Meet Betabrand, the company that’s using viral humor and uncensored crowdsourcing to create the future of fashion.

By Brian Moylan

Illustrations by Ben Mendelewicz
Photographs by Peter McCollough

Chris Lindland created the clothing company Betabrand with one pair of novelty pants: the Cordarounds, corduroy trousers on which the wales run horizontally rather than vertically. It started as a joke, but the way Lindland described them in the product description made the pants go viral:

“Unlike vertical corduroy pants, which produce friction that can heat your crotch to uncomfortable, even dangerous levels, Cordarounds’ horizontal wales mesh evenly, lowering the average wearer’s crotch heat index (CHI) reading by up to 22%.”

Cordarounds were covered everywhere, making them instantly profitable. They were on back order for months. To keep people from revolting while waiting for their new duds, Lindland sent out weekly emails filled with jokes about what they could eventually do with their trousers, which kept them not only appeased, but enthusiastic. This is when Lindland settled on his motto: “99%…