, we insist! We paired the Batman Print Woven Shirt with a black dress coat and jeans, and we think even Bruce Wayne would approve.
What did our cosplayers have to say?
I really like the Batman ones, the grey one was subtle but really kick ass. The white one is just really nice. The Wonder Woman one is awesome! I love the designs. My favorite one was probably the grey one because I feel you can wear it in any situation. They all fit very nicely. I’d honestly buy them. Definitely a brand I’m willing to pay good money for. Quality products. – Kyle Russell
Their 100% cotton fabric design was light weight and very breathable. Terrific for for representing your fandom in almost any situation. The white Batman print shirt was probably the most versatile, as you could easily wear it both casually or with a blazer. The gray Batman shirt could work with a blazer as well but is more the casual nerd, as your fandom doesn’t really show if covered with a coat. I did really love the design and cut of the gray shirt though and would probably wear it out everywhere, in all honesty. The Wonder Woman shirt was a beautiful shirt and might just be the most fashionable, as you could get creative with it’s bright colors and really make yourself stand out. I feel like some rust colored pants would have accented this shirt amazingly well.
All in all, these are some terrific shirts and I’ve definitely been made a fan! – Nate @doc_in_the_box
Overall:
The best part about being a geek is celebrating your fandoms with passion, getting your geek on and finding that which empowers you and makes you feel like a super hero! Hero Within definitely lets you express that!
Although we only took the Woven Shirts for a spin, we definitely recommend you check out the wide variety of products that Hero Within offers. To find out more about Hero Within you can check them out on their social media below or on their website https://herowithinstore.com.
Let us know what you think in the comments below!
