Welcome to our VIP Interview with Ed Ortega. Ed is the co-founder of HUNK² -one of the newest men’s designer underwear and swimwear company to hit the market! Their brand focuses on making classy, comfortable, stylish and sexy underwear for men to enhance the masculine body. HUNK² make a large range of underwear ranging from briefs, trunks, jockstraps and thongs. You will find that their quality products are designed in the USA and are specially made in South America with:
- No flashy branding on the waistband
- No thick waist bands to avoid skin folds
- Free of any tags for optimum comfort
- Hand chosen soft, high quality and premium fabrics
- Luxury logo plates
Most importantly, they are busy making an even larger range of products to enhance men’s adult lifestyles! HUNK² have even created a free downloadable app that can be installed on your mobile to get the latest coupons, discount codes, offers and giveaways. With HUNK² busy making men all over the world sexy and hot, we were lucky enough to interview Ed Ortega the co-founder for an insight into what makes the world of HUNK² go round and round!
Image: Hunk2 Boxer Shorts
VIP Interview With Ed Ortega Co-founder Of HUNK²
Ed Ortega – Please Tell me about yourself
I am Ed Ortega, co-founder of the HUNK² brand. I am an engineer with experience in graphic design and always have had a passion for fashion. Not fashion per se, but fashion as a way to communicate ideas in an elaborate, elegant way.
What inspired the creation of HUNK²?
The HUNK² brand was created in 2015. We are a group of friends with combined backgrounds in e-commerce, fashion, graphic design and marketing who share a passion for men’s underwear.
While discussing our underwear shopping experiences, we realized that we all shared a dislike for brands using large logos all over their underwear. Men’s underwear brands prioritize branding over product quality, neglecting essential aspects of design.
HUNK² was born to be the perfect balance between top quality and comfort, for men like us who want to wear the best, without wearing flashy logos.
We study world fashion trends and adapt them to our market preferences and styles.
Who is in charge of fashion design?
Our fashion designer, Monica, is the person in charge of proposing our collections. I work with her and the graphic designers in our team to come up with proposals that satisfy no only fashion standards, but that are also suitable for daily wear, both from the visual appeal and comfort points of view.
I would have to add this is the most enjoyable and fascinating part of our jobs. It is here where we get to create and communicate.
If you could go back in time and tell yourself anything, what would it be?
I would tell our team not to compromise photography quality to keep a budget. That was one of our most significant mistakes when we started. Later on, we realized that having top photography talent was key to help convey the message of the brand.
Something interesting when you sell online is that users cannot touch your products before they decide to buy. While we get excellent reviews once customers get to touch our underwear, it is hard to make them understand the products are indeed very high quality and that’s the reason why they need to pay a little more. It turns out great photography is the only way to give that sensation of quality that customers cannot otherwise feel.
Additionally, I would tell our team: do not be afraid to build the best gay underwear brand out there. We were very hesitant whether we were cutting our marker or not by focusing on gay men’s preferences. It turns out there is a very large gay men market out there who is also very fashion savvy and who can sustain any brand’s base by themselves. Designing for them pushes us to evolve, as their strict fashion preferences demand excellence.
How has fashion changed since the time you started designing?
Fashion trends are constantly changing in response to cultural movements and the needs of the newer generations to express themselves. There is always an underlying cultural layer with social and political roots underneath what people decide to wear.
In our case, we take these trends and combine them in our specific customer needs. We have had very good feedback so far on both the designs and fit of our underwear and swimsuits. Customers have also suggested more prints and tighter underwear. We are working not only on that, but also on our creative side coming up with underwear fusions.
What inspires Ed Ortega?
HUNK² is an inclusive brand designed with a cultural hybrid man in mind. Either racially, or through our life experiences, we identify with a hybrid always looking to transform beyond labels.
HUNK² aims to represent the multicultural man, born in one place, raised in another, with friends worldwide. A man that is a mix of experiences and believes, and who is constantly evolving.
Our next collection: “Exchange of Experiences” looks to represent that change in someone’s life experiences. You will see that in our prints.
How would you describe your product line?
HUNK² products are quality underwear and swimwear designed with attention to detail. HUNK² is not a brand for men who do not care about their looks. Our collections are inspired in worldwide cultural trends: from vivid colors to prints, various textures, and always using the best fabrics.
Tell me about your product range?
We design trunks, briefs, jockstraps, jockstrap briefs and thongs. Additionally, we also have a swimwear line featuring mostly swimming trunks and briefs.
What are the benefits of using different styles of underwear?
Flexibility. Why to go only with one style when you have so many choices? These choices come from a ‘design-to-fit’ perspective. If you want full support: boxer briefs. If you want support but you also want of move freely: jockstraps: If you want mostly freedom or sexy time: a thong. There is a fake idea out there that wearing anything besides boxers has a sexual intent and it is simply a narrow mindset.
What materials does HUNK² use in the creation of the products?
We only use the so-called “cold fabrics”. These are soft fabrics that feel cold to the touch. It is what people would call great quality when they touch. All of our products have at least 40% Nylon. Most of them are pure Nylon/Elastane.
The HUNK² proposal brings breathable, fast-dry fabrics to men’s underwear.
How are HUNK² products made?
They are made designed in the US, and made in Colombia. Something that differentiates us from the competition is that we do not manufacture with cheap Chinese fabrics and labor. We decided to work in Colombia not only because of proximity to the US, but also because of the good workplace standards enforced by the South American country.
How would you like men to feel when they wear HUNK² underwear?
Confident and proud. Confident about themselves, and proud about their choice to pamper themselves with the best quality underwear. Wearing something that you love and makes you feel comfortable lifts your spirits and brings that extra energy that makes you want to go out there and conquer the world.
Our slogan is: Striking Confidence! It refers to what our brand embraces: the image of a man who projects confidence and power, and wants to look and feel great.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything you would like to add?
Yes, attending our customers’ requests we are very excited to announce that we will be adding a larger line of men’s thongs and G-strings, jockstraps and jockstrap briefs to our collection. They will feature new style fusions and great prints. Don’t forget to check them out!
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