2(x)ist Debuts New Resort Line - With Sexy Model Andre Ziehe

We all know that deep down in each and every one of us it's not what's on the outside but on the inside that truly counts and that sentiment can also be applied to what lies beneath a man's outfit, namely his underwear. While it might seem that the most critical element of picking the right underwear is from the look and feel of the product waistline, the way it hugs the legs and, of course, how it accentuates your ass and bulge, one other vital part is the feeling the garment gives you as you're sliding it on...or having someone else slide them off, right?

It just keeps getting bigger...and BIGGER!

The underwear market only seems to be getting bigger and bigger (so to speak) with every stroke of time but one of the most sought after underwear names on the market today is 2(x)ist, which has a lot of big (oops, there's that word again) plans for the rest of 2011 in terms of underwear and beyond. Speaking of bulging bulges, if you're a fan of Andre Ziehe, who is impossible not to notice in past 2(x)ist campaigns like the recent NEON billboards and advertising everywhere, you'll be happy to know that you'll be seeing more and more of him this year, too.

EDGE's Jim Halterman tagged along on a photo and video shoot in Los Angeles with Andre (all the while trying to maintain composure in every sense of the word) and was also able to sit down with 2(x)ist Creative Director Jason Scarlatti to find out just how much thought goes not only into the model representing a new line of underwear - like RESORT, which will be available in stores on June 1st - but also the planning in how a product is meant to instill confidence in any man who wears them and how they market the sexy 2(x)ist lines to the straight customer.

What comes first? Sexy model or marketing campaign?

EDGE: There are so many great looking models. How did you come to choose Andre over everyone else out there?

Jason Scarlatti: When we were looking for Andre, we were looking for a new body type and we felt like in the underwear arena everyone's caught up with the same looking guy. If you go to a department store and look at all the boxes it's all about really jacked, almost steroidy, muscley bodies. When 2(x)ist first launched, our body type was the first of that look and then everyone followed so now we wanted to have a different body type. Andre is really lean and I think it's the wave of the future. People are really into health. McDonald's even has a health menu so we wanted a healthier looking body going forward with 2(x)ist and show the confidence.

Andre's body type is more realistic and healthier and we went a little bit leaner. It was really hard to find a model who had proportions like that. He's very tall and all his muscles are very long and lean. We've been using him for the last four campaigns over the last year and we don't plan on leaving him anytime soon. It's funny, the very first time we used him he was very shy and I think he thought he wasn't right for the job because he said he was looking at underwear models online but they were all very steroidy looking so he said to me at the end of the first shoot he said 'I didn't think I was right for the job' and I said 'That's why you got the job because we wanted somebody different.'

EDGE: So even before the model search begins, you know what body type you want, right?

Jason Scarlatti: Yeah, we look at the market, see what's out there and what's being offered and we think 'Why do we exist in the market place' and we always want to push the envelope a little bit in a tasteful way in a designer/fashion way. There are so many underwear giants like Calvin Klein and Armani and their models are very famous. I'm very fearful to get a face like a celebrity for a brand because maybe not everyone relates to that celebrity. I like an aspirational guy so whether you know who he is or not you want to be like him or emulate what he's emulating. Celebrity stands for so many things these days and one day they're so great and the next they may be surrounded by something. You never know.

Vacation in a box...a really pretty box.

EDGE: Tell me about the upcoming RESORT line and how it's different from other 2(x)ist lines.

Jason Scarlatti: We found this fabrication that has not been used in underwear yet but you might have seen it on some buttoned-down dress shirts that you see in the summer. It's a cotton yarn but it has slubs in it so it's more striated and it's really super soft so we decided to do a line called RESORT. I call it a vacation in a box because it feels like heaven on and the box is so beautiful with a beach sunset. Packaging is a huge important piece to selling underwear.

EDGE: Why is packaging so important? We're not wearing the box!

Jason Scarlatti: I think it has to catch your eye and draw you over. 2(x)ist is hard to say and the logo is difficult so I can't rely on just the name [being] really big so I have to bring them over aesthetically. The box is really important so we keep on trying to redesign them for every new collection. The Resort box is meant to look like you were going to instantly feel the way that it looks. We always cut off the heads on the packaging because we want you to imagine yourself when you're looking at the box and putting it on. Sometimes we think about the packaging first.

Marketing challenges...and 2(x)ist dives into swimwear!

EDGE: Now, obviously, using Andre or any sexy model for the gay audience is going to get our attention but what about the straight guy? Is that why some of the shots I saw have Andre in the presence of a female model, too?

Jason Scarlatti: We sat down as a team and decided that no matter what shape you're in, you just want to feel confident at the end of the day so we approached it that way. So how does a straight male customer understand confidence and how does a gay male customer understand confidence? Having a girl model in there helps a lot. The straight audience that we've talked to doesn't necessarily want to look at a guy in his underwear but if there's a girl there sometimes it will make it a little easier for them and they might literally want to be in his pants so it will make it more understanding to them.

EDGE: 2(x)ist also doing its first swimwear line. What prompted going in that competitive arena?

Jason Scarlatti: Swimwear is really competitive, too. It's been a real evolution for us and I've been obsessed and pushing the envelope with my bosses forever and sometimes with the underwear lines I've designed they say 'They look like swimwear!' I think it's a great market and people really feel good about themselves when they buy a swimsuit so we're finally getting into the industry and we're going to launch in July at the Swim Show in Miami and then again at Project Las Vegas in August. This November will be our first in-store delivery. For swimwear, we wanted the fit to be great, feel stylish and our liners are going to be contoured just like the underwear is. The leg binding is tight and fitted around your waist. It has the elements as the underwear is. It will have that big 2(x)ist waistband. It's kind of fun.

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For more on all the fantastic 2(x)ist products, visit http://www.2xist.com/site. You can also read the 2(x)ist blog at http://www.2xistence.com/.

Videos:
2(x)ist RESORT line teaser http://youtu.be/imP1rdLqEfg

2(x)ist NEON trailer with Andre http://youtu.be/3KJkJ6dmgUo

SHAPE SHAKE http://youtu.be/cZ9PNnKP_SM.