Brief Talk Podcast – Brief Talk with Luke from BVLGE Menswear

Luke from Bulge, an Australian brand, joins the Brief Talk Podcast to discuss his journey. Luke's brand was born from a desire to bring exciting and affordable underwear options to Australia, inspired by the lack of variety in the market. Initially, the brand started with a friend who sourced fabric from a factory to create unique designs. Luke later took over the brand and rebranded it to focus on a more editorial, dark, and edgy aesthetic. Despite facing challenges, Luke persevered and relaunched the brand successfully, gaining positive feedback and popularity. The BB range, made from repurposed fabric, was a hit, as well as the Bold range, featuring briefs, trunks, jockstraps, and thongs made from soft, biodegradable micro modal fabric. Luke also serves as the model for the brand, initially due to budget constraints, but now plans to diversify and feature other models.

Luke discusses his experience in photography and self-timer techniques with UNB Tim. He explains how he used his background in photography to take pictures of himself for the brand's limited release of harnesses. Luke admits that constantly seeing photos of himself becomes tiring, and he's working on diversifying the brand's outreach and photoshoots. He aims to make "Bulge" a brand that appeals to various demographics and lifestyle scenarios. Luke emphasizes that he values comfort and style in his designs and wants to avoid gimmicks, creating a brand that stands out in the saturated men's underwear market in Australia. While he plans to venture into swimwear eventually, he wants to ensure it aligns with his brand's values of sustainability and uniqueness.

Follow BVLGEinstagram.com/bvlgemenswearTikTok.com/bvlgemenswear

Follow me on all social media as: @unbtim

www.twitter.com/unbtim

www.instagram.com/unbtim

[email protected] on Mastadon
Support UNBFor on going support join our Patreon - www.patreon.com/unbblogFor one time support  visit our support page - https://www.underwearnewsbriefs.com/about/support-unb/ You can donate by Ko-fi or Paypal Read more at unbblog.com

Follow unb on Twitter and IG @UNBBlog

TRANSCRIPT

UNB Tim:Hey everyone, welcome to another edition of the Brief Talk Podcast. It is Tim back with you. We have a really good show for you today. We have someone from Down Under who has their own brand, Luke from Bulge. Welcome.

Luke:Thank you. Thank you for having me.

UNB Tim:It's great to have you. I think Australia is like one of the new hot beds for underwear. So it's always good to get a new brand out of Australia. So that's awesome to see. Yay.

Luke:There

UNB Tim:And then

Luke:is

UNB Tim:we

Luke:actually.

UNB Tim:also have Mr. Patrick. Mr. Patrick, say hello.

Briefsbuff:Hey guys.

UNB Tim:There he is. But yeah, Australia is like the place for underwear and swimwear lately. Every time I turn around, a new amazing brand pops up and you're like, Who are they? Oh, I like what they're doing.

Luke:That is true.

UNB Tim:But I'm very happy for it. I wish we had more here, but such is life, I guess. So first off, Luke, tell everyone, if they're not familiar with your brand, tell them about Bulge and why you created it.

Luke:Yeah, sure. Well, it actually sort of started as just like an idea between me and a friend. Quite a number of years ago, we were both studying at university. We're both doing a sort of fashion photography degree course and both wanting to get into fashion photography. And we just had like, you know, chatted about a number of things and underwear was one of them. And I think it was one day they were shopping for some stuff and I was like, oh, you know, like, I remember like when I was a bit younger, there was like so much more to kind of pick from or that I was excited about. And I feel like it's gotten maybe a bit dry at the moment. I haven't seen something that's really excited me for a little while. And anything that has,

Luke from Bulge, an Australian brand, joins the Brief Talk Podcast to discuss his journey. Luke’s brand was born from a desire to bring exciting and affordable underwear options to Australia, inspired by the lack of variety in the market. Initially, the brand started with a friend who sourced fabric from a factory to create unique designs. Luke later took over the brand and rebranded it to focus on a more editorial, dark, and edgy aesthetic. Despite facing challenges, Luke persevered and relaunched the brand successfully, gaining positive feedback and popularity. The BB range, made from repurposed fabric, was a hit, as well as the Bold range, featuring briefs, trunks, jockstraps, and thongs made from soft, biodegradable micro modal fabric. Luke also serves as the model for the brand, initially due to budget constraints, but now plans to diversify and feature other models.

Luke discusses his experience in photography and self-timer techniques with UNB Tim. He explains how he used his background in photography to take pictures of himself for the brand’s limited release of harnesses. Luke admits that constantly seeing photos of himself becomes tiring, and he’s working on diversifying the brand’s outreach and photoshoots. He aims to make “Bulge” a brand that appeals to various demographics and lifestyle scenarios. Luke emphasizes that he values comfort and style in his designs and wants to avoid gimmicks, creating a brand that stands out in the saturated men’s underwear market in Australia. While he plans to venture into swimwear eventually, he wants to ensure it aligns with his brand’s values of sustainability and uniqueness.

Follow BVLGE
instagram.com/bvlgemenswear
TikTok.com/bvlgemenswear

Follow me on all social media as: @unbtim

www.twitter.com/unbtim
www.instagram.com/unbtim
[email protected] on Mastadon

Support UNB
For on going support join our Patreon – www.patreon.com/unbblog
For one time support  visit our support page – https://www.underwearnewsbriefs.com/about/support-unb/ You can donate by Ko-fi or Paypal 
Read more at unbblog.com

Follow unb on Twitter and IG @UNBBlog

TRANSCRIPT

UNB Tim:
Hey everyone, welcome to another edition of the Brief Talk Podcast. It is Tim back with you. We have a really good show for you today. We have someone from Down Under who has their own brand, Luke from Bulge. Welcome.

Luke:
Thank you. Thank you for having me.

UNB Tim:
It’s great to have you. I think Australia is like one of the new hot beds for underwear. So it’s always good to get a new brand out of Australia. So that’s awesome to see. Yay.

Luke:
There

UNB Tim:
And then

Luke:
is

UNB Tim:
we

Luke:
actually.

UNB Tim:
also have Mr. Patrick. Mr. Patrick, say hello.

Briefsbuff:
Hey guys.

UNB Tim:
There he is. But yeah, Australia is like the place for underwear and swimwear lately. Every time I turn around, a new amazing brand pops up and you’re like, Who are they? Oh, I like what they’re doing.

Luke:
That is true.

UNB Tim:
But I’m very happy for it. I wish we had more here, but such is life, I guess. So first off, Luke, tell everyone, if they’re not familiar with your brand, tell them about Bulge and why you created it.

Luke:
Yeah, sure. Well, it actually sort of started as just like an idea between me and a friend. Quite a number of years ago, we were both studying at university. We’re both doing a sort of fashion photography degree course and both wanting to get into fashion photography. And we just had like, you know, chatted about a number of things and underwear was one of them. And I think it was one day they were shopping for some stuff and I was like, oh, you know, like, I remember like when I was a bit younger, there was like so much more to kind of pick from or that I was excited about. And I feel like it’s gotten maybe a bit dry at the moment. I haven’t seen something that’s really excited me for a little while. And anything that has, has kind of been internationally based, quite expensive, costs a lot to ship out to Australia. Um, and

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
I just thought, Oh, there must be a real gap for that kind of. In Australia to make available. Like I want the stars that I’m seeing internationally, but I want them here so that I don’t have to pay $50 for shipping. Um, And then I didn’t really think of it too much more beyond that, but it was actually my friend who kind of went away and put in a lot of the legwork to getting some bits and pieces together. And then it was actually somebody else at uni who was doing more of a fashion production course who had overheard us. And they had said, oh, there’s this factory that we’re doing research on at the moment that has all of this fabric that is otherwise just going to go to landfill. And we sort of just thought, oh, wouldn’t it be cool to kind of just like ask them how much they want for it, buy it. And we could just sell it there. We’ve been talking about how, you know, dry the underwear is that we’ve been seeing at the moment. Let’s give that a go. And then it just like went into motion and just before I knew it, we were putting down the money for it. Um, and it was all kind of going ahead and it was really my friend’s, um, initiative at the time that was getting it off the ground. And we were just talking about that. I was going to do the photography for it. And I was thinking like, great, I’ll have like a set client when I leave university that I can actually do. you know, lots of work for, so that that’s great for me. Um, but as time went by, they kind of laxed on the business a bit and we’re not really feeling it yet. It takes a lot out of you to kind of do it.

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
I understood that wasn’t really what they were wanting to pursue. And they just sort of put it to me, um, around, um, February of last year, they were like, look, you’re kind of the one coming up with the ideas and sort of directing this at the minute. Um, I kind of want out, do you want it? And I kind of sat on it for a minute and sort of thought about what that would mean. It would mean, like I said, kind of getting over the fear of getting on camera or jumping on Tik Tok and doing whatever would need to be done to make it a successful brand. So I sort of sat on it for a minute to decide if that was really an undertaking I wanted to commit to. And then I did board it off him, changed the name, rebranded it because it wasn’t originally bulge at the start. And it was a completely different sort of. aesthetic direction, it was much more poppy and bright and commercial. And I wanted to take it into a more editorial, dark, edgy, more modern territory. So I strategized and I just did shoot after shoot after shoot, content after content, and was just like literally sitting on TikTok every day, trying to understand the format of TikTok and, and how I would translate this to an underwear brand because it was a, it was like a real niche market. And there wasn’t somebody doing small business TikTok for a men’s underwear brand. I was trying to look at all of the other people and they were mainly women selling hair clips or athletic wear or whatnot, trying to understand the format of what it was they were showing to grow their brand and how I would apply that. Then from there, I just relaunched it and I haven’t stopped since.

UNB Tim:
So when did you relaunch it?

Luke:
Um, it was pretty much, it was, uh, I think the official date was like the 16th of May last year or something. So we just had like the official one

UNB Tim:
Okay.

Luke:
year date. We taking it over. And then today’s actually end of financial year. So this is sort of my official first year in business where, you know, I’ll, I’ve got to declare taxes and wrap it all up. So I’m really excited to reach that milestone.

UNB Tim:
Well, I hope you’re not excited about the taxes part, because ugh.

Luke:
No, I had a

UNB Tim:
And

Luke:
meeting

UNB Tim:
I hope you’re.

Luke:
yesterday with my accountant and I was like, my brain is just bribed from this.

UNB Tim:
And I hope your taxes are way easier than ours because it makes my head explode every time I have to do taxes here owning

Luke:
It’s

UNB Tim:
a

Luke:
I

UNB Tim:
business

Luke:
think.

UNB Tim:
and then

Luke:
I think it’s probably a little bit easier. I don’t know, to be honest with you, but I do see a lot of like confusion from the states around taxes. We have a lot of different taxes in Australia. And but the good thing is that they kind of tell us exactly how much we owe them usually, whereas isn’t it a bit of a gray area? You sort of they don’t really tell you exactly what you owe them over there. And then you kind of have to just like try and make it correct.

UNB Tim:
They don’t tell you what you owe. You’ve got to figure it out yourself or have an accountant do it. And then you pay them and then they check and say, hmm, this is correct or no, you owe us more money or we owe you more money, which they rarely do I think. But

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
it’s like, hmm. And you have to keep like all your receipts and your deductions and it’s just a holy nightmare.

Luke:
Yeah, yeah, that’s the same. And then it just gets harder as well. Because it’s like, with e-commerce, a lot of accountants aren’t as versed in e-commerce, but there’s lots of tricky things that happen like currency conversion fees. And then I have to pay like a

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
goods and

UNB Tim:
Oh my good- no, no. See, we have currency conversion fees here that I have to deal with, but we don’t pay a tax on top of that. Oh no.

Luke:
Oh no, we pay taxes on that. We pay taxes on any goods or services sold within Australia. The government takes, well, first of all, when the stock hits the shore, you pay import duty tax

UNB Tim:
Yeah.

Luke:
on my shipments. And then when I sell anything within Australia, the government takes 10%. And then they will take their marginal tax rate on any gross revenue. Plus the income that I pay myself now is taxable as like an individual’s income on top.

UNB Tim:
Oh, see, I don’t know much about the tax system. My friend told me basically a little bit that lives down there, but, oh. Running a business

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
is not easy no matter where you are.

Luke:
I’ve

UNB Tim:
That’s

Luke:
joked like

UNB Tim:
all

Luke:
many

UNB Tim:
I’m saying.

Luke:
times with my accountant about me just like packing up and moving to like Monaco or Dubai to just like live in a tax haven and just like escape it all.

UNB Tim:
I’m with you on that. I am with you on that. Yes, because…

Luke:
Could have fallen off Hollywood.

UNB Tim:
Well, Dubai is a little expensive and I would probably be living in like a cardboard box in the desert.

Luke:
I’m going to go to bed.

UNB Tim:
So now that you’ve relaunched your brand and it’s growing and you’re out there in social media, what has… what have… my question left me. I told you I’d lose my train of thought.

Luke:
Mm-hmm.

UNB Tim:
So you’ve launched your brand and you’re growing it. And what has been some of your biggest styles you’ve had or what has been some of the favorites of your customers?

Luke:
Yeah, I mean, look, the range is still quite small. So, um, hopefully when I expand out to a few more color ranges, I’ll really be able to, um, figure out that, um, more everyone loved the BB range, which was the range that we made from the repurpose fabric, um, that was like a limited

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
one, obviously, because fabric was just like a one-off, so I’ve only got like a tiny amount of that, um, left, but once that picked up momentum, that sold really, really well, because it was a bit of like a cheekier cart and, um, it was. called the BB, the full thing was like the BB and an HMK range, which is like a, you know, a mouthful, but, um, it was like a nod to the old, like banana hammock culture of Australia that sort of, um, has washed

UNB Tim:
Oh yeah.

Luke:
away, um, over the years and so I just sort of wanted to like abbreviate that in like a more contemporary way and sort of bring back that energy to the market and just do something that was like a little bit cheeky, a little bit sexier cause I felt like that spoke kind of to that Australian spirit. And people really loved that. So that sold really, really well. And, you know, I’ve looked into potentially repurposing it out of other fabrics and just haven’t found the best option for that. And then the bold range, which is like sort of my, you know, bigger debut collection was really exciting because that was the first time I was able to do briefs, trunks, jockstrap and thongs all at the same time. So that really pushed the brand, um, open and that was made fully out of been overwhelmingly positive with the review of how soft and flexible and comfortable the micro modal fabric is as like a biodegradable option for menswear. And

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
within that the most popular styles are the jock straps and then the briefs and then lately the thongs have just picked up steam out of nowhere.

UNB Tim:
Well, thongs have just, you know, in the last couple years gone crazy here. I don’t know about down there, but guys are just incredibly insane about thongs.

Luke:
Yeah, there you go.

UNB Tim:
and

Luke:
I

UNB Tim:
then.

Luke:
mean, I wrote down all of the things that I needed to order. And when I first placed like the restock order, the thongs were not selling particularly well, like they were moving just nowhere near as fast as the drop straps or the briefs or even the trunks at the time. And so I didn’t order that much. And then when I got everything back, it’s like the thongs over the trunks. And it’s just so crazy to see that just in that, like last six months, that shift has happened. We’ve definitely been promoting them. more and more as well. And the more we promote them, the more people try them, the more they love them and spread the word about them. So that helps pick up steam as well, because I think the thumb’s a bit of a polarizing one. It’s, um, some people love them, some people hate them. And they’re sort of the feedback that I get from people is that they try so many from different brands and they’ve just never liked them. So they just don’t bother anymore. So they’re very skeptical to like, try them. So getting them over the line and hearing that they’re happy with them is like pretty, pretty great.

UNB Tim:
Well then, when you have thong guys, you have the ones who are like, I don’t like waistbands, and other ones I do want waistbands, and so even in the thong community itself, it’s kind of divided and, you know, guys want what they want. They

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
want it exactly how they want it, so, and what’s most comfortable for them. So, so

Luke:
Yeah,

UNB Tim:
that’s good

Luke:
it’s

UNB Tim:
to hear.

Luke:
really

UNB Tim:
It

Luke:
hard

UNB Tim:
sounds

Luke:
to, sorry,

UNB Tim:
like…

Luke:
I was gonna say, it’s really hard to kind of please everyone. You start to realize that after a while, that

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
no matter how many styles you do, there’ll always be somebody asking for, oh, would be all of those things are great, but it would be great if it was just this way, or it would be great if it was just that way. And some features that people like really, really love, other people don’t love so much. It just is what it is.

UNB Tim:
Yeah, especially in underwear. That’s what we’ve, we found out many times. People are not shy about what they do not like in

Luke:
Yeah

UNB Tim:
the underwear world. So I’m sure you’ve experienced that firsthand.

Luke:
Yeah, a little bit. I mean,

UNB Tim:
So.

Luke:
mostly people are like really just overwhelmingly positive. I think it’s easier for people to be negative if it’s sort of like a bigger brand or there’s not somebody kind of being the face and the workhorse behind it that they can see, because it, I think maybe people find it a bit harder to have a go at me or yell at me because they, they see me, they know me. It’s a lot easier to have a goal with a bigger corporation or, or a company that represents many brands because there’s no, like, it’s not humanized.

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm Yeah, and speaking to that you’re the model on the website So

Luke:
Yes.

UNB Tim:
how did that come about since you’re talking about you’re a photographer? You were designing you’re doing everything, but how do you step out from behind the camera to in front of the camera?

Luke:
Yeah, that’s not easy. A lot of photographers don’t find that easy and they, they live behind the camera and never in front of it. Um, you know, it was just a matter of. All of this money has been spent. All of this stock is sitting in my spare room. And I, at this point have to put my ego aside and just do whatever needs to be done to get this off the ground, to make this happen, to at least get my investment back and anything beyond that is even better. So it’s. It’s do or die. I’m swimming in the deep end. I am out of money. I have not a single dollar left to spend on models or studio hire or anything like that. I have my digital camera. I have all my lighting gear from my work as a photographer. I have one white wall that’s big enough in my apartment. And I just have to make this happen. So that, that was that, that was what that was all about. And there were a few days where I sort of tried to start keeping mind as well, it was also like. May, so it’s getting quite cold in Australia at that point, when I was doing all of the photos for the relaunch and I would just pop the TV on, pop the heater on and I would just sort of shoot all day on self timer and trying to like sort of judge the focus point to make sure that the pictures were in focus. And it was hard, it’s hard seeing photos of yourself come up on the screen that are not flattering and when you’ve already got things about yourself that you don’t like, if only feels magnified in photos because it has solidified them forever in that moment. You’ve always got to like look at those things that you find frustrating about yourself. And I just worked through it. Like honestly, breakdown after breakdown, worked through it until I got enough photos together to just go, this is, I can live with this. This is okay. Let’s just start now and see where this goes. Um, and that’s not really how it’s going to be forever. I don’t plan on being the, um, the model forever now that I’ve been able to sort of get past level one and the business is moving. I’m actually really excited about, you know, getting other guys in front of the camera and maybe I can go back to being the photographer, you know, for a bit and I can actually have that creative outlet again that I have sort of put on hold for a bit and just show a little bit more diversity, show the products on different men, show that they look great on everyone and just take the spotlight off me a little bit. So it was really just a matter of. I needed to make that happen because I really felt like I had no other choice. Um, and I worked really hard in the gym to prepare for that photo shoot. And now I feel like it’s time to expand out.

UNB Tim:
You get mad respect that you were doing them from yourself and self-timer.

Luke:
Hmm.

UNB Tim:
Good lord. That’s… You are talented, mister. I will just say. Because I don’t think I could have done what you did with the self-timer and… Uh-uh. No.

Luke:
Yeah, look, it was easy. I mean, it’s easier when you’ve got, I guess, a background in photography. I already had all of the software and all of the equipment that I needed, had a tripod and just sort of worked it out. I should have really filmed that sort of process for TikTok. I did it one time when we did a limited release of harnesses, showed a little bit of the behind the scenes of how I took the photos of myself for that. You can sort of see me putting my hand in front of the camera to try and lock the focus and then stand where my hand was. And then I get like 10 shots and then I reset it and then I get 10 more shots and then I reset it and just literally did that for days and days and days until I had enough to be able to make it happen. But it’s really hard. I get really sick of seeing the photos of myself. Um, I’m that’s like a big thing that I’m working on at the moment is like outreach as well for, you know, people to wear it in more like lifestyle scenarios, as well as putting on,

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
you know, the next stage of photo shoots and all of that, because at this point, I’m just sick of looking at myself and feel like it just looks

UNB Tim:
Ha

Luke:
starting

UNB Tim:
ha.

Luke:
to look of a value-de-project.

UNB Tim:
Well, with anything you do, projects like that, you get tired of it after a while and you’re just like, oh, it’s like me editing the podcast. It’s like, oh, that voice again. Oh, I have to hear it again. So

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
yeah, I’m familiar with that.

Luke:
So

UNB Tim:
Cause

Luke:
yeah,

UNB Tim:
I’m

Luke:
some

UNB Tim:
always.

Luke:
people like… Sorry.

UNB Tim:
I was like, because I’m always worse on myself than any guest, because I think the guests are amazing. And I’m like, I sounded stupid there. Oh my God. Look. Oh, so yeah, I’m, I’m quite familiar with that. So.

Luke:
Yeah, we can be pretty hot on ourselves.

UNB Tim:
We are our own worst enemies, I will say, at times. But, you know, we gotta grow, and now, now I’m used to my own voice and hearing things. It’s just when the word so comes up on the, when I’m editing that I go, don’t say it. And I say the word, and I’m like, there he said it again. I have like check marks, like, doomp, there’s another one. There’s another one. So I try to be conscious about it, but it doesn’t always happen. But yeah, yeah. But I will say your colors are awesome in the bold collection. I have it up on the screen right now. And just the range of colors is just incredible because you have like the classic black and white, but you also have like the pink, the bright orange. So you have definitely created some amazing colors there.

Luke:
Yeah, it took a long time to get the colors right. I’m very fussy, like as somebody who’s like sort of been to art school, I’m very particular about, you know, what I like and what I don’t like, what I feel is classy, what I feel is tacky, or what I feel is mature or whatnot. So I’m really, I love the colors. I think they came together really, really great for this collection. And because I was coming off the back of the BB range, which was just briefs, I wanted to make sure that this range was number one, more styles and also enough colors to pick enough people’s interests. And I wanted to make sure there was something there for everyone. And also like for everyone’s mood, like, you know, if you ordered like a six pack and you wore like them based on your mood, like I kind of do, I do cycle through all of the colors. There are the brighter ones when you’re feeling like you want that it’s a bit sexier, it’s a bit more playful, or you’ve got the ones that are a little bit more. demure and a little bit more, I don’t know, serious in a way for the days when you just don’t feel like being so loud and obnoxious. So I wanted it to, you know, just appeal to as many people as possible. I think there’s like sort of this thing that happens in the underwear market, particularly in the men’s underwear market where it kind of brands slip into, you know, really aggressive categories. And I see it a lot in Australia, you know, there’s brands like Trady, which are very plain and they’re very targeted towards the men who are tradies and their lifestyle and what they like. And then you have other brands, like even potentially like Aussie Bum, that’s a little bit more for people of, you know, the more fun side of life. And so you get

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
these sort of like aggressive divisions. And I am trying to kind of make bold the brand that lives in the center somewhere. And I really love that I hear from any range of people, any range of… you know, the world, the walk of life, their age group, their, you know, sexual orientation that they’re buying from the brand. I love, sometimes I get girls messaging me saying, Oh my God, my boyfriend’s so excited about your product because he loves color, but he doesn’t feel like he can access it. Or he doesn’t feel like there’s a

UNB Tim:
Oh.

Luke:
brand that he can swap or he feels too like judged if he goes in and buys it. And then you get the other side of it, which is like the fun. party boys that are at like Pooftoof every night, which is like a gay club in Melbourne, that are like, oh, we’re just excited to have like better quality stuff that’s colorful and it’s like more luxurious fabric. So I just want it to be loved for as many reasons as possible by as many people.

UNB Tim:
nice. Yeah, it’s, it’s classic, but it’s not, you know, stodgy and you know, like, oh, my dad wears that. Oh, I’m not gonna wear that. But it’s like you take it, you make it your own. It’s not over the top, but it’s still fashionable. It’s still fun. And that’s what you want, want an underwear. At least that’s me. Usually, it’s got to be comfortable and the modal fabric, which is amazing. Anytime I can get underwear in that fabric, I do, because

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
I got hooked actually by one of your fellow Australian brands, Cock Socks, many years ago when they came out with

Luke:
Okay.

UNB Tim:
modal. And I was like, where’s this been all my life? Where’s this fabric been? I need

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
more of this. So, and now more brands are embracing it and going after the comfort and the feel of modal, which. It feels like amazing to get your skin as probably most of our listeners know. But

Luke:
Yeah,

UNB Tim:
yeah,

Luke:
definitely.

UNB Tim:
amazing.

Luke:
Definitely was a fabric breakthrough finding that one. I remember when I got the samples from the manufacturer, a range of different fabrics from different, you know, things that they had created, lines that they already had in production and whatnot. And I had the modal on and I was like, oh, okay, get it now. Like I’m not usually one

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
who was buying mostly for comfort, to be honest with you, as somebody who sort of worked in the fashion industry. I’m used to kind of being well, it’s about what looks good. And we just make it work regardless of how it feels. And so I was kind of a bit stuck in that mentality. So when I was like trying stuff on, I was kind of thinking, oh wait, this is actually, this is what like real comfort feels like. This is what we should be bringing to the market.

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm. I think most underwear brands now are trying to do that There are still some that do that fashion over function where you’re like This is made to come off after an hour Because it’s not made to be worn very long for

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
various reasons comfort and other reasons So it’s good to see I think underwear is the one area where you can be fashionable. You can be comfortable You can mix it all together and not go Oh, I don’t have to look good. I can feel good too.

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
It’s both in this. Yay!

Luke:
Yeah, exactly. It doesn’t have to be a compromise or it’s, Oh, it looks great, you know, sort of on the outside, but the quality sucks or, you know, you’re compromising one way or another, or it could be like the costs you have to like really compromise on. I’ve been like trying to keep it so

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
that it’s like, stays as affordable as possible for, you know, something that’s pretty premium. Um, particularly when there are brands out there that are charging like up to sort of, you know, what is a hundred Australian dollars, or, um, sometimes I say like 50 euros for one pair of briefs is, um, just

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
like an astronomical price to pay for, you know, something that’s made pretty much out of the exact same fabric that we’re using. So yeah, I didn’t want it to be a compromise on comfort or style or anything like that, and just didn’t want for it to be like, I think sometimes brands try too hard to innovate. you know, sometimes if a product doesn’t need to be innovated, let’s just leave it alone and, you know, make it a little bit better. It doesn’t have to have ridiculous, you know, inserts, pouches, additional fabric, wires,

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
you know, whatever it might be to try and, you know, do the next thing. I’m not big on sort of, um, I would call them sort of like design gimmicks. Um, I’m very sort of like traditional in a sense. I like good quality pattern making. Um, obviously don’t want them to look like old dad. briefs from the fifties, but I also don’t want

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
to, you know, make it gimmicky or unwareable or, um, unflattering. I want it to be, you know, just a sexy, modern stylish cut executed. Well, great design, beautiful color, amazing fabric, good price. Just, you know, I don’t like to pull punches like that.

UNB Tim:
Yeah, and I think when I talk to a lot of brands that are just coming out, and you seem like one of them is gonna be this way, where you’re gonna keep probably the same general style, but you’re gonna just sort of innovate on the style when you get feedback from your customers about certain things that may or may not work, or they like better, that you’re gonna just tweak them like new collections, you’ll tweak them a little bit and

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
make them better, and then you’ll get to the point where it’s like, this is it. This is

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
the classic one and so, cause I know several brands, that’s what they do. And they just change up like colors and prints, but they

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
keep the same general patterns and just improve on it. And which is a good thing to be because I hear so many people complain. I have this favorite pair of underwear and they stop making it

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
and I’m upset. So. So when you find something you love, you wanna keep buying it. And then of course you gotta buy every color and then every new color and every. So that’s a good thing about those lines is you can keep innovating and still keep the same silhouette. So yeah, that sounds

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
good.

Luke:
We’ll definitely

UNB Tim:
Awesome.

Luke:
explore, you know, different fabric options and stuff, different colors. I’m sort of working on that at the moment, different colors and different fabric options for two different collections that I’m working on, um, at the moment so that it’s, it’s fresh and it’s new, but like what you’re saying, it doesn’t step so far out of the box that it, you know, ostracizes people from what they’re expecting next.

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm. And then you can always do like capsule collections of like, if you want to do something special, like one-off collections, but still have your main one, which is smart to do, especially with the new brand, because you’re trying to gain your following, gain your loyal customers. And that’s a good way to do it. So you’re pretty, you’re, you’re one of the good ones I have on here who I know running a business, cause you think of everything. And I’m like, he’s smart. He’s smart.

Luke:
I try to think of where things are going. I’ve got a pretty good idea of where I want to take things as we step into year two. I’m really excited about what I’ve got to work on later today with the manufacturers about the new collections and that. So yes, it’s exciting.

UNB Tim:
Awesome. Yeah, cuz you cuz over the years I would go to Vegas to see When magic and curve happened you get all these new brands that come up who have massive collections and like 14 different colors and you’re like, how are you affording this?

Luke:
Hmm.

UNB Tim:
And then they never come to market because they were over You know, what’s what I’m looking for. They were Overzealous about what they could do and the money and the production. And

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
I think a lot of people think running an underwear business is like, oh, that’s easy, that’s fun. Oh my God, it’ll be so much. And I’m like, no, it’s not easy, it’s not fun. It’s

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
a lot of work. And it’s crazy how much work goes into it. So my tip, my cap to anyone like you who took it over, growing the business, everything I see is positive out there about you guys and which is amazing.

Luke:
Yeah, it’s definitely a lot of work. It’s definitely like, I thought I had worked really, really hard, say for like my fashion photography portfolio, which I’m still really proud of the work that I did in that night. I felt like that I could never work harder than I worked to achieve that until I started this business. And then I realized like what was really going to need to be done to make this happen and that although I was like a hard worker, I would sort of like work really hard in bouts and then be like, okay, I’ve got an end date that I can kind of crash. Whereas with

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
this business, there is no end date. There’s sort

UNB Tim:
Nope.

Luke:
of like moments where I get to catch my breath. Sure. But it’s you, I push so hard every month to try and reach the goal for the month. And then it gets to the end of the month. And I’m like, Oh my God, we made it. I can’t believe it. I’m exhausted. I worked my ass off all month. And then, you know, the day ticks over and I’ve got to start again the next month. So.

UNB Tim:
Nine.

Luke:
level of discipline, like I really had to work on that for myself to kind of grow into, oh, this is my new life. This is the new way that I have

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
to work every day. This is what it’s going to look like. And actually it’s only going to get harder. So like take a deep

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
breath, because you’ve got like a long, long run ahead of you. And it like, I know it will get a little bit easier in time with a bit more growth. You know, I will be able to bring people on board to maybe help me pack orders at the end of the day or help me do outreach or help

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
me just in any which way. Um, but right now while I’m kind of juggling it all, it, um, it’s a lot to juggle the photos and the orders and creating the content, doing the outreach, the designs, the negotiations, the accounting, the bookkeeping. Um, so, you know, I feel like at this point, there’s not much more I could juggle. I feel like there’s not much more I could take on. So

UNB Tim:
true.

Luke:
it’ll be good to get to the point to offload something at some point.

UNB Tim:
I’m familiar with that and the first thing I’m unloading is accounting. I hate it with the passion. I hate it.

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
And that’s the first thing I’m doing. I’m like, here, do my taxes, do this, keep up with the money. I don’t want to do it.

Luke:
There’s

UNB Tim:
But

Luke:
a

UNB Tim:
luckily

Luke:
part of

UNB Tim:
I

Luke:
me

UNB Tim:
tell

Luke:
that’s

UNB Tim:
everyone

Luke:
just like,

UNB Tim:
I have

Luke:
that

UNB Tim:
a good friend

Luke:
I’m like

UNB Tim:
who’s

Luke:
such

UNB Tim:
it.

Luke:
a fool.

UNB Tim:
What was that?

Luke:
Oh, it’s hard for me to like just go, Oh, here, take it. And I, I trust you to do it right. Like I’m always like grilling my account and like, okay, so you did that, but I need to understand the process of what you did and why you did that and where you pulled those numbers from, because I need to make sure that you’re considering every single

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
aspect of the business. So I, it’s like hard for me to just throw it at them and just be like, here, you do that because I am a bit like.

UNB Tim:
Oh yeah.

Luke:
I need to understand,

UNB Tim:
Yeah.

Luke:
also it’s a bit better. Yeah.

UNB Tim:
Yeah, that’s, I know enough to know if like, don’t be trying to steal my money because I’m gonna know that. I know

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
enough and then I have a good friend who’s an account, he’s a CFO now. And I’m like, okay, what do I need to know? Look at this, does this look bad to you? What’s going on here? And he’ll be like, oh, he’ll be like, that’s wrong, that’s right. So that, yeah, yeah. So I have to talk about the Aussie underwear market for a minute. because as we said earlier, it’s one of the rare places on earth where men’s underwear is… Every time you turn around, there’s something new coming out of Australia. Tons of brands, tons of swimwear, tons of stuff. How competitive is the market down there in the men’s underwear?

Luke:
Yeah, I mean, there’s definitely competition. Sure. I think it’s more so in swimwear than it is in underwear. Like every turn I, sorry, every corner I turn is, I see the swimwear thing a lot more. But it never ceases to amaze me that the demand stays up for it. Like despite how many people

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
are, you know, saturating the market, people message me every day being like, when are you going to do swimwear? When are you going to do swimwear? We want your version of the swimwear. And that’s what it is, is that there’s always a way to introduce something new, I guess, to the market. And people are, I think, happy to shop from a few different brands. I think underwear is one of those products. It’s not like, I think, maybe if I was to compare it to like skincare, people have their favorite skincare that they stick with for their whole life. Whereas underwear, swimwear, you can be a little bit more flippant with it. You can, you know, shop the entire market and enjoy what everyone has to offer. I think the swimwear is massive in Australia just because of the beach culture in Australia is massive in Sydney and Queensland especially. And that’s sort of why I haven’t really pushed for the swimwear to be added to the line just yet like we are. When I say we it’s like it’s literally just me.

UNB Tim:
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

Luke:
It is something that I do have on the back of my mind. Me and all the voices in my head have on the back of my mind to do at some point you know probably. in year two at some point, but I’m not rushing to compete with that part of the market because I feel like it is much more saturated than underwear. And I want to establish bulge first as a premium underwear brand. And, you know, introducing too many product lines kind of dilutes that. I feel if I did that too quickly. So look, it’s a saturated market. You’re right. There’s always lots popping up. But I feel like the brands that are here have been here for quite some time. You know, Aussie Bum’s

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
been around now for over 20 years, uh, teammate, cock socks, they’re quite established brands. Um, and sometimes when a brand I think gets that big, they lose that sort of ear to the ground where they get to observe firsthand kind of what is happening and what’s missing. And I feel like that is really the point of difference that I’ve been playing on, um, the most is that, you know, as a consumer. And as somebody who does have the ear to the ground, I kind of get to see, I think a little bit better what’s missing. I think for those brands sometimes when you’re in the thick of the woods, you can’t see the forest around you. So you’re sort of stuck in this little world

UNB Tim:
Yeah.

Luke:
of your own. Whereas I kind of was able to stand on the outside and kind of look at everything and really draw a conclusion about what I felt was missing because it was what I was kind of looking for. And then that’s kind of where I’ve started is just trying to create something that I would be excited to see or excited to be a customer of. Um, so yeah,

UNB Tim:
time.

Luke:
I guess there’s always going to be competition in the market, but I feel like there’s enough space. Um, especially if you’re doing something that is, is trying to do more or be more. I think, you know, people are just so easy to sit there and go, Oh, everyone’s starting a brand on TikTok. Everyone’s starting a brand. I’m just going to start a brand. And it’s really not that simple because

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
brand kind of, you know, the way that I see it is that it becomes a really extension of, um, who you are, like a lot of my personality. is in this brand. It’s all of the things that I like. And in terms of like, you know, what I was saying before with the designs, you know, I don’t like gimmicks in my designs, but that’s because I don’t like gimmicks in general. So, you know, your personality, you

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
know, also injected into the brand. And so if you don’t really have, I guess, a perspective on what you want to create or why you want to create it, you don’t really even maybe have a perspective on who you are and what you like and what you don’t like or an informed idea of even why. you like or don’t like something, then your brand might not survive the market. So it has to, I feel

UNB Tim:
Yeah.

Luke:
like have a lot within it, a lot of substance behind it, I guess is what I’m trying to say, um, to weather the storm in the market. There’s, there is a lot out there and you’re going to have to, I guess, make something that’s pretty special. Um, and you know, I certainly hope that’s what I’ve created and what I’m continuing to create, I’m, you know, certainly don’t feel like I’m done with it yet. It’s not fully formed. There’s plenty of room for me to grow and develop it. Because I just want it to be that thing that stands out and cuts through all the noise amongst the market so that I can carve my own lane.

UNB Tim:
Nice. Now, when you’re thinking about swimwear, that’s the one thing that it’s own separate animal, different than underwear. So

Luke:
Mm.

UNB Tim:
doing a swim line is gonna be a lot more, it’s different than underwear and the cuts are different, the fabrics are different, everything’s different. And so I say get to it when you have the time to do it and do it right, then rush into it. So. Don’t

Luke:
Yeah,

UNB Tim:
worry about

Luke:
the

UNB Tim:
what other

Luke:
thing

UNB Tim:
people

Luke:
with some…

UNB Tim:
say, that’s

Luke:
Oh,

UNB Tim:
all I gotta say.

Luke:
look, I want to do it anyway, because I think it’s a great addition. It’ll probably just be like a smaller capsule thing so that it doesn’t take over the brand.

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
The big thing with swimwear for me is that a lot of the traditional fabrics are really harmful fabrics. They’re manmade, so they’re synthetic and they’re made from, you know, like plastic fibers and whatnot. So things like nylon, polyester, are the sort of go-to fabrics for swimwear. And I just

UNB Tim:
Yes.

Luke:
really don’t want to produce at such a high level, something that I, it would bother me, you know, so, um, a big part of what I’ve done, you know, every step of the way so far is to try and be as, you know, conscious as possible. It’s really hard. Um, and it’s not possible to really be perfect at it. Um, but there’s plenty of like little things that we do, like, um, you know, like I just got my big shipment and I requested that my manufacturer not individually package each piece of underwear in its own. fabric slot, which is the sort of norm. And then brands just, you know, pick them up in their plastic,

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
ship them out. So it takes me a lot longer to process them and make sure that they stay clean and all of that. So I just want to make sure if I was to step into swimwear, that there would be an option for, um, something that was just, you know, a remarkable difference in the swimwear market, cause I don’t want to just contribute to the problem or contribute something that’s not, you know, unique or special in any way. So. I’ve got a lot more research to do in that area. And honestly, I’m a bigger consumer myself of underwear than I’ve ever been of swimwear. And so I was

UNB Tim:
Mm-hmm.

Luke:
formed in my opinions of what I wanted to do with the underwear, whereas with swimwear, it is going to take me a little bit more time to make sure that I’ve got a real point of difference and a real, you know, opinion of what I want to create. Um, and you know, it’s good to take a little bit of time, I think, to make sure things are perfect rather than,

UNB Tim:
Yeah.

Luke:
um, into them.

UNB Tim:
Yeah, because you don’t want to put out a product that’s not up to your standards. And then people go, what did you do? Why did you do this?

Luke:
Yeah, exactly.

UNB Tim:
So yeah. And I think you’re smart because so many more guys recently are looking for sustainability in their clothing and especially underwear. We’ve had more and more guys list that as one of their important factors when they pick underwear. So it’s good. You’re paying attention to that. And that’s top of mind for you because so many guys want to do that and underwear hasn’t really been that way before. So that’s good to know.

Luke:
Yeah, for sure. You know, I try.

UNB Tim:
Definitely.

Luke:
I’ve got plenty that I can improve on for sure. But you’re right, you know, the men’s market in general is lagging quite far behind the sustainability, inclusivity, diversity that women’s wear is moving

UNB Tim:
Yeah.

Luke:
toward. And I realized that the image that I’ve put out so far hasn’t really touched on a lot of that because like I said earlier, you know, I just haven’t had the budget to hire models. So… I’m aware that all of those things, there’s a lot of work to be done in that area in the menswear market and they’re very much at the front of my mind of where I want to take bold next. I really want to develop into that area. It’s been great to get past level one, but level two, year two is here and it’s really time to start addressing those things and be that change.

UNB Tim:
I think you’re off to a great start. I think you’ll tackle level two really well and then keep going. So I think you’re really smart about what you’re doing and where you’re going. So that’s really good to see. And usually when someone, I’ve discovered this over the years, they’re the face of the brand to begin with. Take a lot more care and effort into the brand because your face is out there with it. So

Luke:
Yeah.

UNB Tim:
you’re going to Pay more attention to the details, more attention to the customer service, everything going on because, you know, when they think of bulge, they think, Luke. So

Luke:
guys.

UNB Tim:
yeah, so you’re doing it really well. So I tip my cap to you, Mr. You’re, I think you’re gonna go far. I think you’re gonna go.

Luke:
Yeah, we’ll see.

UNB Tim:
So fingers crossed, because we’re hopefully get you some new customers and some new people checking you out from the podcast, especially from the States. Most of our guys are here, but we do have some listeners in Australia, which I may talk to you something about after this. So hang on after we get done. No, people, you cannot hear what I’m going to say. So you’ll just have to wait for that. But yeah. So our listeners will just have to wait on that. But you’ll hear it right before we get done. So I guess that wraps it up for me. I can’t think of anything else because we’ve been through a lot of it. I’m sure we’ll have you back on to follow up because I know you’ll have new stuff coming soon and I’d love to get you back on to talk more about your brand and some of the brand side as well because it’s so interesting to see how someone creates a brand and grows a brand and… makes it amazing. So it would be really cool to have you back on in a couple months and catch up. So

Luke:
Yeah,

UNB Tim:
yay,

Luke:
for sure I would love to come back.

UNB Tim:
awesome. Well, if the people don’t already know where they can find your amazing underwear and find you online, where can they find you?

Luke:
So you can find me on Instagram and TikTok. The username is just bulgemenswear, but make sure you spell bulge with a V instead of a U. So it’s B-V-L-G-E menswear on Instagram and TikTok, or you can just head direct to the website, which is www.bulgemenswear.com. Again, spell B-V-L-G-E menswear.com.

UNB Tim:
Go check it out, you’ll see his amazing colors, his styles, and I don’t think you boys will be disappointed at all. So thank you, Luke, again. Thank you for coming on. It was great having you.

Luke:
No problem, thank you for having me.

UNB Tim:
And we’ll have more podcasts for you soon, people. Have a good week, people. Bye.