I think we can all agree that buying gifts for men totally sucks.

Birthdays and Christmas have always been a source of anxiety for me thanks to the pressure to find something “special” to give to the men in my life who somehow manage to always “need nothing”. Now that I’ve procreated, there’s one more occasion to stress me the fuck out: Father’s Day.

You know – the day you get to show your appreciation for all the ways in which your man enriches the lives of your kids. The day you get to stop and say ‘Thank You’ for all the times he’s rescued you from a total meltdown, gotten up in the night with the baby (even though he had to be up early for work), did the grocery runs, made sure all the bills were paid while you were making peanuts on Mat Leave, played with the kids when you really didn’t want to… no big deal right?

UGH. Wrong. Big deal. Must show appreciation. Fak.

True Rebel Papas bust their asses for their families and while you know they’ll be receiving some ridiculously cute shit from the kids (*ahem* scribbles on craft paper), sometimes it’s nice to spoil them a little – especially when they’re not really expecting it.

Now, while I love me a good sentimental gift, I’m also a girl with penchant for practicality. To me, the best gifts are the ones that get USED – and used and used and used for years to come.

That’s why, when Aleks and I discovered a Toronto-based company who just launched a line of fully customizable (and actually cool!) jackets, we knew we’d solved our “WTF are we getting these dudes” problem.

Here’s the low-down:

Our (new) pal Tony Mammoliti has been creating built-for-life bags and backpacks for over nine years over at YNOT (Toronto Rebels may have stumbled into his shop after having downed a pizza and a few Negroni’s across the street at Terroni Queen West). 

Tony decided to revolutionize the way we buy and wear jackets by figuring out a way to create a durable, perfect fitting, “go-to” jacket that could be worn through all seasons and for all occasions. (Read: they look just as cool at the park on Saturday morning, as they do at your local restaurant on a Thursday night.)

 

What really got us into the Lakewood Jackets was the option for customization. All you have to do is hop onto their online Custom Builder and you’ve got the power to design and create the perfect jacket for (or with) your dude. You pick everything from your own base material and colour, closure system, liner type, pocket style and configuration (plus you have the option for a hood) and then you’re off to the races.

 

The kicker? It’s all backed by YNOT’s lifetime warranty, so no matter how rough your dude is on his gear, this jacket is literally guaranteed to stand the test of time. 

In the name of solidarity, Aleks and I gave the Rebel Papas their gifts a little early. We wanted to gauge their levels of enthusiasm about the process as well as the product itself before we told you how awesome they were… Well guess what? They both bloody-well love them (and they were surprisingly into the customization part of it too.)

Jeff picked an Olive waxed canvas as his base and kept the rest of the design clean. He went with a subtle interior to keep his options open as to what he could wear it with.

 

Anthony chose Oak waxed canvas for his outer shell with a “Canadian Tartan” lining (confession: I picked the lining for him – I couldn’t resist; it was too adorable to pass on), and both guys customized the stamp on the leather label at the neck (effectively ruining all other labeling services for us in the future – Thanks a lot, YNOT!).

In the end, at the peril of setting the bar way too fucking high for ourselves for years to come, these Papas got thoroughly spoiled this Father’s Day, but you know what? They totally deserved it because they rock.

If you want to get in on this action, the crew at YNOT is extending a serious promo for us.

If you want to follow in our gifting footsteps, you can get your  man this gift that keeps on giving for HALF the original price (!!).  These babies retail for $499, but we’re giving them to you for $240 because we believe the other half of that can be put towards your spa fund.

Throw in something cute and homemade from the spawn and you can cross Father’s Day off your list, and since it’s all done online, you don’t even have to put on real pants or put down your wine glass to get it. Now that’s what I call a win/win situation.

Visit the guys at the shop at 831 Queen Street West or Shop ONLINE // Promo Code: rebelmama

Also – make sure you’re following us on INSTAGRAM because we’re going to be giving a jacket away tonight! #rebelgiveaway

Happy customizing!

xx RM

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