Guys' Underwear Blog

Find out why the guys behind Todd and Terry think “Sun and Surf” is the life, Hawaiian shirts can have more than one use, and underwear should be like a waiter.

I’m thrilled to bring you guys an interview with Todd and Terry founders, John Ioannou and Greg Shand.

Amongst other subjects, they spill the beans on what we can expect from T&T in the near future.

It’s a Guys’ Underwear Blog exclusive!

Q: How did you two meet?

John: Originally we were introduced through a mutual friend, Antony, and we ended up working together in the Advertising/Publishing world. We worked together there for around five years.

Q: Do you both handle separate functions for Todd and Terry, or is there an overlap? What are you both in charge of?

Greg: John controls finance, marketing and the day-to-day running of the business. I manage design, production and QC. Our roles never really overlap as we have enormous respect for each other and never interfere in each others roles. We’re too busy doing our own thing to be crossing into another department. There’s nothing worse than the “five minute expert.” We have totally open discussions and regularly have a difference of opinion with the final decision falling to the person in charge of that area. If we’re at logger heads over a decision, it goes to the “most passionate.” To this point in time neither of us have pulled the “most passionate card” at the same time….stay tuned!!

Q: Tell us a little bit about the history of Todd and Terry.

John: Accident or Brilliant Strategy? Depends on who we are telling the story to!
I suppose it was a combination of circumstances. Really it was Greg’s plan over a number of years to create something like this. In a fairly dramatic move, he resigned from work, sold up, and moved to Bali to live the dream. You know…Sun and Surf!

He was forever working on his designs and fashion seemed like the ideal creative outlet….and a possible business venture. On a trip to Bali to visit my old mate, I had a look at some of Greg’s work and was very impressed. We talked about the idea of doing something together (maybe it was too many beers!), but left it at that.

I came back to Melbourne to find a mock “Job Application” from Greg, to join Todd and Terry. (The name is another story)  Once everyone else had told us we were crazy to do this, it confirmed our decision to go ahead. I resigned from my job and we started working on the business plan.

Q: How are your designs created? Who designs them?

Greg: I design them, mostly from scratch. Inspiration can come from the strangest places or events..or in one case an old Hawaiian shirt. The main focus is to see each garment attract the eye and have consumer appeal. By that I mean when a consumer is shopping for underwear, he has a choice of every color in the spectrum with fancy elastic. It always struck me as strange that guys will wear printed T’s, colorful board shorts and swimwear, checkered and striped shirts and pants….although they always wore plain colored underwear. Women have always worn something special as underwear. We’re doing well because our designs could be adapted to outer clothing, especially T’s.

Q: You currently have four collections of ranges, including Solids, Classics, Asian and 70s. Any others on the horizon we can look forward to?

Greg: More variety and color. Can’t give too much away, but we’re working on a new range now that are really colorful in an interesting way, and we’ve also got a new style in the pipeline that we’ll launch with the new designs.

Q: A large amount of underwear and swimwear brands coming out right now are based in Australia. Why do you think that is? Do you think that Aussies can do it better than the rest, when it comes to this industry?

Greg: That’s a great question, the same question was asked about surfwear 30 years ago; “Why do the Australians do it so well?” Without a doubt, America is the biggest and toughest market to take on. You have to be doing everything 101%. If you don’t, there’s another brand nipping at your heels. The number of established and new brands in the US market is astonishing..and they’re all doing a great job. Our strength may come from geographically being so far away from the US that we don’t see all the new players and we’re not that influenced by whats in the marketplace at any one time. We have to innovate and we have to be original. We just do our own thing and the world is embracing us. Either way it’s fantastic for Australian brands to be recognized by the US market.

Q: While still a fairly new brand, Todd and Terry has been met with an incredible amount of enthusiasm so far. How does this make you both feel?

Greg: Honestly….it’s amazing, I find it difficult to articulate without sounding like I’ve won an academy award. Sometimes I pinch myself. To read the reviews and feedback we’re receiving is very flattering. It sure makes getting out of bed a lot more enjoyable.

John: Whilst we have had a lot of fun, it has also been a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. So it is really encouraging to get such positive recognition. But we also know that in fashion, you are only as good as your current collection so we certainly don’t get complacent.

Q: In addition to underwear, you also sell swimwear and sleepwear. Do you plan to branch into any other types of garments?.

Greg: At this stage we really have our hands full and we’re not planning to branch out into other style of garments. We are developing more of the underwear line and next year we’ll have a more complete swimwear range. We’ve put the sleepwear on hold until we have the time to give it 100%. The success of our underwear and swimwear has meant that the time we would have allocated to sleepwear has been absorbed by them.

Q: What do each of you look for when trying on underwear yourselves, both in style and fit?

Greg: Sex, sex, sex…they’ve got to look sexy, they’ve got to be an eye magnet, they’ve got to have that look, so the person you’re with says “Wow..I Iove them…where did you get them?” They’ve got to say, I’m an individual.

Fit. I want to forget I’ve got them on. Good fitting underwear has got to be like a good waiter, you just don’t even notice them.

John: Not as many people see mine as they do Greg’s, so for me, whilst look and style is important, it’s about comfort all over! That means all the detail has to be right…fabric quality, elastic quality and width, labels and tags (they can drive you mad!), stitching, and the all-important pouch!

Q: What is currently your most popular range of underwear? swimwear?

John: Our Trunk was our biggest seller, although the Brief now sells equally as well. Design-wise there are a few. Jason and Godfrey are regularly in the top few and Hamish Orange is the one that seems to always being re-ordered.

Greg: The Zip-Trunk in the swimwear is a classic and always popular. It’s got a 50s look with the small zip pocket. The better sellers are Bora Bora, Laguna and Tulum Beach. Living in a hot climate I have one of all our designs so I wear them regularly and the comments I receive around the pool are very flattering!

Q: Tell us a little about the fabrics you use for your brand. Do you plan on changing it up in the future, or does the success in Todd and Terry lie in the current fabric you use?

Greg: Our fabric is 95% cotton and 5% spandex. Importantly we’ve developed it so it doesn’t pill and the white will stay white longer. Anyone that’s worn Todd and Terry will testify that the fabric still retains its shape at the end of the day. I wish the success of Todd and Terry was as simple as just having great fabric. We’ve already done that! Its the fit, elastic, designs, marketing, finances and timing. There’s so many individual parts that go into Todd and Terry that not one thing could be the catalyst for success, although on the other hand, if you get one wrong…it could be your demise!!!

Q: Besides purchasing it through your website, www.toddandterry.com, where else can our readers find Todd and Terry, both online and in person?

John: In the US, the list is growing by the day and as we write, there are three new websites preparing to place orders as well as five new Mens specialty stores. (Three on the East Coast and two on the West).

We are currently available in select Nordstrom stores, Skivvies Dallas (Store and Online), Body Jock Co, LASC, de Marchin, In-Jean-Ious, Conquette, International Jock, Universal Gear, Maison 24, Underbriefs.com, Bravo, Packagesz4Men, Atlas Shops and Wonderwear.

Q: What can our readers look forward to from your brand in the next year?

Greg: Our stretch boxer is starting to see the light of day!! It’s designed for guys that don’t want to wear the typical old boring boxer that looks like it’s made from business shirt cloth that didn’t sell. They’re made from 100% cotton in a slim fit, although they still have that Boxer feel and comfort and are designed to be worn under fitted clothing. A more extensive swimwear collection, more designs and more styles.

John: We are planning on a load of activity in working with our customers on promotions, selected sponsorships, as well as some strategic promotional alliances with like-minded businesses. Also under wraps (for the moment) is a unique online promotional competition, which is going to be a lot of fun.

For more information on Todd and Terry, visit the brand’s official website, www.toddandterry.com.