Designers Posts

Cool, casual, confident, and laid back are just a few adjectives that come to mind when describing California style. No underwear brand on the market embodies this cool and confident California attitude as much as the Los Angles based N2N Bodywear. We had the chance to catch up with N2N designer Andrew Makay and ask him a few questions about the re-launch of the amazingly popular Tropic Line of underwear as well as what "sexy" means.

How does being located in L.A. inspire your designs?
The diversity, creativity, weather, and crazy people. L.A. has the most beautiful weather in the country and all of my designs are conducive to being outside in the sun on the beach. If I were designing in Alaska I would probably be designing parkas.

Your labels proudly state that your garments are made in L.A. how did you decide to keep construction in L.A.? And why is this important to you?

N2N has had its own little workshop since 1997 and when we began to grow I wanted to keep it in L.A. So I found great places in L.A. to be able to continue manufacturing. Also, it allows me to be completely hands on and address issues as quickly as possible. Changes can be made faster. At the end of the day though, it makes me feel really good to know that someone can make a good living making N2N Bodywear and we are keeping jobs in California and the city of LA.

How did you come up with the tropic line of underwear?

I was in Hawaii participating in an APLA (Aids Project Los Angeles) marathon. This was the first time I was in Hawaii and I just fell in love and I wanted to create a collection based on the tropics. Something very sexy and comfortable, the re-launched Tropic is now more tropical than ever.

The color palettes for tropic are nontraditional for the fall season, what made you go in this direction? And how did you develop the color palette?

Out in the underwear market there are a lot of bold, primary colors and N2N is not into that. Underwear is a garment that is worn by everyone, all year and they can be any color you want. They are for you, more than any other garment you put on in the day, so if you want to wear a little mint bikini in the middle of winter you can and should. 

What advice do you have for underwear shoppers?

Find something that is comfortable. The pouch is the most important it needs to be non-constricting, it needs to help you, fall away from your body so that it is comfortable and non-restricting. The garment should have some stretch. Stretch allows for all day wear that looks the same at the end of the day, as when you put it on the morning. A good four way stretch will always have you looking like a million bucks. Simply, just find something that works for you.

What is something that you cannot live without?

I am very adaptable so I can live without a lot, but family, friends, and human kindness are important to me.

How do you develop N2N's signature cuts?

Through trial and error, everything that I have designed is something that I would wear. If I think it is comfortable then it will make it into production. It is all about comfort and wear-ability I won't put something into a collection because it is popular or a fad.

Are there some new and exciting designs coming our way and if so can you let us know what to expect?

Yes, we have a lot of great things coming out.

I am really excited about the N2N branded elastic underwear, it is so cool and sexy it will be in five styles. There will be something for everyone, from sexy to conservative.

The Trainer line will be expanded with new fits and fabrics; it will stay practical and sexy.

If you were going to sum up the philosophy of N2N in a phrase what would it be?

Fearless personal expression.

How would you define "sexy"?

Humor, personality, and attitude are all important. Also, there is something to be said about someone taking care of themselves and having a great body, pair that with confidence, humor, and a great personality and that is sexy. There are differences between visually sexy and "sexy". Being "sexy" is all about confidence and attitude.

What is your favorite item from N2N?

I have a couple. In underwear, it would be the cotton bikini, the fabric is nice and simple, but exactly what I want. The trainer, I wear those to the gym and boot camp. They are the perfect casual staple. Everyone looks great in them.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Going to Cold Stone Creamery and getting the cake batter ice cream with Carmel, white chocolate chips, roasted almonds, and whip cream, oh and also add some pound cake.

Wedged between paperas (mumps) and papilla (baby food) in my spanish dictionary, the word Papi can mean much more than its literal translation of 'daddy'. It’s a word that has grown beyond dictionary definition to embody a feeling, a style and a way of life. When it comes to your underwear drawer, Papi is premium underwear that defines today’s man as one of urban style, sophistication and sex appeal. Capturing the essence of man in a pair of skivvies is no easy task, so I had plenty of questions for Papi’s head designer, Lucio.

How do you define the idea behind the Papi concept?

The whole idea is fun and creative. Look at underwear history, you had very limited fabrication, these days men have become much more into their bodies and want to look good when they take their clothes off. 

What do you focus on most when you’re beginning a design?

The main thing is that you want your garment to have sex appeal without crossing that line of being overly sexy, that’s when you become cheesy and not sexy at all. You want to have an edge, but you always have to stay on the right side of the line.

Without revealing too much, what’s the next step for Papi?

We’ll be launching two new styles, paying the most attention to comfort and quality. Our new fit will be something that enhances the body shape. We’ve come a long way from being regular white underwear.

We’re also launching a brand new silhouette. It’s underwear that’s not a brief and not a trunk, but somewhere in between. We’re calling it the Brazilian cut – it’s very very sexy. The inspiration came from a swimsuit I bought in Brazil; I brought it in and we modeled the underwear after it.   It’s like nothing any of us has ever seen before.

Why hasn’t Papi moved into men’s swimwear like so many other men’s underwear brands?

Our swimwear will be coming out next season and are really going to be outstanding. It’s made in Brazil with Rio as an inspiration. In Rio, there’s a very distinctive idea of sex appeal in style.

How do other fashion trends affect what’s going on at Papi?  Where do you think the evolution of men’s underwear is headed?

I just came back from Europe and all the designers are creating a big movement to protect the earth. There are lots of new things going on with fabrics, you see bamboo and organic cotton. We’re always considering these things and looking to see how we can add them into our lines.

Which pieces of the collection are you personally most proud of making?

We did a group of camo (underwear) that we’re really proud of. The idea behind the whole thing was to create something to support our troops. There’s a whole history and idea behind the line that is special to all of us here.

Why haven’t you gone the route of so many other brands and created profile enhancing underwear?

That’s one of our top secret projects that will be coming out soon. We’ve really been researching this for a while, looking at all the different designs and ideas out there. Most guys buy some of these things and don’t even know what to do with them. Ours will be better constructed because we’ve been testing and developing for so long.

It sounds like you've definitely done your homework!  What did you try while you were testing?

We’ve tried gels like you find in a bra, cups, all sorts of things. They all ended up being very funny. Our end result is enhancing while still being comfortable and not gimmicky like some of the others. It’s very subtle, but it works.

What do Papi designs give men that other brands do not?

Our number one focus is fit and comfort, and every one of our pieces has to have a sexy appeal. When you look at the guys who buy Papi, they always have a little bit of sexy showing. It (our concept) is about a whole image of sexy. Papi underwear makes you feel sexy.

Sex appeal is when you put something on (like underwear) and you feel confident about how you look and feel good about yourself. You should be able to look at yourself and think “I’m hot”.

You mean we can all be sexy without having a perfect gym body?

You don’t have to look like a model. The important thing is to look within for a sexy feeling. You’ll only look on the outside how you feel on the inside.

Since founding C-IN2 three years ago, Greg Sovell has been busy creating a collection of underwear essentials that quickly became the foundation of men’s wardrobes the world over.  With the introduction of the Sling Support system, Sovell sparked a frenzy of innovation centered on male enhancement.  I got a chance to get some answers about where he’s headed next on his quest to find the perfect pair of briefs.

You started out by creating a basic line of regular, everyday underwear that quickly became extremely popular.  What’s so special about C-IN2 underwear?

With all the products I’ve created, the goal has been to do something different – there’s no more need for one more fly front brief.  It’s about always making improvements on all the different part of the garment, silhouette, fabric, fit, everything plays a part.

You’re quoted as “realizing that men weren’t really getting what they wanted” out of the underwear they were buying, what is it that’s been missing?

Most men’s underwear doesn’t give room for “the boys.”  In women’s foundations, those allowances are very considerate.  Men’s garments simply didn’t allow space for our three dimensional body parts like women’s did.  I looked at what was out there, and then I looked at my own underwear at the end of the day.  I thought, there has to be a better way to do this – I want to look better than this.

Who actually came up with the sling support system?  

I created the Sling Support system myself.  I knew that male dancers were using all sorts of tricks underneath what they were wearing, and I wanted to try to bring that to our product.  The main focus was that everything had to be real; no pads, nothing fake.  The function is to rearrange what a man has already got, not make him into something he’s not.

How do other fashion trends affect what’s going on at C-IN2?  Where do you think the evolution of men’s underwear is headed?

These days, people are dressing for the event, so what you’re doing affects what you wear.  We put together a whole fashion story, and bring it all down to underwear.  Metallics are big right now in all kinds of fashion, so we’re looking to see how we can add that into a print or a fabric.

Your ad campaigns have been described as “porn-inspired”.  Even when you’re selling underwear, how far is too far?

When you build a campaign that people see as “sexy” - that’s a successful campaign.  With our newest campaign, we realized that there’s a certain level of fantasy that people have about being in prison.  We were told by one woman that it made her uncomfortable; the campaign isn’t supposed to make you comfortable, it’s supposed to make you notice.  

If you weren’t designing underwear, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be designing other clothing.  We’ll probably move to other clothing categories, probably soon.  We have to keep our brand integrity intact so that when we enter new categories, people see us with the same standard of design and quality.

Working in the underwear industry, you’ve got to be conscious of sex appeal.  How do you define “sexy”?

Really, less is more.   The guys that don’t try so hard end up looking better in the end.  A pair of jeans and a comfortable tshirt is more sexy than being all done up because you have to be comfortable.  When you’re comfortable, you’re confident and confidence is sexy.

The US is the only place where the speedo has been taboo for so long; will the sling support system bring the age of the American speedo?

Coming out of cold water, any help a guy can get is needed.  You go to the beach in Brazil and people are not wearing what we wear here, and I think it’s a little bit close-minded.  People seem to want to fit everyone into stereotypes, and we should be going back to what people look good in.   Even with boxer-style trunks, the hems are coming up because it just looks better.

Not everyone looks like the models in your ads or on your boxes.   What are your suggestions for everyone else who wants to look good in their underwear?

They just have to fit.  Not everyone is a fashion model, and this is where certain people wear things that make them comfortable, not necessarily look good.  We make silhouettes for all different bodies, and you have to recognize what looks good on you and what kind of body you have.  We have a tendency to cover up what we don’t want other people to see instead of finding what makes us look best.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to chat with designer Tulio and find out where he gets the inspiration for his sensational swimwear.  He filled me in on what it really means to look good, and what we'll be seeing next at the pool and on the beach.

What’s your goal as a men’s designer?  What sort of feeling do you want people to get from your clothes?

Of course, the goal is for people to look good.  If a man is going to wear a swimming suit on the beach he wants his butt to look good; I want his butt to look good too.  I want people wearing my clothing to have a feeling of total freedom.  In Brazil, people are used to not having to wear anything at all; when you wear my suits, I want you to feel almost as if you are naked.

Since you started out in this business, what’s been the “best day ever” at Tulio?

I launched my first swimwear line in 1987, and we were very popular right from the start.  When you see your clothing right in the front of a magazine, you know you’ve reached your goal.

What’s next for Tulio?

Red is going to be like black was in the 90's - it's popular to wear bright colors now.  I go to the remote beaches of the world to search for design ideas, and I see less and less black.  We're adding designs with lots of color, and in combinations that you don't always expect.

How do other fashion trends affect what’s going on at Tulio?  Where do you think the evolution of men’s swimwear is headed?

In fashion, you have to keep your eyes on the women.  What's popular in women's wear now is what will be next in men's fashion.  The square cut suit has been popular for awhile, so now men are moving back toward a bikini style.

If you weren’t designing menswear, what would you be doing?

I'd be designing other clothes.  I designed my first dress when I was 14 years old and went to school and learned to design wedding gowns, I wouldn't be doing anything else.

List your top five rules for men of style:

Rules?  I don't believe in rules.  Fashion is about wearing what makes you comfortable.

What is “sexy”?

Sexy is not about what you wear or what you put on your body, it's who you are and how you feel.

Not everyone looks like a model.   What are your suggestions for everyone else who wants to look good in their underwear?

It's not about what you look like at all.  Fashion and sex appeal mean wearing what makes you feel good.  You don't have to look like a model to look good in the clothes that you wear.