We just have a few more weeks of swimwear season. If you need some swimwear to round out the summer, check out Sluggers. They have some amazing designs and fit great.

Aussie swimwear companies are releasing their summer styles. This is a good thing and bad thing for us in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s good because we get to take out time to pick out some amazing swim. And it’s bad because we suffer through the cold, rain and snow wishing for warmer weather.

Sluggers is a company I have come to love over the last year. Their philosophy and style have won me over. I bought a pair a while back and love what they do! It’s a company I hope you guys all will check out. If’ you’re not a fan of super fun prints this won’t be for you but it you are, I think you will love it.

The new print is called Little Pricks. It’s a pink background with little green Cactus on it! It’s a super fun print. It was designed for Sluggers by a customer and Instagram friend Vageli. Which is so awesome.

It’s going to be tough to figure out which of the Sluggers I want for this coming year!!

Pair: Sluggers Little Prick
Color: Print as seen
Fabric: polyester and spandex
Sizes: X-Small – X-Large
Price: $34.58

NOTE comes in classic, Deetees and Racer back, the price and link is for the Deetees

Wishing it was still swimwear weather? In Australia, it’s becoming summer fast. One company I love the designs is Sluggers. If you haven’t checked them out you need to now!

One of our favorite Aussie swimwear companies has released a really awesome new print. Sluggers have a new camo. It’s not the traditional or the digital camp. It’s their own interpretation of the print. It’s actually pretty damn cool.

It’s a green print camo that is more abstract than anything. It’s for the camo lover and the guy who may not be 100% on board with camo. I think there will be plenty of guys who are not keen on the print normally, to give this one a try. As you can see it’s one of the more unique ways that camo has been presented. I tip my hat to Sluggers.

This pair is as always available in Classic, Deetees and Racer styles. All their styles come in these, and if you aren’t sure which style you should get, the Sluggers site will help you determine it. They suggest that us US Blokes get the Deetees. But, I say explore your options and try them all!

Check out the new pair at Sluggers site!

Pair: Sluggers Camo
Color: Print
Fabric: High Clo elastane
Sizes: X-Small – X-Large
Price: All three styles are $35.71 (with current exchange rate)

As we finally get some fall temps up here in the States, Australia is about to enter summer. Aussie brand Sluggers is releasing some cool new pairs. One in particular that caught my eye was the new Cherry Bomb. It makes you wish we had a longer summer (but only to rock this on a beach), but I guess we still have Miami, San Diego and Hawaii!

The new print is just super fun. I think Australian brands have a lot more fun with patterns and prints. They all seem like they love to have fun and not take things so seriously. I think Sluggers is one brand that really does prints and patterns very well. They range from the traditional to the fun.

Another awesome thing about Sluggers is it’s available in three different styles. The Classic, Deetees, and Racer back. That means you can get the same print in different cuts. One thing that I hate is when you find the perfect print and it’s not in your favorite style. Sluggers you can get the bigger cut, regular and smaller , as I like to say.

Check out the Cherry Bomb and all the new styles at Sluggers! You won’t be disappointed.

We are joined but what you could call a swim brief expert, Adam from Sluggers Swimwear. We have profiled Sluggers on the site. But, for those who don’t know, Sluggers is an Aussie brand of swimwear. Adam, the man in charge, agreed to talk to us about swim briefs and the difference between the US and Australia.

Thanks for joining us, Adam. For as long as I can recall, swim briefs have been a part of life in Australia. I would see the life guards competing in them and the beach at Bondi with most guys wearing them. Why do you think is not a big deal to wear a swim brief there?

You might be amazed to hear this – but swimming in daylight hours on Aussie beached used to be illegal! The laws were only changed a few years before World War One. We have come a long way.

Like you pointed out – our lifeguards wear them. Old blokes wear them. Kids wear them. Even our ex-Prime Minister wears them at his local beach where he is a regular patrolling Life Guard.

If anything in Australia Sluggers are quite daggy. I often refer to Sluggers as being designed for the Fashion Bogan (which I guess is Aussie for Redneck) as that’s the group I identify with! We just show healthy and positive images of fellas wearing them. My whole approach with Sluggers was that we always targeted Men. Just Men. That was our customer – everything else is just a subset of that.

In Australia, we tend to get the Bogan Dads like me and fit young blokes in their late 20s and up who are looking for a good quality pair of swimmers at a reasonable price.

Somewhere along the line in the States Speedos went from being practical sportswear to something else. In America, it feels like you’re making a statement when you’re wearing them, whereas in Australia it’s because you’re going to get wet. It’s definitely a lot to do with how they are marketed.

Americans are also a lot more conservative than Australians when it comes to swimwear. Even your board shorts are a lot longer and baggier than ours, but I think that’s really because so many Americans live so far from the beach the surfwear isn’t really for surfing. We’re so alike in so many ways – but you can really spot the Aussies a mile off on the beach in Waikiki.

Over the last few years have you seen guys keeping the status quo or are guys moving away from the swim briefs?

In Australia, briefs are definitely coming back. Since we started Sluggers Swimwear in 2014, we have really seen an increase on the beach. I think this is partly because of the amount of new brands and styles out there, but also social media has shown fellas that it’s OK to wear them at the beach. I wear them because they are practical. You dry fast. And you get an epic tan line!

I really feel like there is a genuine resurgence in swimmers like our Sluggers. As one of our models recently pointed out, it’s becoming even less of a big deal to rock a pair, and we all think it’s yet to really explode.

It’s got a lot to do with the recent boom in fitness and health for young men. They’re eating better. Exercising a lot more, and drinking less alcohol. They’re proud of themselves, and they have incredible body confidence. When I was growing up very few of my mates had a ‘rig’. Now it’s like every bloke has a rig, and they are keen to get outside and make the most of it.

In the US, we have very few sports stars that would be seen in a swim brief. In Australia do you have rugby or football stars wearing swim briefs on the beach?

All the time! And the louder, the better. There’s an unofficial competition between players as to who can wear the loudest swimmers, and plenty of footy teams go for a dip in the ocean in the middle of winter for a natural ice bath. We have had locker room photos posted by footy players sporting a pair of Sluggers – especially our local team St George.

I’m curious as to how Australian’s see the US and our views on swim briefs?

I reckon you could lighten up a bit. A lot of a marketing for American brands (or brands in America) gets quite ‘soft porny’ so I can get why a lot of blokes feel a bit strange wearing them to the beach. I wouldn’t want to identify with that either – it’s not who I am.

When I think of an American in a “Speedo”, I think of a muscled up bloke in basketball shoes or roller blades listening to a walkman on Venice Beach! Haha! He’s probably wearing a lot of tanning oil as well. It’s a very 80s image.

When I think of an Aussie in Sluggers, he’s being active and having fun in the sun with his family or with his mates – and it’s a very contemporary image. You guys need to turn that image around! Or maybe let me borrow a Walkman next time I am in town … do you still have them?

Owning a swimwear company you sell swimwear to guys around the world. What do you see is the biggest difference between Aussie men and American men wearing swim briefs?

You guys go for the wider sides, and you wear them really high on your hips. In Australia, we wear them straight across the hips and pull them down from the back whereas you guys tend to pull them up at the sides when you come out of the water. (So you can really spot an American a mile away on Bondi Beach!)

To follow up on that question, we have talked about differences between the styles of swim briefs guys like. Your best seller style in Australia is different from the US. What do the Aussie guys prefer? What do US guys prefer? Why do you think there is a difference in preference?

We definitely sell more DEETEES and Classics in America. You guys must do some serious lunges or squats in school sport because Americans have bigger glutes than Aussies and tend to buy the styles made for guys with bigger bums. You can even see it on the images posted on social. You guys are solid!

What Aussie advice do you have to American men who want to wear swim briefs?

Get amongst it, son! Just don’t pull them up too high 🙂

Sluggers released a new line for Summer 18. The Aussie brand is gearing up for their summer! This is Bolters in Classics, Racerbacks and DEETEES. We will have something great from them soon!

I found Sluggers Swimwear, an Australian swimwear company on Instgram. They ran an ad and it piqued my interest. After looking up the brand I was really impressed. They have a great sense of style and believe many things we here at UNB also believe! I missed the call from owner Adam one day but we finally connected. I have to admit his laid back Aussie attitude came through and drives his philosophy in his company.

Adam, tell us why did you start Sluggers Swimwear? What made a bloke want to go into the swim brief business?

Since my late twenties I have been a fan of what Americans call ‘a speedo’. They’re just comfy and practical. Let’s face it – they’re what most Aussie guys wear to the beach or pool. The expensive name brands would lose their shape really fast in my pool, and most of the other brands didn’t carry the kind of prints or colours I wanted to wear. They seemed really conservative. Or they were just covered in logos. Or just looked terrible on me.

I decided to design my own, so I met with lots of very nice people and over the course of about 15 months and a few thousand dollars designed our pattern and prints and launched the online store.

I am still wearing a pair we released in August 2015. It’s survived two Summers of sitting in my backyard pool and spa and looks the same as it did the day I grabbed it off the shelf. I am pretty proud of that.

I am a regular guy. Average build. I am confident with clothes, but not too showy. The philosophy behind our designs is simple – if I wouldn’t wear it we won’t make it.

The crazy part is, people really responded. We’ve managed to make a profit from our first month in business and all the hard work has really paid off.

Sluggers Swimwear has 4 different styles. Why did you decide to do so many styles? What was your reasoning behind this?
Because we’re all shaped differently! And when you get down to three tiny bits of fabric and a string you suddenly get very specific about what you want. In our first season I realised that there were plenty of men into what I was doing, but not all of them fit the pattern. I decided we should make different cuts for different body types. Our customers are really responding to that, and it’s giving a lot of guys confidence because they know the cut is made for them.

On our phone conversation you mentioned that the Deetees do better in the States, why do you think it is more popular than your other styles?

No offence intended – but the beaches and pools in America that I have been to are a little more conservative than the beaches here in Australia. At least that’s my observation. The Classics and Racerbacks have a 5cm side, and that’s starting to get pretty thin for the States.

I think the DEETEES are a great cut for you guys because they aren’t making a big statement. They aren’t skimpy. There’s no bells and whistles. They are what they are. They have a 7cm side and nice coverage.

The DEETEES are made from super soft lycra. That means they feel incredible, but they also don’t hug you in too hard. Put simply – they leave a bit to the imagination. The sides are slightly wider. If you asked me what an entry level pair of Sluggers would be – I’d say the DEETEES.

I’m not sure of you know this, but DEETEES (or D.T.s) is a nickname Aussies and Brits have for swim briefs. It stands for Dick Togs.

I really LOVE the prints you do. How do you find such fun prints? I would dare to say this is the signature of your brand since you don’t have many solids. Would you agree?

I am a big fan of prints for swimwear. If you’re gonna let it all hang out you might as well have some fun. I love that we’ve become known for our prints. We put together the designs in house and then print everything locally. We buy a lot of art from places like Deviant Art and repurpose it for Sluggers. We’ve worked with some of our social media community as well. I love how you can take something that’s gender neutral or even feminine and play with the scale and colour to make it really masculine.

Our Pineapples, for example, are a watercolour design that sticks to different hues of blue. And the Bananas. They’re always a talking point!

Funny thing is though … I don’t really wear bright prints in daily life – just in shorts and Sluggers.

What has been your most popular print?

The most popular ones for us have been our Hokusurf print and the Pineapples. Although we added a print earlier this month that sold out in an hour, so I guess ADD ME is a big one as well. Blue is such an easy wear for guys of every skin tone, so they tend to buy those first.
You also mentioned that in Australia swim briefs are just what guys wear. You have come to the States a few times. What has been the reaction by American’s when you have worn them at beaches/pools/water parks?

I get looked at. The funniest part is when we’re at a resort and you walk up to the Pool bar and you’re almost naked compared to what other guys are wearing.

I do get a bit self conscious, but after a couple of Mai Tais I stop caring.

They really should serve those with breakfast.
We have the Swim Brief Challenge every year. In order to get more guys to wear swim briefs, regardless of age, body size, etc. What advice can you give guys to step out and try a swim brief?

Man up! haha. Seriously though – wear them for a few days and you stop caring. Body confidence for men really kicks in around the mid twenties and stays forever. That’s where our customer is. I don’t have a six pack. I don’t have big muscles. My nickname isn’t ‘Horse’. It’s not about that.

It’s about getting wet and drying off, throwing kids into the air as high as you can in the pool and having a laugh with your mates.

If you’re self conscious just wear them to the beach under your boardies and just wear them when you’re getting wet.

And if someone looks at you funny just smile at them.
In your trips to the States have you ever convinced guys to ditch the board shorts and put on the swim brief?

I don’t think so. If we get drinking with other families I might offer them a free pair. I tend to get lot of messages from Americans on my Instagram feed letting me know that they have started rocking Sluggers in their home town after seeing me in mine all Summer.
Lastly, do you have a favorite style or print in your current line up?
The Banana DEETEES have been my go-to over Summer. Those or the SKULLDUGGERS Classics. It depends on where I am. If I go to a water park with the kids I wear DEETEES. At the beach I am more likely to be wearing Classics.
Where can our readers buy your swim briefs? Or follow you online?

We’re available exclusively online at sluggers.com.au and you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Just google MEN WEAR SLUGGERS.

Thanks heaps for your interest in our little Aussie swimwear company. We really appreciate it.

We discovered a new swimwear company from Australia called Sluggers Swimwear. I found them while surfing through the UNB Instagram feed. They have a great philosophy about swim briefs. That is, they think all guys should wear them. I got a chance to talk to them and I can’t wait to bring you more about them! This suit in the picture is the Deetees Pineapples.