Teamm8 Brings a New Gender Neutral Style

No doubt, you have drooled over the impossibly hot models on men’s fashion wear Teamm8’s social media. Headquartered in Australia, the brand of underwear, activewear, and swimwear has become an international sensation. The designs are sleek and sexy in their simplicity. Not much is left up to the imagination as these masterfully cut designs hug and accentuate the male form in all of its beauty.

The brand has become an empire; a far cry from the company’s early start in Michal Nicolas’ living room with a simple website and just two styles of underwear. Michal would run every aspect of the business in those early days. And though the line and his team have become a full-blown enterprise, the brand has never lost that boutique style of operation, reflecting their customers’ changing needs and preferences every step of the way. Their core customer is the ‘everyday champion,’ not necessarily an athlete, being champions in whatever fields they choose to play on.

As the company enjoys its 14^th year in business, its line has evolved to reflect the current social themes in today’s climate. Kicking off fall with the release of Teamm8 ONE, the line is an extension of the company’s Skin products, reflecting the beauty of all people from all races. Designed by Michal, Teamm8 ONE celebrates gender. With the celebration of non-binary and trans members of our community, this line can be worn by all genders, because, as Teamm8 puts it, “whether one’s pronouns are They, He or She, everyone demands to feel seen, heard and respected this season.” In addition to featuring the usual bevy of male models, this campaign features different ethnicities, ages, and genders and shot them in gear that matched their skin tones.

Teamm8 is the perfect gift this holiday season for yourself, your SO, or your crush. In addition to Teamm8 ONE, they have released a more risque AERIAL line with see-through mesh and darker colors, making after-dark play a bit more fun. “Our customers don’t follow trends, they drive them,” Nicolas remarks. “They demand gear that allows them to stand out from the crowd.” 

We chatted with Michal about the early days of Teamm8, the evolution of men’s underwear, and going gender neutral.

Before starting Teamm8, what were you doing career-wise?

I had a career in music just prior to starting Teamm8, although that does feel like a lifetime ago! I made dance/pop music, and it was the love of my life for a while and I enjoyed my years in the industry and got to travel the world, which I’m very grateful for. I also spent many years in the fashion industry working my way from stock control to sales assistant to manager to fashion buyer, so I learned a lot about the industry from the ground up which was invaluable experience before deciding to start my own label.

What fashion designers or styles inspired you to start designing?

I’ve always loved classic aesthetics. It’s more about fit and cut for me than it is about bells and whistles. So back when I launched Teamm8 as an underwear label I was inspired by what brands like Calvin Klein were doing. It was classic but it was sexy because to me understated is very sexy if you get the design right.

What made you decide to start Teamm8?

If I’m totally honest, I fell out of love with making music and the lifestyle the industry calls for and wanted to make a big change in my life. Fashion was another big love, more specifically creating my own brand, so I took a leap of faith! I’m very proud of being Australian and I wanted the brand to really represent our lifestyle and values. Sport is a very big part of Aussie life and so is mateship (we call everyone mate here), so when I finally landed on Teamm8 it immediately felt right to me. I wanted something that felt Australian, and the word teammate combined both of those qualities I wanted to evoke. I just abbreviated the mate to m8 and then Teamm8 was born.

What were some of the biggest challenges in starting your own clothing line?

Starting any sort of business is not for the faint-hearted, especially endeavoring to launch your own brand. It’s costly and requires dedication and sacrifice but I’ve always been someone who takes chances. I’d rather say I’d given something a go than spend the rest of my life wondering and regretting.

Apart from the obvious challenges any start-up faces, I would say one of the things that kept arising was people thinking I was crazy to think I could compete with the big men’s underwear players at the time like Calvin Klein. I didn’t see it that way though, I just believed that I had something to offer and believed there was room in the market for Teamm8. Besides, I was never naive enough to think I could take on multinational companies and it was never my intention anyway. I just believed in what I was doing and used that as my motivation.

You didn’t have any formal background in design and production – what mistakes did you learn from early on?

What mistakes didn’t I make?! Although I had extensive fashion industry experience, I didn’t have any production and design experience, so I knew this was going to be my obvious hurdle to overcome but I just knew it was something I could do. I literally had to do everything myself. What I didn’t know how to do, I taught myself, basically because I had to. I had so much to lose that I had no choice but to make it work.

As cliche as it sounds, I saw mistakes as lessons, and there were many of them! Heck, I still make them today but that’s because there is no magic formula, I just believe in doing what feels right at the time but of course, with hindsight, there are some things I would definitely have done differently.

Why do you think Teamm8 products have become so in demand, what sets Teamm8 apart?

Above all, we’ve always made sure our quality spoke for itself, it’s a big deal for us. So, when guys discover us and find they can have stylish designs that aren’t over the top but still very much on trend and sexy, they appreciate what we’re offering. We have a very loyal customer base, and we love that about our Teamm8s.

How has the line changed the most over the years?

When I launched it 14 years ago, the men’s underwear market wasn’t as saturated as it is now, but I think choice and competition are great things. It keeps us all on our toes. But Teamm8 has always organically evolved and changed over the years. I launched the label as purely underwear in the start, but a couple of years later introduced swimwear then not long after that I launched activewear. So now we pretty much have you covered from your undies to the beach, gym, and everything in between.

How have you changed as a designer the most over the years?

I always lean toward a classic aesthetic, and I’d say when I started I was definitely designing for myself, which I don’t think is uncommon. But as Teamm8 grew it became very apparent that you have to design for your customer, not just for yourself. So now, as Creative Director, I have to take all that into consideration. Making sure we stay on brand but also making sure we are listening to what our customers want.

What is your creative process when designing a new piece

It’s a collaborative process these days, my whole team is involved in the design. We’re a very tight-knit group and we work on everything together. Sometimes that’s a lot of chefs in the kitchen but we always end up with a clear and unique Teamm8 offering. We consider what has worked previously, and we listen to valuable feedback but at the end of the day, as Creative Director, I want to make sure what we are offering remains fresh and exciting. The key is to not get too hooked on trends. At Teamm8, we’re more into delivering go-to pieces that will endure and give you options for seasons to come. Having said that, of course we make ourselves aware of color palettes and cuts that come into fashion and make sure we are current as well as classic. That is our DNA at Teamm8 and how we keep our boys happy.

What are the basic essentials for a gay man’s dresser drawer and closet?

Every guy needs great underwear, that’s the basic rule! Then you need plain, slogan-free t-shirts and a slim fit but NOT skinny jeans, they’re over boys! You also should have great-fitting sweatpants, gym shorts, and clean white sneakers. It really doesn’t have to be complicated, keep it simple and effective.

What sparked the decision to go gender-neutral?

It just felt like another organic evolution to release a gender-neutral line. How do you live in these current times and not want to unify and celebrate our differences? We’re still a menswear brand but we wanted to send a message out there that we support and respect everybody irrespective of gender identity, race, or whatever it is that makes us all unique and beautiful! It’s great to see men’s fashion taking risks and not just conforming to a certain ideal. I think we’ll see more gender neutrality in menswear, and I think that’s a great thing. If a guy wants to wear a skirt or long flowing top, then why the heck shouldn’t he? Above all though, to me, great fashion is what makes you feel comfortable and confident. If you’re not feeling that in what you’re wearing, then fashion is pointless.

How have themes like body positivity and inclusion affected your line?

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive brand, especially when it comes to diversity. It’s very important to us and the success of our SKIN and TEAMM8 ONE lines are testament to that. But because we’re an active brand a lot of people just assume that we only want to promote the bodies that go with that but we’re an Australian brand and a lot of people here live a very active lifestyle, and we depict that. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to have a six-pack to feel good about yourself. Far from it!

Our customers stretch over many age groups and body shapes, and we now offer everything in sizes XS to XXL. We would love to offer more but as a small brand it’s hard to do that, but that doesn’t mean we don’t support body positivity.

What effect do you think gay fashion has had on mainstream men’s wear?

Gay men’s fashion used to lead mainstream men’s wear but to be honest, I think it has reversed over the last 10 or so years. That is not a negative thing, in fact, I think it’s incredible that the mainstream market recognizes that all men want to look good and now menswear is at the forefront and not just a fashion by-product. But now you see gay guys looking at what cool straight guys are wearing and being inspired by that.

What is your biggest wish for Teamm8?

Notching up 14 years in this industry is no easy feat, and of course, I am super proud of that and beyond grateful that Teamm8 has carved itself a niche and continues to grow and flourish. None of that would be possible without the guys that love and support us and it’s my mission to keep giving them what they love and deserve. Here’s to the next 14 years!

Spill the tea, does it ever get tiring being around so many hot models?

Hideously so. [Laughs]  OK, I definitely can’t deny that we get to work with some very good-looking guys and, I know this sounds weird, but when you have a team of people and a thousand things are going on you are just focused on the job at hand. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have hot guys around but to me, if they aren’t down to earth and super nice then they’re not Teamm8 models and we don’t work with them.

What item in your closet is your guilty pleasure item, something maybe not so fashionable but that you love? 

I love my sports slides and will wear them every chance I get! To me, they can replace a sneaker, but they still feel like a guilty pleasure. During summer it’s so nice not to have your feet bound in shoes all the time.

Head to Teamm8.com for your holiday underwear needs and visit them on IG: @Teamm8

[Photos courtesy of Teamm8]