I found your brand on the Dead Good Undies Site, I don’t think many US readers are familiar with your brand. Can you tell them about you?
Big Boys was born out of frustration around 4-5 years ago because of how disappointing the undies were out there available to us guys. After years of putting up with sub-standard undies, constantly re-adjusting ourselves and squashing everything into standard compact undies, my brother and I decided to design our own custom-made pants with a stretchy pouch using the ‘Softest fibre in the world’ – Lenzing Modal, in the style that suited us best with a brand name to be proud of. Everybody wants to be a Big Boy, right? The freedom and support the pouch offered us was amazing and the Modal lived up to it’s reputation as being unbelievably soft making our new undies so comfortable and sexy. We absolutely loved our new pants and decided to share some extra samples with friends who instantly became Big Boys fans too. It was time for Big Boys to go global. We have passion in our pants and it’s great to see we’re not alone. Through the support and encouragement of retailers such as Dead Good Undies we have been able to increase awareness of our brand and underwear collections around the world which has been great. Sadly the US market is a tough nut to crack with many US retailers content in stocking the same tired old brands. From the increasing sales and comments we get from US customers it’s clear than you guys are more than ready for something different and you want more than just cheaply made cotton undies made by boring generic brands charging over-inflated prices. We continue to produce pants primarily for ourselves and our customers rather than for a quick buck so even though we use expensive top quality Lenzing Modal, our retail prices remain lower than our competitors who use inferior fabrics. Our fabric is 10 TIMES softer than cotton, retains it’s shape and colour better than cotton, and is stronger and more durable than cotton. We think the extra cost to us is well worth it to have a pair of pants that we are proud to call ours.
You make ergonomically designed underwear, what sets you apart from other brands?
There are many brands to choose from out there, and a few which offer a similar pouch design. However most brands use a cotton/elastane mix which is cheap to produce and loses shape and colour far too easily, and with customers regularly being charged $15-$30 for these brands we feel they deserve more for their hard-earned money, especially in the current economic climate. We use the Worlds Softest Fibre throughout our underwear collections which is sourced directly from the original innovators and manufacturers of Modal – Lenzing of Austria. There are a few that have taken the leap to using modal instead of cotton, but again they’ve chosen to use a cheaper generic modal rather than source the top quality Modal directly from Lenzing as we do which is silky-soft, extremely lightweight and very stretchy giving you the ultimate sensual second-skin fit. The ergonomic, anatomical design lets everything hang naturally in luxurious comfort for improved support and a more sculptured appearance more suited to a man’s shape. Many customers have said it’s like being naked, having that liberating freedom but with a reassuring hug of support. The breathable fabric also contains absorbent qualities for a cooler experience which can also aid fertility. We have also had reports that it has transformed the lives of men suffering with psoriasis and other skin conditions due to the cooler modal fabric allowing the groin area to breathe and remain drier; reducing friction and chafing and so becoming flake-free for the first time in years.
Of course there’s also the brand name that people love. Some guys buy pants purely based on the designer’s name which from a personal point of view I would much rather show off my BIG BOYS waistband than have some vague, meaningless brand or some other guy’s name across my waist. Brands/Labels are becoming increasingly important to guys wanting to impress their friends or to attract other girls/guys so whether it’s in a bar, locker room or bedroom the Big Boys label always commands respect.
Do you have a specific audience you are after or all men in general?
All men wear undies so we have no specific audience, every guy can be a Big Boy. We’ve found that the 18-35 year old guys are probably more adventurous but we receive orders from all ages, shapes and sizes and the comments we receive are great from all kinds of guys throughout the world. Even my 13-year nephew wears his Big Boys with pride and his school friends and football team have been converted to the comfort of Lenzing Modal. He’s quickly becoming our top little salesman from his team mates . By using the stretchy modal fabric it allows us to offer a ‘One Size Fits Most’ pouch design so whether you’re a compact guy, regular guy or larger guy the pouch will support your twig n’ berries in smooth, soft, luxurious comfort. Why squash your bits n’ pieces into pouch-less unisex style pants that could as easily fit a female figure? Men are anatomically different and need extra room, comfort and support. Let’s face it, it’s on our minds most of the time so lets treat it to a bit of luxury hey. As I said, we initially made undies for ourselves so it’s great to find that so many others have been searching for the same thing for years. It’s nice to know we’re designing undies that other people want too and we hope to continue giving the public what they want.
With the amazing fit have you thought of doing swimwear?
We have a lot of ideas and samples in the pipeline which do include swimwear. We want to get the designs right and so far thankfully the feedback we’ve received from our focus groups have been encouraging. We have to get the balance right between staying true to our brand and also be conscious that our swimwear will be displayed on public beaches and communal swimming pools with families so a more subtle design than our underwear collections has been adopted. They still look great though and the various styles should be available for Spring/Summer 2014.
What trends are you seeing in men’s underwear?
Men are becoming increasingly aware of their appearance and spending more time on their looks, physique, and fashion. The days of boring passion-killing Y-fronts are long gone, and guys are now far more adventurous and more conscious of male grooming. Having said that, there are some guys who are still unsure of the pouch design but based on the positive feedback we receive from customers and reviewers, and the amount of returning customers it’s clear that guys are embracing change and once they’ve tried the pouch-design undies and experienced the freedom, comfort and support they just don’t want to go back to standard undies.
What is in store for Big Boys Underwear in the next year?
We have lots of ideas and designs for later this year and next year which have yet to be finalised but it’s an exciting time ahead. I don’t want to give away too much as they are still in the development stage but we have designs for a new alternative collection to our current Next Generation collection and also developing our brand in other avenues. I’d like to offer all your readers a chance to get their hands on some Big Boys with a special 15% discount by quoting TIM as the discount code on our web site as a thank you, I know you’re a big fan Tim and we really appreciate your support. If your readers can actively encourage some US retailers to try something new and stock Big Boys in their stores instead of the usual cotton clones, it would result in cheaper shipping costs and faster delivery times for US customers, although it’s still pretty fast from the UK thankfully. I think guys in the US are more than ready for something new so maybe people power can make this happen.
We’re keen to develop our brand and improve our products so we always welcome suggestions and comments from our customers and hopefully the Underwear News Briefs readers would also like to comment on how we can improve our products. Keep checking our web site (www.BigBoysPants.com) or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bigboysunderwear) and Twitter (@BigBoysUndies) for regular product updates and special offers.
Thanks again Tim, keep up the good work my friend.
We would like to thank Andy for taking the time to answer our questions. Make sure you got check it out. I also know a few of you may notice the different spellings. Since the big boys are in the UK they have some different spellings