Hey guys! We are back covering Magic and Curve! Both are really great shows that showcase the newest lines in men’s underwear! We are going to be meeting with; Andrew Christian, JM, Gregg Homme, Frank Dandy, Joe Snyder, Intymen, Baskit, Unico, Skmpeez, Timoteo, Go Softwear, and a lot more! I can’t remember all of them off the top of my head. Starting today you can see tweets and facebook updates live from the shows! Other things you can see coming up:
- Videos from most major brands, and some new ones!
- In depth write ups about the lines we see.
- Models and model interviews!
- And a lot more!
We really have fun at Curve/Magic and look forward to writing it all up for you. This year we are increase our coverage and really let you know what is coming out soon from your favorite brands!
We continue our Retro Brief Distractions. This is from Magic Feb, 2010. This is GoSoftwear‘s model. We will be reporting from there today and check out our Tweets and Facebook updates!
We love Timoteo and got to talk to him about the new Collection! enjoy!
The follow up to our Teaser! We hope you enjoy
Underwear News Briefs goes to Magic from Tim Gol on Vimeo.
Here is the quick overview of Magic, there will be more videos this week of the brands talking. They include Junk UnderJeans, Skmpeez Swimwear, Baskit Underwear, Brief UnderNeath, Pistol Pete, Candyman, Clever, PPU, Pikante, Timoteo, Jocko, Geovanny, Orca Blue and Go Softwear. I hope you enjoy
This is the second time I got to go to Magic. It’s a really big show, it’s not just men’s underwear it’s everything. It takes up two floors at the Mandalay Bay convention center. But there is a spot where all the underwear companies are located; it’s called Underwear Alley.
This year in attendance was Junk UnderJeans, Andrew Christian, Skmpeez, Timoteo, Baskit, Unico, Orca Blue, Clever, PPU, Candyman, Pikante, Pistol Pete, Obviously, Punto Blanco, Freeman, Brief Underneath, Go Softwear, ES Collection, Jocko Geovanny Underwear, and I hope I didn’t miss anyone
I first got to sit down with the folks at Andrew Christian. I got to go over the entire new line. They have some really great stuff coming out. I know that they are a big draw to a lot of you guys. I have the catalog in front of me right now. I can’t go into much detail, they don’t want a lot of what’s coming out in Nov out now. That’s the one thing about this show, some manufacturers don’t want anything spilled, while others want to tell about it. I respect that from Andrew Christian and will say that we have the new Flex Soft in and will be reviewing them shortly.
Then I talked to Junk UnderJeans. If you recall they were a big hit when we reviewed them a while back. We are in the process of getting more from them. We showed you a lot of their stuff with our brief distractions. They are known for being very fun and have really funky designs. They fit amazing, and I’m paraphrasing from the guys on the site. We maybe doing something with them soon… hint hint. But I think they are a brand that will grow and you will hear about them more and more.
Then I made my way to the Brief Underneath guys. I really enjoy talking to them. They are both really good guys and told me that they are about to be written up in GQ, I believe. Which is awesome. It’s a great concept of having a boxer and brief in one. I know many guys who like the look of a boxer but want the support of a brief. Plus, they have the new loungewear that looks great too. It has the same design and I think really cool. Their stuff I think is perfect for lounging around and just hanging out. I admit I have had boxers in the past, and that’s usually when I wore them was around the house. I think you should check it out and see for yourself.
The day was just starting when I got to the Skmpeez both. I have to say out of all the people in men’s underwear and swimwear that they are really fun. I really love hanging out with them and talking to them. I have noticed that the exposure has exploded for them in the last year. They are turning up in a lot of places. Which I’m really glad for, they will have a full line out in February in time for summer. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Timoteo was next. You know it’s a hard day when you have to go to booth to booth and see the collections. I hear you guys saying, “Awe poor Tim” LOL, but I did a video of him telling about the collections. So I won’t go into it too much, but will post that hopefully this weekend. Timoteo does an awesome job at undies. He has great fit, colors and styles. It’s no wonder he’s become such a hit in the world of underwear. He really knows how to make underwear for guys. John on our site has gotten the jocks and he says they are one of the best. You should try them out if you haven’t. They will be awesome I can guarantee you!
I then briefly stopped by Freeman to talk. I got the new catalog but haven’t looked through it yet. But, they do some really fun stuff as well. I plan on doing a full post on them shortly. I think it is a brand you guys should know about!
Then it was off to my favorite, UNICO! Well one of my favorites. They don’t have anything new coming out till November. Which really isn’t that far off . I can tell you there will be some great striped and pattern undies. They will have that amazing Unico fit. I will most certainly do an in-depth write up on the blog about them. I have already put it in the calendar.
There was a new company at Magic called Orca Blue. They do swimwear and the really cool thing is that they can match board shorts and trunks/square cuts. Say you want to wear a square cut to the beach but not everyone wants to wear it with nothing over it, well they have matching board shorts that you can take off when you get to the beach, or just wear them. They got their inspiration from the 50’s and it’s a really cool line. They are brand new, just a few months old. But I think we’ll see some great stuff from them.
I circled back around to Pistol Pete and talked to them for a few. Pistol Pete is another fun line. It’s always got great patterns and prints. They have a log going on, and I didn’t get to talk to them much, they had buyers there all day, when I was there but I’m going to follow up with them about the lines. This is what happens at shows. The buyers are there to buy for the up coming season so I let them sell rather then talk to me. I will get more info about the lines shortly!
Baskit was next on my list. Which is a good friend to us here at UNB. I will say they are one reason we have been so successful. They really have helped us out and really gave us good advice when starting. I got a catalog and promptly lost it. Yes, I am not happy. I mailed all my stuff home and it’s the one thing that was not in my bag! I am getting another and will go into more detail about Basit for sure. It sucks when you go get info and then leave it! But they are sending me another! HURAH.
The fun keeps on going. I then go to PPU, Clever, Pikante, Candyman and Vuthy! The one thing I’m really excited about is Vuthy swim. It’s a brand new line of swimwear by an experienced designer, who I met and talked to a bit. The line will be amazing and very fun for this summer. I am working on an interview and will have more about them for sure. I know you’re thinking tell us something! You keep saying you’ll tell us more lately. Well in a second I will tell you whom I have videos for and they will be out starting this weekend. But back to the brands. Pikante is having a whole line of animal prints. Some of them have been released already, but they are really sexy and fun! Its great to see animal prints returning. PPU is having some very interesting designs to say the least. They are going to have to be seen and not described. I will hopefully have pictures this week for those. I briefly got to look at Clever and the new line is in the same style as Clever has done. I will find out more about the line and report back. But being there you sometimes forget to ask and remember after you leave. Lastly is Candyman. I gotta say I love Candyman, I think its great that some fun is back in the bedroom. Some of their new ones are the Super Hero, Handyman, and some really awesome football shorts. It’s just a lot of fun and I know this line isn’t for everyone but it’s still a lot of fun and our contest winners all loved their prizes!
Then I got the chance to talk to Jocko and Geovanny Underwear. Jocko has some really great swimwear. Geovanny has some really great undies. I have profiled him a while back and just think his designs are new and fun. The one thing he showed was the new Jockstrap he has. It’s in the picture above. It’s a new take on a classic design. I have his email and we are going to do more with him soon. Jocko we will show you the new swimwear when closer to spring!
Lastly is LASC. They are a company that has been around for about 20 years. I remember them because they had my favorite pair of swimwear, a tiny black bikini that I loved and wore out. That’s when I could wear them…. But I digress. They specialize in swimwear but also have work out wear. I like that they have everything from bikinis to board shorts. We were talking that we were looking forward to when bikinis aka Speedos would be making a come back in the American market. It’s happening in Europe but we’ll see about here. I saw the collection and they have some underwear not a lot but a lot of swim and work out wear. It’s really a great collection. Really amazing, and we will feature them in the swimwear guide but hope to have more from them soon.
Lastly, I didn’t get to meet up with Punto Blanco or Obviously but will get more information about them. Also while editing the same goes for Go Softwear! I will follow up and post more very soon! Trust me they are on my list and I will have some soon.
As I said above I did videos. Some with the people talking about the collections, and others just showing. I’m in the process of editing them and getting them up on the YouTube Channel. I will post them on the site over the next few weeks. But if you can’t wait, as soon as I have them done they will be up on YouTube. I have them from Timteo, Skmpeez, Orca Blue, Geovanny, Gregg Homme, Bend the Rules, and more. Not everyone did one, but I hope to keep doing this in the future. I think it’s better to hear what’s new from the companies rather then me!
We will be going back to Curve and Magic in February. Let me know what you guys want to know and see and I will do my best to get it done! BTW, I am posting all the pics from the shows on the Facebook page, so go over and check them out. They will be up tonight or in th
I just got back home after the shows I attended in Vegas! If you are not familiar with the shows, they are held twice a wear in Vegas. They are for the underwear brands to show the up coming lines for buyers to purchase for their stores. It’s a trade show for underwear that is only open to buyers, brands and press. Curve is a show that is more of a skew towards woman’s under and swimwear. There are men’s brands that go including some big names such as Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss. Where as Magic is clothing in general. They have several different areas there. Men’s Wear, Women’s, Project which is the new and hip and of course underwear. I got some great face time with all the brands there. Which is a really good thing. I was able to see the new lines and talk about things going on in the world of mens’ underwear. Communicating through email is fine but it’s really great to have the opportunity to meet and build a better relationship.
Unlike the last time I went to Magic, I was able to go longer then a day. I spent about a day at each of the shows. At both shows the underwear companies are grouped together. But don’t let that fool you, because it means a lot of walking. The only one I didn’t get to see was 2xist. They were in Project. Which means another badge and I never got to get one. I hope next time I will be able to meet them.
I am going to go into more in depth on each of the brands including videos! I was going to do separate videos for both shows, which I will still be doing, but I had several companies that wanted too, record a message, and I feel that instead of having them and making a 10 min video I would upload them on our YouTube channel and post them on the site as well! Not everyone did one but I hope to do more next time.
Some of the companies I met with were: Cocksox, Joe Snyder, Gigo, Good Devil, Tulio, MaleBasics, Gregg Homme, JM, Saxx Apparel, DMK Designs, Frank Dandy, Report Collection, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Candyman, PPU, Clever, Pikante, Brief Underneath, Baksit, Unico, Skmpeez, Andrew Christian, Timoteo, Punto Blanco, Obviously, Orca Blue, Sauvage, Jocko, Geovanni, Pistol Pete, LASC, UnderGear and I know there are more I left out, I”m doing this from memory, so excuse me to any company that I missed! But you will be reported on when I do more in depth.
I mailed everything home and thought it wouldn’t be here till Wednesday, but Priority Mail from Vegas came in virtually a day! I mailed it early Saturday and it arrived today, Monday! But I wanted to get a quick thing out and I”ll have a lot more about the lines! So this will be a heavy posting week!
The posts over the next few days maybe scarce. I am going to both underwear shows Magic and Curve. They are both industry shows that underwear companies go to, to show the new line to buyers.
I have gotten into both shows and leave for Las Vegas on Tuesday and then come home on Sunday. I am going to set up most of the posts to automatically post over the next week. But there will only be two posts a day.
There will be pictures sent out via twitter and Facebook so Make sure you are following us on both of those. I will do a full post hopefully Friday with pictures on both and will be working on a video. It is my goal to bring you the actual brands talking about the new lines and showing it to you. This will be early next week before it’s edited and out.
This weekend I”m taking a much needed vacation, my first one since 2008. So forgive me if the posts are slim over the next week. I just need out about the new lines for you and then take a break.
I am also interested in the content you want to see here. If you can email me at info(at)underwearnewsbriefs.com and let me know. I”d love to know what you like and don’t like, or what you haven’t seen. We had a reader say we need to include if sizing is true on our reviews, which is a great idea. Don’t be shy let us know, we are doing this for you and want to bring you the best underwear blog on the net.
If you guys would be up for guest writing or being part of a group I can email out and give me your opinions or perspective I would love it.
Thanks
Tim
This is the last part of the Magic series. I have enjoyed it and we will have another write up in August, but it will be more in depth!
Mundo Unico
Mundo Unico is one of my favorites. I have loved them years before I started the blog. We talked for a while and then I actually got to meet the owner of the brand. He was from Columbia and it was a little bit of translating going on. Their new line carries on with the current line they have out. They have the stripes, patterns and designs. Unico constatly takes their signature style and make it into something new. They have a pair that has pink stripes coming out, I wish I had a picture to show you but they look so cool. Yes, I said Pink stripes. I also was able to get a banner from them! It wasn’t easy to get back, but it was worth it!
Freemen Underwear
Freemen is a brand new company. You may have seen some of their stuff on UnderGear. Right now UnderGear has some exclusives from Freeman. They are starting to sell to more retailers and I know we will see a lot more of them this year. They are being make in South America, either Columbia or Brazil (I forget off the top of my head). I got a look through the line and its very colorful and really fun. I haven’t been able to get in touch with them lately to go over the brand, but I’m going to keep trying. I think they will be doing some good things this year and I have a feeling a lot of you guys will love what you see.
Pistol Pete
Pistol Pete had a really big booth and an amazing selection of new undies and swimwear. I have been talking to them and we are going to work on a post shortly that goes over the collection. They had some really great prints. I hope they give me pictures of these because they are really cool. I have known them swimwear as well and it should be fun to bring you their underwear line. The last thing I saw there was workout/active wear. Which I think would be a good fit for our blog. I know many of you out there work out and would be up for hearing more about. Look for the write up of their line in the next week.
ES Collection/Addicted
ES Collection is about to push marketing in the US and you should start seeing it in more stores shortly. They have some really great pics as you have seen in our Brief Distraction. They are some really great fitting underwear. Addicted is a brand new line I don’t know much about. I didn’t get to talk to them much at the booth because they constantly had people there. But I hope we will get more information about it soon.
Go Softwear
Go Softwear has been a big supporter of ours for a long time. They are one company we have worked with since the inception of the blog. They have the new POP collection that is about to come out. It’s one of bright colors and a fun new waistband. I didn’t see much of this line at Magic. I wish I had gotten a better look. I did talk to them about how much we appreciate working with them. If you aren’t familiar with them you need to go check out the lines.
Junk UnderJeans
I had a chance to talk to both the owner and the head designer at Junk UnderJeans. This is a line we have reviewed and they were really received well by our guys. They have really expanded their line. They will now have briefs as well as boxer briefs. They have expanded their color palate. I noticed some great reds and blues. One more area they have gone into is swimwear. They have some really great board shorts. I will be talking to their designer when the line comes out. We talked about 10 mins about the brand the new line and more.
I had so much fun at Magic. One lesson I learned is that I need to take my notebook and take better notes next time. But I was like a kid in a candy store! There was stuff everywhere, I bet if you had gone you would have done the same! We plan on going and hopefully taking more of our staff with us and doing a better job reporting from Magic and hopefully Curve! We’ll keep you posted!
I had the chance this past week to go to Magic. Magic is a show for buyers to come from all over to buy the next seasons lines from clothing brands. This includes women’s, lines, and men’s wear and more specifically men’s underwear. They have just about all the Underwear companies in what it called Underwear Alley. It features many of the brands we cover and a few we don’t, so I was excited to meet to the companies I have talked to in the last year. I also got a chance to make a few new relationships.
I will say the world of men’s underwear is a really great and friendly place. I haven’t met too many people who haven’t been nice. They have all been so helpful and I appreciate all of them! I am going to give you a hint at what some of the companies are doing. I have been sworn to secrecy about a few things I saw, but as soon as they are out I will let you know!
I am following up with the companies this week so I’m going to make sure of what I can report and what I can’t. So through out the next two weeks there will be more in depth details about each brand. I just don’t want to say something I shouldn’t.
Here are the brands I talked too:
Baskit – I got a chance to get to know Baskit team. They had the model Eric Turner, if you have seen him on Facebook or MegaMuscle. Eric kept me laughing all day when I came across him. I saw some great new colors and designs from Baskit. This includes swimwear and also and underwear. I love some of the new ones with easy access!
Candyman/PPU/ Clever/Pikante – These are four brands we haven’t covered much. We started talking just before the show and have profiled Candyman, look for a more detailed post about them soon. But we are super excited to get the others. They are all really fun and colorful lines. We plan to bring you a lot more about them in the future.
Mundo Unico – As many of you know this is one of my favorites in the world of underwear. I got a change to sit and talk to them and see the new line! I even got to meet the owner! It was awesome. The new line has some pink and one pair, which right now is very hard for me to describe, has kind of a pattern made out of the material. It’s a solid color but very cool. I wish I had a picture to show you, but it will be out very soon. Its hard to describe!
Beyond Big Branding – Better Brands is one you may not know the name but they do Piss & Vinegar, Dick & Jane, Expose and there will be more coming. I got to talk to Jason on of the partners and I am really excited for the coming year and what they have planned. This is one company we are going give you guys a lot more information about, I don’t even know a lot of the things that are coming! We are already in the works of finding out more about them before the show!
(B)rief Underneath – We profiled them about two weeks ago and the one thing I can tell you is their lounge wear is about to come out! They have mentioned it on their site and I think it will be a big hit. One thing that stood out for me as well was the boxer. We know I’m not a boxer guy but the colors they used and stripes, I had to say I loved. They were great guys to talk too.
Ginch Gonch – Ginch Gonch has a lot planned for this year. They are expanding their line of “I Love” collection. I am really looking forward to the I Love Bacon pair, which they have already announced. One really cool thing is that they are launching the I Love London at London Fashion week. We are going to try to get you some great pictures of that. They had models playing volleyball on the carpet in the isle, but I missed them. They left the day before I got there, but I’ll see if I can get some pictures!
ES Collection/Addicted – ES Collection has just released their swimwear, which we have been showing in our Brief Distraction. It’s super hot and they are just about come into the US Market. I have a pair and they are very good. I didn’t get to see much of the Addicted line but I hope to get more information this week.
Skmpeez – I loved the guys at Skmpeez! I had so much fun talking and hanging out with them. Their new line will be a lot more patterns, of things that don’t necessarily think of going together. They are a company from Canada but that doesn’t’ stop them from making really hot swimwear!
Jocko – I got to talk to Jocko for a bit, and it will be great to cover them. We have’t covered them much, but look forward to building a good relationship. I also found out that they are sort of partnering with a new brand, Geovanny. Which is a former dancer turned underwear designer. I saw a few of his styles and they are really colorful and fun. I will definitely profile him in the next week or two.
Go Softwear – Its really cool to meet people you have talked to over the years. I got to mainly talk to them about the site and what we do. I forgot to look at the new lines. But never fear, I will have a full report shortly. They just released some great mesh jocks and are doing some really sexy pairs lately!
Junk Under Jeans – Junk Under Jeans is one of our favorites here. The reviewers who tired them loved them. I got a chance to talk to them about their new line. They have boxer briefs/trunks coming out but also briefs! I got a few minutes to talk to the designer and he’s already agreed to sit down for an interview and go over the collection! They have so much going on that we are going to save it till the line is launched!
Pistol Pete – Pistol Pete has the one thing I can’t say is coming. It’s so cool! But I will go over that later. I was sworn not to reveal it just yet. This is a new company you will see a lot more of on the site. I we will cover their underwear, swimwear and work out wear. They have some really cool prints coming. Something I haven’t seen a lot in men’s underwear. I thought they were awesome.
Andrew Christian – I got to meet up with Andrew Christian himself again and speak to him for a few minutes. It’s always great to talk to him. They, as always, have more and more pairs coming out. He’s always making something new and fun. I have the catalogue and will let you know what to expect.
Timoteo – I got to meet Timoteo himself. I had fun talking to him through out the day. He showed me the collections they have now and the new line that is coming out with the most incredible waistband. You guys know I love waistband and this one is just awesome. It’s the TImoteo name but designed different. It’s very a very sporty design. I also said he has some of the best photography and we want some of the new pics as Brief Distractions.
Obviously – Obviously has the great new colors, which just came out! I have to admit I love the pouch on these. The new colors are amazing and fun. They didn’t have anything else new but they are a new brand growing and I know we will see great things from them!
Punto Blanco – I was so happy to talk to this brand. They are one I have enjoyed looking at on sites but never had the chance to talk to them. I saw a little of the collection but we will be talking more in the next few weeks and profiling them a lot more.
C-IN2 – C-IN2 has a lot of things going on. They are bringing out new lines. The colors they are doing are amazing. They are doing some different shades and colors not used in Men’s Underwear They do some great new combinations and waistbands. They will also come out with undies that keep you warm! The Bamboo line will be re-launched as well. Which I am glad to see because I love the Bamboo Line!
Saxx Apparel – Saxx is a really cool company for guys who are active or into sports. I got to talk to them for a bit. They have done something really cool; they have sponsored one of the Canadian Olympic teams. For the life of me I can’t remember which one. But they are sending me something this week so I will post it as soon as I get it.
I know this was a very quick post. But there was so much I saw that I wanted to get this one out and more detailed posts this week and next on each of the brands. If I wrote it out now it would be 20 times longer. I also want to send in some questions to the companies to get more information as well! So stay tuned and we hope to keep going to Magic and bringing you the up to date info on what’s going on in the