When did Slick It Up start?
Slick It Up started as a spandex based fetish wear company about 14 years ago.
How would you define the brand?
The brand originally started as spandex fetish hoods, hence the logo. Up until this year the brand exclusively dealt with stretch based materials, but we’ve grown into non-stretch button down shirts and shorts and jumpsuits.
Who is the Slick It Up customer?
The Slick It Up customer is a person looking to celebrate their life, enjoy the body that god has given them and to experience it fully.
Do you wear the clothes?
Of course!
How do you find such hunky models?
The models often approach the photographers. If someone is especially unique I may approach them.
How do you feel that your brand carries on the spirit and traditions of gay people?
It’s a very bold brand, when we first started, other fetish brands made fun of us for being spandex based and even colorful. That alone is the gay experience. I never backed down, and the success of the brand speaks to the fact that other people appreciated our nerve and wanted something like what me make for themselves.
How do your clothes empower the people who wear them?
People can relate to our brand. We’re not trying to to be something we’re not. We’re not some toxic masculine affectation. We’re very happy and enjoy living. People like that strong sense of self and that empowers them.
What are your favorite aspects of the brand?
I’m really into color. I’m also really into butt. I personally just don’t care about dick, at all. I’m pretty much a bottom and for whatever reason I just don't care. I never even consider to look at it. There are a lot of people like me and they feel like FINALLY something for me— ASS oriented sexy clothes :)
Have you worked with Tom of Finland Foundation before?
In the 90s I went to TOM House on thanksgiving and we handed out food to the homeless on skid row in full Tom of Finland gear.
I can definitely see a connection between your brand, and the Tom’s man. How has Tom inspired your line in the past? The way you present your brand?
As a kid in college I actually made paintings fusing Tom of Finland with He man and Gi JOE so for them to come to me now and ask to do a collaboration is full circle.
OK, let’s talk about the new line. It’s epic! Who reached out to who about the collab? Thank you! Joakim [of Tom of Finland Store] reached out to me as we worked together when I did the Skeletor Saves Charity event. He got Helmut Lang to make a piece for the auction which was fantastic.
I’m digging the vibrant summer colors— hot pink, electric blue, orange… How did you decide on that color scheme?
Those are all our favorite colors. Hot pink is our number one color, turquoise, purple, pastels are our palette.
And the images are iconic. I can definitely see the connection between the images and water: the beach, sailors… what inspired you about those images enough to put them in your line?
We went through all the images available to us at the Foundation and choose our faves that were also usable. There are a lot of other images we liked but not many people can wear a giant dick on their t shirt so we had to make the purchasable too.
It seems like you’re working with a few themes… nautical, tropical, sunset, lifeguard… can you break down each concept for us?
SUMMER VIBES SUMMER COLLECTION ;)
There are four collectors swimsuits as of now, and they really are pieces of living art— do you recomend collectors hang these suits on their wall, or wear them into the pool?
HA, why not both!
What else is coming that’s not posted on the site, that we can expect coming soon?
The t shirts were just added, a ten piece collection that I think you'll love, check them out!
If you were to advise a person on how to wear your brand, what would you say?
Whichever way makes you happy :)
Any fun summer plans?
Were headed to Laguna Beach for the 4th, London, Mykonos, Istanbul...
Fun! How do you define sexy?
Confidence and nerve and honesty.
Jamison Karon is the author of How to Be a Faggot, and creator of the series and short film Sorry You're Sad. He is a screenwriting fellow at the American Film Institu
