Another brand we met with in Vegas was Hashtag Hooker. It was a coincidence they were there. They weren’t attending Project. But this is their Mick Swim Trunk. We hope you will check it out!
We bring you a new brand called #Hashtag Hooker. It has an odd name but has some really amazing pairs and a great philosophy in making underwear and swimwear!First, before we get into anything, can you explain the name? Why did you call it Hashtag Hooker?
I wanted a strong brand name that was catchy and that could resonate with my audience. The brand embodies a glamorous lifestyle with a fashion edge where you can feel sexy and confident when wearing the product. As a designer from New York, I am always inspired and motivated by anything different, unique and that stands out with a hint of grit and naughtiness. I prefer to approach things unconventionally and want to offer something different than what’s currently offered in the underwear and swimwear space. Also, the brand advocates equality and breaking barriers, with the name taking a stance on the ideas of “more than meets the eye, contradicting any current beliefs, no preconceived judgment, and being free to be who you are.” You can read more about the brand on my About Us page at https://shop.hashtaghooker.com/pages/about-us.
Do you feel this name may scare some guys off from the brand?
To be honest, this has been a challenge that has weighed over the brand since its launch 2 years ago. As with any new idea or anything controversial, I believe it takes time for the general public to grow accustomed to it. Of course, #HOOKER may not be for everyone. But so far, I have grown a niche following and I treasure my audience who understands and appreciates the brand’s message.
Tell us about your underwear and swimwear?
Behind the provocative brand name and identity, our mission is to create and offer a product that is not only designed well but also performs with our customer’s purpose in mind. As a fashion design graduate from Parsons School of Design with 20-years experience working for major fashion brands, my strength is to design with the utmost attention to detail, fit, function and construction. Our styles do just that. For example, if you dissect our underwear, the styles look great but if you look close, you will find that they are made with the best quality fabric with one of the softest waistbands you’ll ever find on the market. The fabric is made from special Coolmax® yarns which is usually found in performance type undergarments to keep you dry all day long. I’ve wear-tested every piece myself, making sure they fit and function as they should. After years of unhappily wearing other brands and experiencing discomfort, my goal was to design our underwear so comfortable that you feel like you’re not wearing anything at all, and I have to say objectively, I’ve succeeded. Our customers are testaments and believers. One customer has even shared “he’s thrown out all his other underwear and only wears #HOOKER now.”
Our swimwear is designed with the same philosophy. The fabric is performance grade and everything has been wear-tested for chlorine and salt water. Even the #HOOKER Gold pieces with crystal embellishments are easy care that can be machine washed. All the exclusive pieces from the #HOOKER Gold line come with a special pouch that can be used for travel and machine wash. One more thing to mention, both the underwear and swimwear are designed with a hidden internal pocket. My inspiration behind this detail was being on the beach and not having anywhere to put my cash and ID if I wanted to get up and grab a quick refreshment. The two latter examples are how I design with function in mind.
When we talked before you spoke of the swimwear is the focus over the summer, What have been some of your best selling swimwear this year?
The focus this Spring/Summer season for swimwear is Gold, White, Green, and an exclusive Pop Art Camo print that I created myself. This year I wanted to take the brand to a fun and bright spin for the season, using sparkle and metallic gold as accents. Our crystal embellished pieces are still our best sellers. Our customers crave uniqueness and quality. They want to stand out and be noticed. The crystal embellished pieces are quite captivating and attention grabbers when you see them in person. They radiate and catch the light, thus sparkle in the sun. Our crystal embellished products have become the brand’s trademark and we are now US Patent Pending, which means #HOOKER is the only place where you can get them.
Our readers range from gay to straight, is your underwear made for everyone?
Although we have a niche clientele, our products are designed for anyone who is confident and comfortable with his individuality. I am excited to collaborate with UNB so we can broaden our audience and connect with men who want to try something special and not be afraid to express himself.
What type of guy is the Hashtag Hooker guy?
The #HOOKER guy is definitely someone who is bold, confident, and not afraid to go against the stereotype norms. It excites me to to be a part of a movement to liberate men from the expectations of our society and push the boundaries of what is perceived as ‘masculine.’ #HOOKER is for all guys – gay, straight, or whatever – who want to look and feel sexy.
You are focusing on Underwear but what underwear do you currently offer and what are your best sellers?
Our underwear comes in 3 styles: Johnny Jock, Fletcher Brief, and Evan Boxer. Each style addresses each type of customer and/or any given purpose with looking and feeling sexy always in mind. Our jock is for the daring or someone who wants to wear less but with support. Our brief is for someone who wants something traditional but still is fashionable. Our boxer is for someone who prefers conservative coverage but still wants to look #hot. We offer all 3 styles with crystal embellishments in the #HOOKER Gold line and recently added them in our Pop Art Camo print for Spring/Summer. So far our best selling underwear styles are the Johnny Jock with Crystals and Evan Boxer with Crystals. Our customers appreciate something unique and are impressed with how the product accentuates your ‘assets.’
In the fall you said you would focus on underwear again, do you have new pairs/line planned?
We are planning to promote and build a campaign around the underwear in the fall. We plan to introduce new colors, more crystal embellished styles, and prints.
Where can our readers find your awesome underwear and swimwear?
Our products can be found at our shop at hashtaghooker.com. We make custom orders too! For additional info and custom orders, you can email us at info@hashtaghooker.com.
Hashtag Hooker is a brand I found on all places, Facebook. It’s rare that I find new brands on there. Mostly it’s on Twitter and Instagram. However this brand came across my radar and I thought I would share. They have a super interesting name and we’ll go into that in a post soon!
I thought I would share the Johnny Jock with Chystals. They say “From our #HOOKER Gold line. Solid with accents of crystals strategically framing your “jewels” and “assets.” Crystals are hand-embellished on the waistband, around the front, back, and leg opening. Made with imported COOLMAX® nylon/lycra tricot knit jersey and features our signature two-tone #HOOKER logo elastic waistband”\
This pair is in white, black, and Pink (as shown). It also retails for $55 at the Hashtag Hooker site.