TEAMM8 is definitely one of the hottest gay underwear brands right now, definitely one of our favourites too. I reached out to Michal Nicholas to see if I could grab 10-minutes of his time to pick his brains about TEAMM8. As a long time fan of the brand I was super excited to get into it.
THE INTERVIEW
Danny: Firstly Michal, thanks so much for taking the time to do this, I appreciate you must be super-busy. Lets get straight into it! Could you tell us more about your role within TEAMM8?
Michael: I founded TEAMM8 in 2008 as a one man band, literally. What that allowed me to do was to learn every aspect of the business, which is a huge asset. Fortunately these days I can focus on being the Creative Director, leading the design and overseeing the brand vision and how we communicate that.
Danny: Definitely, thats exactly how JOCKBOX started too - just me and my laptop! Where did the idea of TEAMM8 come from, and what inspired the name?
Michal: I had worked in all facets of fashion retail for years before I decided to take the leap and create my own brand, starting and operating it out of my living room. Initially I launched as an underwear brand but that evolved to include swimwear and activewear. When coming up with the name, I wanted the brand to reflect the great Australian values of mate-ship and sportsmanship and to celebrate the everyday champion and TEAMM8 seemed to encapsulate all that.
Danny: The versatility behind the TEAMM8 brand is something that I'm really drawn to - TEAMM8 seem's to be in its own lane as far as other brands go. Tell me a little more about the people behind TEAMM8?
Michal: We’re a small but mighty team! I know it sounds cliche but we’ve built our own TEAMM8 family and we’re very close and tight-knit. We all have great respect for each other and for the brand. And although everyone has their individual responsibility, e.g Designer, Marketing Specialist, Logistics Leader, Graphic Designer, Social Media Manager, Customer Liaison Manager etc we all work together to create the TEAMM8 experience and everyone's input is highly valued and regarded. In fact the whole design process becomes a joint effort and I think that’s what makes us so unique.
Danny: What do you think people like most about TEAMM8?
Michal: I think we offer a combination of style and quality with a classic aesthetic but always sexy at the core. And I think that’s what the TEAMM8 man likes about us. One of our strengths here at TEAMM8 is that we know who we are and we know the TEAMM8 man.
Our customers have a very close relationship with the brand and constantly communicate their likes and dislikes with us, and we listen. We know the market is flooded and perhaps over-saturated with choice but remaining bespoke and boutique gives us the edge of offering super functional but at the same time unique pieces to make you stand out in the crowd for all the right reasons. We might not offer as many variants but our collections are curated and designed to mix and match making it effortless to add to collections that will stay with you for seasons.
Most importantly perhaps, is that TEAMM8 is not fast fashion, that’s why we keep a timeless classic aesthetic. We want to combat this worldwide epidemic that is damaging our planet and overwhelming landfills. We want you to wear our collections year after year and not feel like they are out of style.
Danny: You've brought some fantastic ranges out, what do you guys focus on when you're designing a new collection?
Michal: Our guys love the fact that we have staple pieces that they know they can come back for but even then, we make sure we’re always improving and adding value. We’re not at all interested in just doing the same thing. As much as we want our TEAMM8’s to know the quality pieces they love will be available we always like to surprise and add collections that will excite.
Danny: So TEAMM8 launched back in 2008, how has the brand developed over the years to where it is now?
Michal: I launched TEAMM8 as an Underwear brand but within a couple of years I diversified into Swimwear and not long after that Activewear, so it’s really been an organic evolution into the
brand we are today. Although Underwear remains our biggest category our Swimwear and especially our Activewear categories have really grown over the years.
Danny: Have you hit any milestones recently?
We’re celebrating our 14th birthday in August and we’re very proud of that. To coincide with that we’re releasing our first gender neutral activewear collection, TEAMM8 ONE and we’re beyond excited about that! It’s a collection of hoodies, sweatpants, shorts and tanks in a selection of our sumptuous SKIN tones made out of 100% super soft cotton. Diversity and inclusion is our brand value at TEAMM8, and this line really communicates that for us.
Danny: What's the vision for TEAMM8 in the years to come?
One thing we can guarantee you is that we are constantly evolving and growing. It’s just as important to us to be reliable for our TEAMM8’s as it is to keep them on their toes and excite
them. It’s the combination of both that we are committed to.
Our mission is to make the TEAMM8 man look and feel his absolute best whether he’s at work or play, and we are always finding new ways to do that. Expect the unexpected!
Danny: Finally, whats YOUR personal favourite collection from the brand?
It would have to be the SKIN Collection. We have always been about diversity, mate-ship and community at TEAMM8, and this collection of Underwear and Tanks in a variety of skin tones celebrates that. It has been so well received and that just thrills me
