Sports brand TEAMM8 is taking the concepts of diversity and inclusion to the next level this fall with its first ever gender-neutral gear, TEAMM8 ONE. The new capsule leisure wear collection showcases three tones from its top-selling Skin underwear line ⎯ Amazing, Gorgeous and Stunning ⎯ redesigned as track pants, hoodies and track shorts. All pieces in the collection can be worn by all genders, because whether one’s pronouns are They, He or She, everyone demands to feel seen, heard and respected this season.
“TEAMM8 ONE is an extension of our Skin line,” Michal Nicolas, the brand’s founding director, confirms. “’Skin’ reflects the beauty of all people from all races and emphasizes how differences should be embraced rather than challenged. The same message applies in our ‘ONE’ collection but its focus is on celebrating gender.”
“Both collections are about finding the strength and determination to be comfortable in the skin we are in and to recognize that true community is found in coming together as one,” he continues. “Today’s generation is shunning antiquated beliefs on identity, sexuality and gender and we’re playing this game of life by our own rules.”
The TEAMM8 ONE campaign was shot in Sydney, Australia. TEAMM8 gathered models of different ethnicities, ages and genders and shot them in gear that matched their skin tones. They then allowed the models to choose tones they wanted to try. “We learned there is power in embracing skin that is different from one’s own,” Nicolas says. “It opens minds.”
Michal Nicolas launched TEAMM8 from his living room in 2008 with a simple website and two styles of men’s underwear. In the beginning, he operated and managed every facet of the business on his own. That quickly changed as his designs acquired a large following, especially in the USA. Today, the line has grown to include a wide range of underwear styles, swimwear and athletic wear.
“The world is a very different place today than when we launched fourteen years ago,” Nicolas reflects.
Being a boutique brand has allowed TEAMM8 the flexibility to adjust to his customers’ changing needs and preferences. “We’ve always based are decisions on authenticity. Our core customer is the ‘everyday champion,’ not necessarily an athlete. They are champions in whatever fields they choose to play on.”
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In addition to its Skin and ONE lines, TEAMM8 recently introduced its first Bamboo Collection. The collection includes a bikini brief and a matching T-Shirt, as well as the brand’s first ever boxer short. A boxer short and matching rib tank were also added to TEAMM8’s classic underwear line.
For more risqué looks, TEAMM8 has released its AERIAL brief and jock, featuring see-through mesh in brooding dark hues and its SPARTACUS line of super bold and colorful sports brief, jock and thongs. The label is also re-releasing its best-selling SCORE collection (with its sheer peek-a-boo design across the sides of the brief and jock) and the ICON sports brief, jock and thong, in exciting vibrant colors.
“Our customers don’t follow trends, they drive them,” Nicolas sums up. “They demand gear that allows them to stand out from the crowd.”
