UndiesDrawer is pleased to bring you another in our Exclusive Behind-the-Underwear Interview Series. The purpose of the series is to provide an opportunity to get to know the people in the underwear community, to learn their story and to provide more insight about their company, brand, blog, etc. All of the interviews were conducted by UndiesDrawer Underwear Correspondent Ron, a.k.a. KyUnderwear. We hope you enjoy the series.
Javier Ortega is the 30 year old partner, general manager and designer of GIGO Underwear. Together with Luz Adelaida Cañas, partner and assistant manager and Juan Carlos Ortega, partner in charge of production they bring you 100% Colombian, 100% Latin underwear from Medellin, Colombia.
We sat down recently with Javier to talk about GIGO underwear.
UD: What brand, style and color underwear do you have right now?
JO: I am wearing a 7” Short Boxer from the GIGO Luxury line, more precisely referred to as Cow. It is made of microfiber in a cowhide print – the perfect choice to be comfortable.
UD: What is your favorite pair you own?
JO: I always wear garments from my latest collection. I am passionate about new creations, they are like toys which I always need to be with.
However, I cannot be without the Brazil boxer. It is the one I always have to have in my closet. It was one of the first designs of the brand. It is very sexy, funny, amusing and has remained a great leader in sales. It is definitely one of my favorites. In Colombia, they say that yellow underwear is a lucky color and this boxer is like a talisman for the brand.
UD: What did you do before designing and selling underwear?
JO: I modeled underwear for many years in order to pay for my studies in business administration. When I graduated, I started to work as a sales manager for a women’s clothing designer in my country. He gave me the opportunity to work in a position which required somebody responsible and sensitive, somebody who could and would “read” the market and cater to it.
Modeling became secondary in my life, and business, fashion and design became my overriding interests. These interests combined to lead me to be a businessperson.
UD: How did the idea for GIGO start? How’d you come up with the name?
JO: Even though I had a good position, creativity was tugging at my sleeve while I learned about fabrics, fashion trends and design in my everyday work.
I knew that I had to fulfill the dream that I had at the university. I had to create my own men’s underwear clothing enterprise, which would compete in the world market. In order to bring it about, I had to offer something different that would attract attention and make my creations different from competing designers.
I did not hesitate. I began to study graphic design, quit my job and started the partnership with Luz Adelaida and Juan Carlos. We created high quality designs that departed from the norm and made our merchandise something exclusive, full of energy and risk. We gave the client a kind of underwear different from anything available anywhere -- very personal, very colorful, with very new graphic prints following the trend of street-wear applied to men’s underwear. GIGO underwear is a pioneering brand in the category of men's underwear I like to call "street-underwear."
That’s how GIGO underwear was born -- out of my need to personalize something as important as underwear.
We looked for the name for almost two months. We wanted something with a nice sound, something catchy and that would be easily remembered. We decided on GIGO which is related to GIGOLO, but without the sexual connotation.
Our logo is a wing, which signifies the freedom of each individual.
UD: How long have you been in business?
JO: Almost five years since GIGO underwear first hit the market.
UD: What do you like most about designing and selling underwear?
JO: What I like most about designing is to see the approval of my products. When you succeed and interest people in your product, you are happy knowing that you were able to transmit something positive to others.
I am able to apply my efforts to create something unique, to express my personality and translate it into the underwear.
I like marketing the product because it brings about a sort of cultural exchange and accentuates the similarities among people. It is not important whether you are American, European, Latin, Asian, etc. Some things are universal like happiness, joy and fun, and GIGO underwear speaks this universal language.
UD: What trends do you see in men’s underwear today?
JO: Most definitely, the global market tends to prefer merchandise that lets the consumer feel different, exclusive and special. That’s why I believe that what makes you look different from everybody else is what you should wear.
The graphic language of the men’s underwear is more and more strong.
Luster is very important in fashion whether it is achieved with some shiny prints, stones or satin fabrics or maybe some subtle accents to neutral fabrics.
GIGO underwear offers youthful, funky, and fun merchandise or something sexy and hot without reaching something sexual.
I follow some trends in regular colors, but they don’t constitute all of the collection because I believe that all of us like to be gay all year long and not only on holidays or seasons. And that is GIGO underwear -- joy, fun and positive energy.
My designs are based in a portion of my personality; they are fearless and joyous. I don’t have a specific theme because I believe that moods cannot be limited. I can be inspired in the movie I just saw, by an animal on the verge of extinction, on a world personality, a movie star, a football team or by a country. In other words, my inspiration comes from things or people who are pleasant and fun, always different.
UD: How long did it take to develop the initial design for GIGO underwear and how long did it take to bring it to the market?
JO: Usually, I am always jotting down run of the mill things which attract my attention. For example, colors in nature or the clothing of people walking down the street that strike me as being visually appealing. That is how I decide on the colors for each print.
After I create the designs on my laptop –- which takes about two weeks –- samples are made of each one. These are voted on by a committee, and the production is planned. That entire process lasts about a month and a half before finally going to market three weeks later. So, the process can take two months to hit the market, not counting the “hatching” of the entire collection concept which was done months ago.
UD: When designing the underwear, how did you make sure that the design is comfortable to wear? How many iterations do you have to go through to find the fit you were looking for?
JO: The fit is developed in the planning, according to the kind of garment I designed. Once the patterns are made, they are tried on by different men who wear the same size in underwear. Usually there are three men who wear size medium. It is at this stage that corrections are made until it is perfect.
After we approve the fit, the garment is completely developed, which could be by prints or laundry processes. It is tested again before we start the production to make sure the design is perfect and comfortable and to prove that the fit was not changed in the different processes.
UD: Right now, you offer trunks/boxer-briefs. Do you plan to offer other styles of underwear in the future? Is there a GIGO jock, bikini or g-string on the drawing board?
JO: Our idea has always been to make boxers and t-shirts sets as well as briefs and trunks.
Recently we launched a new line, Luxury, which are the boxers made of microfiber, a new fabric utilizing technological advantages for maximum sensuality and comfort. Previously we had always used cotton/Lycra.
We hope to offer in our next collection something more sexy and “hot” like some jocks, thongs, and g-strings, as well as a new line of beachwear.
UD: What’s the oddest question/request you’ve received about GIGO underwear?
JO: People are always asking when the new collection is coming out. Some customers wear the underwear as if they are collecting it. They also ask where is the brand from and always, with pride, we say it is 100% Colombian, 100% Latin.
UD: What’s next for you and GIGO underwear?
JO: The next step is to solidify our hold on the American market as well as the Asian market. We want the people in the USA to know our website and recognize GIGO as a great brand of underwear for men.
UD: Where can UndiesDrawer readers purchase GIGO underwear?
JO: GIGO underwear is sold in more than 40 countries. We have our website – www.gigo-underwear.com. It is the retail web page and is based in Miami, Florida. And www.gigo.com.co is the wholesale website.
....would like to know if you make a garment called SUSPENSORY...
it's like support for "down there" but not a jock strap! thank you
Posted by: Ken Mendelsohn | September 01, 2009 at 10:24 AM