A lifestyle brand is a brand that understands that in contemporary society, brands have meanings beyond the products they sell. They take the fact that people enjoy supporting brands that support their way of life and use it to market not just their products, but their products and a way of life together.
Men's lifestyle brands are those that do this specifically for men, and men's lifestyle clothing brands are those that do all this through the lens of clothing.
YNOT falls into the category of a men's lifestyle clothing brand. But what many people don't realize is that it's one of the best men's lifestyle brands out there.
Why is YNOT so special? What makes it different from any other brand? How can you know they support your lifestyle?
If you've found yourself asking these questions, you've come to the right place. This article will prove to you that YNOT is a unique brand in the world of men's lifestyle brands, and maybe even convince you to buy some products.
They Understand Rancher Fashion
You might be able to make the case that other lifestyle brands understand city life better. But there's no brand more suited to the rancher lifestyle than YNOT. Their clothes are designed by ranchers, for ranchers, merging form and function to create great outfits you can perform well in and also look your best.
Many brands are subtly condescending to more rural ways of life and fashion styles. This is because they have more conventional socialites and "businessfolk" in mind when creating their fashion.
Things catering towards ranchers are often nonexistent. Instead of these authentic styles, you'll often see disingenuous and phony "country" styles, including gaudy "cowboy" hats, belts, and boots, representing a glamorized, commercialized style of rural wear found almost exclusively in Hollywood and sanitized pop country music videos.
YNOT understands that rancher fashion is about more than just fashion, it's about dressing for a way of life. They understand that rural people don't want silver-studded belt buckles most of the time, but something simple that can get them through an honest day.
This is why the shirts you find on this website are all single-color, containing a simple print of the logo. All you need to make these shirts look nice is a nice — but efficient — pair of jeans.
They also provide fashion tips on what you should wear with your great rancher accessories (such as hats). Check out this article for some tips.
They Promote Rural Values
There's no doubt that there's a disconnect between urban centers, where mainstream "culture" is created, and the rural population. This has had vast political and personal effects on people. Many feel condescended to by those from the city, and for good reason too.
YNOT is here to stick up for the little man. The ones who aren't going to uproot their lives for the sake of a trend. Their fashion is built to last and spreads messaging that will resonate with ranchers.
Their hats regularly tout messages that you can get behind — like "support local farmers", and "support cattleman, eat more beef". These messages aren't displayed in a preachy way, however, they're baked into the casual design of the hats.
The blog has already been mentioned in this article before, but it bears extra mentioning here. YNOT has gone out of its way to create a space where information on fashion can easily be spread to its followers.
On top of all of that — how many other lifestyle brands are you going to find selling shirts with combines on them?
They Slash Prices
It goes along with rural values that YNOT's prices rarely climb up into expensive — or even moderately expensive — territory. Some other lifestyle brands out there will provide you with good-looking clothes, but how many will be honest enough to let you know you don't need to spend a fortune to look good?
Rural people often don't fall for these sorts of schemes anyway. They're looking to buy clothing that can last them years. They're not interested in keeping up with a style that some city-slicker has deemed "in" — they want something reliable, comfortable, and moderately stylish.
On top of these already cheap bits of clothing, their site has a whole "sale" section, where you can get their products at discounted prices. This section is constantly updated because they're committed to getting deals out to their loyal customers.
This Logo Tee is worth a third of what it used to cost. It'll cost you less than ten dollars to rock one of these great tees.
They're Bringing Caps Back
No matter where you like, caps are almost always portrayed as an exclusively urbane style choice. They're often paired with other bits of "high fashion" that most urban people wouldn't get caught dead in.
YNOT seeks to bring caps back to the working man; bringing an air of masculinity, austerity, and poise to the cap. It might seem frivolous at first — but try walking around the ranch with a snapback cap — it's just not right.
If you love caps, you owe it to yourself to engage with a brand like YNOT. Help YNOT to start a revolution in the world of wearing caps.
The Accessories
On top of the clothing, YNOT also offers a wide variety of accessories that lovers of the brand can make use of. You can get yourself decals of all sizes, bumper stickers, and even koozie's with the YNOT logo on them.
YNOT understands that people like to express their passion by sticking brands they like on their cars, trucks, and coolers. They've met this demand by creating this affordable and accessible "accessory" page.
A Vibrant Community
How many lifestyle brands are able to boast a vibrant community full of lovers of the urban way of life? Heading to the social media pages of YNOT reveals just how community the community is to support them.
On the brand's Instagram, you can find promotions of hobbies and interests that are often dismissed by mainstream publications, such as hunting, fishing, and horseriding. Of course, you can also see a variety of great shots of YNOT's clothing.
You also find messaging that supports the rural community and way of life, such as dedications to veterans, imagery of American flags, "Merry Christmas" wishing, and tributes to December 11th. You would think these would be typical parts of a brand's messaging, but many out in the city are upending these icons.
Where the Instagram really shines, however, is in the comment section. You can regularly find people expressing their love for — and defending — the rural lifestyle.
Under the post made on November 29th, 2021, which shared an image of farmers as well as the popular "no farmers, no food" slogan used around the world to protest unfair agricultural laws (often made by people who aren't in touch with the land), Instagram user Bloyce McLellan spoke out, commenting:
Without the farmers, we don’t eat. Simple as that. We all need to step up for our farmers. The potato situation was a terrible blow to the farmers and all of PEI. If we the people had known how it would be handled there is no doubt more could have been done. Hopefully, we will as a Country not only make full reparations but look to where mistakes were made, fix them and ensure farmers and PEI are never put in this situation again.
No one asked this user to do this. he resonated with the situation, message, and brand so much he responded himself.
There are doubtless going to be other examples of passion breaking out like this, since YNOTS Instagram has close to 100K followers.
You'll find a similar story on the Facebook page. The Facebook page contains many images and messages that are associated with the rural way of life.
The page is even older and more all-encompassing, however. Spend enough time hanging around, and you might see an advertisement for a concert/ barbeque that YNOT is organizing. They seek to give back to the community that supports them.
On a post made on June 4, 2021, a user named William Hawkins said:
"Most comfortable hat I own and that’s the exact hat I own and the best choice I ever made thank you guys for the customer service"
The emphasis this customer made on not just the hat, but the customer service, represents how great of a brand YNOT is.
Way back in 2017, you can see a clip of a YNOT representative playing Shenandoah's classic I Wanna Be Loved Like That. It takes little explanation why this devotion to country music makes YNOT the perfect lifestyle community, especially when so many people out their look down on country music.
On Pinterest, you can dive even deeper into the messaging behind YNOT. Under their "YNOT Lifestyle Brand" section, you can find many specially tailored images and quotes that promote the can-do attitude central to YNOT
Quotes such as "have more than you show, speak less than know" represents that modesty that lies at the heart of rural living — even those who are successful. As stated earlier, this lifestyle is not about showing off, but about staying modest and humble.
You'll also find a picture of the founders standing in front of a cross, with the caption: YNOT gear and apparel available at YNOTLifestyle.com our brand has a purpose and our products serve as a meaning to live life over the edge. Tomorrow is never promised so live in the moment and live for today. #YNOTJesus
This demonstrates the fearless quality that the brand wants to inspire in people.
They Have a Great Story
You'd never know it, but YNOT arose out of hardship, pain, and a close call with tragedy.
Co-owner Cody Moran was paralyzed in a car accident in 2011. This he overcame, allowing him to live an active lifestyle from his wheelchair. He's even driving again.
In 2014, he was diagnosed with Leukemia — which he also miraculously overcame. Though he's gotten kicked around more than most people, Cody lives a vibrant, happy life. His experience with the power of possibilities and the strength of the urban community inspired him to create with his friend Shane Luster the brand that you've just read.
Cody preaches a message of not just living a good life, but living life over the edge. He encourages everyone to grab life by the horns and get back in touch with the soil. That is what the rural rancher lifestyle is all about.
As Luster puts it, "we're not in it to be the cool hip brand, we're in it to get a message out — we're wantin' to encourage people to do things that they wouldn't do on a day-to-day basis."
It's clear that YNOT is not a sob story that you should donate to out of pity, but an example of the triumph of the human will. Support YNOT not because you want to help out someone who was paralyzed, but because that paralyzed person turned his life around. Support YNOT because no matter what you go through, you'll overcome it.
YNOT: One of The Best Men's Lifestyle Brands
If you're a rural-based individual who enjoys living life to the fullest, you're not going to be able to resist YNOT's simple charms. YNOT is so much more than a fashion company, it's modest, it understands rancher fashion, it's connected rural values, it provides clothing for low prices, it has a vibrant community, and it has one of the best company stories that you'll find.
At the end of the day, YNOT is one of the best men's lifestyle brands out there.
If this wasn't enough information about YNOT for you, contact YNOT today.