Naked Revival™ Revives Authentic Wellness
Joel Primus’s new brand challenges industry norms with a vision for genuine health and community
Joel Primus, the founder of Naked Revival™, is redefining the wellness and consumer lifestyle industry with a bold critique of its current state and a vision for the future. In a sector often marred by shallow promises and capitalist exploitation, Primus advocates for a return to the authentic roots of wellness that focus on genuine self-care and community building.
The Backstory
As a 14-year-old skin-and-bones athlete, Joel Primus jumped into his first ice bath. His family and friends thought he was crazy. But the logic was simple — reduce muscle inflammation following his strenuous workout regime. Turns out, it felt good — not just on his muscles but for his mind as well. It would be more than fifteen years of doing cold plunges before he heard Wim Hoff and a host of bio-hackers and science communicators, like popular podcaster Andrew Hubmeran, break down the specific biological benefits of cold plunging.
That, to Primus, is the crux of wellness. Does it make you feel better and does it help you achieve your goal?
Let’s face it — health, fitness, and wellness in the 90s and early 2000s wasn’t exactly what he knows it to be today. Health science personalities like Peter Attia, Gary Brecka, and Andrew Hubmeran are superstars now, listened to by everyone from elite athletes to Sunday joggers.
Even back then — before the age of information we live in now — Primus had a sneaking feeling that institutionalized health protocols weren’t up to the standard he was looking for.
“It wasn’t something you had to know the science of,” he says. “Because you had immediate feedback based on how you felt after you ate something and, more importantly, how you performed.”
He would ask more experienced runners what their secrets were and try them out. The vegans recommended nuts. The carnivores recommended steak. The old-schoolers recommend pasta. Some recommended four liters of water. Others, creatine and multivitamins, including garlic supplements.
Primus tried them all. If they worked, he kept doing them.
“I remember my coach asking me why I kept having to use the restroom during practice — and saying maybe I should drink less water,” Primus laughs. “But worse than that was being afraid to face anybody in school because of the garlic breath!”
Athlete Turned Entrepreneur
Fast forward to today. He’s ditched the garlic, but has turned his passion for wellness into a new business called Naked Revival™. Previously, Primus co-founded the popular underwear line Naked, which evolved from a modest startup with grassroots beginnings into a symbol of quality and comfort in the apparel industry.
The brand gained significant traction, leading to partnerships with major retailers like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue and culminating in its public listing on NASDAQ. This growth phase reached a pivotal moment in 2018 when Naked Underwear merged with Bendon Lingerie, marking a significant transition in the brand’s journey from a simple idea to an internationally recognized label.
Joel Primus authored “Getting Naked,” a candid book detailing his entrepreneurial journey, and directed documentaries such as “Raising Global Citizens” and “Finding Nowhere,” exploring themes of cultural understanding and self-discovery.
The Misdirection of Modern Wellness
Primus now points to a significant misalignment in the wellness industry, driven by the dark sides of capitalism and the distorting effects of social media. He argues that while there is more and better information and products out there than ever before, the industry has strayed from its foundational principles, instead becoming a breeding ground for quick-fix solutions marketed aggressively through influencers. The trend misleads consumers from the purpose of wellness.
In his discussions, including appearances on podcasts like Toronto’s Seeking Success, Primus regularly emphasizes the complexity and simplicity of wellness, rejecting the binary views perpetuated by social media echo chambers. He believes that the industry’s focus on buzzwords and trends obscures the real essence of wellness, which is a balanced integration of spiritual, philosophical, and practical health practices with the end goal of healing or achieving something — but ultimately not relying on the “wellness” protocols or product forever.
Naked Revival™’s Holistic Approach
Unlike many wellness brands that capitalize on fleeting trends, Naked Revival™ champions a holistic approach that respects historical health practices while addressing modern needs. Primus illustrates this by referencing ancient wellness rituals, such as the cold plunges of the Egyptians and Greeks or the Scandinavian sauna practices. These traditions represent a historical continuity in human wellness that Naked Revival™ hopes to recapture and modernize for the modern diverse lifestyle.
Naked Revival™ offers a tailored shopping experience that categorizes products and routines into different ‘Warrior Lifestyles’ — Urban, Coastal, Country, and Nomadic. This categorization allows customers to align their wellness practices with their environmental contexts and personal objectives, ensuring a more personalized and effective mindset regarding health.
The brand’s commitment to transparency and ethical practices extends beyond the mere sourcing of materials. It influences every aspect of the company, from product development to marketing strategies. Primus’s philosophy of stripping away the unnecessary to focus on what truly matters is at the core of every decision and product offered by Naked Revival™.
More Than a Product Line
Primus’s vision for Naked Revival™ transcends the traditional business model of simply selling products. The product lines and routines include a diverse range of offerings from premium garments and health supplements to digital content and immersive in-person experiences that guide customers through their wellness journeys. But Primus explains that it’s not about the products at all. It’s about where you end up.
“The goal of taking a supplement or being consistent in a routine is for it to serve as a vehicle of transformation, towards an outcome,” he says. “That outcome might mean you no longer need that routine or product. Maybe you evolve to different ones over time. But wellness is both about the pleasure and presence experienced in your everyday life and a journey removing all the stuff that no longer serves you. If we become dependent on the products themselves, we’ve missed the point.”
In line with this community-building goal, Primus has launched “REVIVE: An Entrepreneurial Series,” leveraging his experience in documentary filmmaking to provide a platform for education and personal growth. This series is part of a broader effort to build a supportive wellness community that can thrive on shared knowledge and experiences.
A Revival of Ideals
Wellness isn’t a moral virtue.
The foundational ethos of Naked Revival™ is a revival of the true ideals of wellness — authenticity, simplicity, and feeling good. Primus envisions a shift in consumer behavior led by a deeper understanding of and commitment to genuine wellness practices. He challenges the notion that wellness is a commodity or a panacea and instead presents it as a communal practice that enhances individual and collective well-being.
“Taking supplements or cold plunging aren’t moral virtues,” says Primus “That’s one of the problems with the culture of wellness on social media. It brings FOMO — the idea that if you’re not doing a specific routine or taking just the right supplements, you’re ‘missing out’. But wellness is a personal and inward journey.”
Primus’s critique isn’t just theoretical. It is embedded in the very fabric of Naked Revival™. The company’s view on wellness — beyond just physical health — involves cultivating an environment where individuals can genuinely thrive without the pressures of conformist and commercial influences. Naked Revival™ focuses on authentic, simple practices that have stood the test of time. The goal: to empower individuals to reclaim their health and, by extension, improve their communities.
Embracing Authentic Wellness
The overall wellness industry often falls far short of its promises. But Joel Primus assures us that Naked Revival™ is different. The brand dares to think differently — it challenges prevailing norms — it emphasizes a return to true wellness values. It’s so much more than just selling products. Naked Revival™ is a lifestyle — a movement.
And that movement, beyond individual health, advocates for healthier relationships and societies through a more enlightened approach to wellness that embraces the past while innovatively serving the needs of the modern world. With Naked Revival™, Primus revisits the essence of historical wellness practices while setting a new standard for how companies can operate ethically and effectively in the wellness industry.
Learn more: https://nakedrevival.com/
