Interview with Andrew Christian, underwear designer

Get the knives out. Dish is about to be served. Outrageous. Are you kidding? I've been inside only one woman after I was born. The Statue of Liberty. Provocative. If it's a pain in the ass, honey, you're not doing it right. Pop culture. Meanwhile, she's on the cover of Us Weekly. Dating. Boyfriends are like jobs. Except he probably stopped sucking after a year. Wicked. What do I look for in a guy? My dick. Smart. Sexy. Contemporary. I mean, I can't. Porn Again, the podcast. Hi, everyone. Welcome to Porn Again, the podcast. I'm Josh Sabara, and my guest today is sportswear czar. Can I call you a czar? Sure. Nobody uses that word anymore, so I'm bringing it back. Andrew Christian. Andrew Christian. The smart and handsome designer of the world's sexiest underwear, among other things. His brand has become iconic worldwide, not just for his designs and quality, but also the sexy models whom we will be talking about. Welcome, Andrew. Yay. I'm excited to be here. Thank you so much for coming. As you've probably heard before I get into real conversation, there are always a few things annoying me during the week that I have to get into. Of course. But the good news I want to report first. Is that Sinead O'Connor has been found. Was she missing? Well, that's exactly my point. Is she still alive? She is, but and I didn't even know she'd gone anywhere. And apparently now she's living in this in this town called Wilmot, which is right. It's Chicago adjacent in Illinois. And she had gone out on a bike, apparently with a pink basket in the front. I don't know why I know that detail, but that's what she was riding. And she hadn't been heard from in a while. And they have found her safe. Can we make her go away again? That's what I was going to say. Why did anyone look? Why did anyone look? The other thing that I think is funny that's going on because it's the Cannes Film Festival, as you probably know. So, you know, everybody's come out of the woodworks. They're talking about their new movies. They're showing up at events that they have no business at. Everybody's everywhere. And Susan Sarandon continues to open her mouth everywhere. And I guess Ronan Farrow, Mia Farrow's son with Woody Allen. And even though I suspect that Frank Sinatra could be the father, but that's just me. But he wrote an essay for the Hollywood Reporter about his father. That was a very strong essay, supposedly, that talks about his father having molested his little sister. Allegedly having molested his little sister. And Susan Sarandon spoke up about it and really came out against Woody Allen. And she's like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Now, my feeling is that's not really what she's there for. Like, why doesn't she just, like, can't she just act? I mean, am I wrong? I mean, like, how would she even know this is true or. I don't know. Why is she getting involved? I mean, I think it's great to use your celebrity to bring your voice to like something you really believe in. Only if it's something we agree with. Right. If we don't agree with it, they should shut up. Right. To like social issues and, you know, things like that. But this, you know. I just don't understand. It's like, what good does it, like, what purpose does it serve to have anything negative to say about someone else unless you're me? But anyway, I just feel like she is constantly out there with her politics and getting in Twitter fights with Debra Messing and Rosie O'Donnell. And it's like, I just want to be like, grow up, act. You know, if you want to do something constructive, give us an explanation for the movie Tammy. Or why you made. The movie The Meddler. And stop talking about everyone else. Okay. So the other thing I think is funny is Justin Bieber. He put up an official social media post saying that he'll no longer take photos with fans in public. And apparently one of the big comments was that a lot of fans feel like they spent the money on his albums. And, you know, they spend money on his merchandise. And the least he could do if they see him in public is take the picture. To which he says, for your money, you get an album or the merchandise. So you're not entitled to more. What do you think about that? I mean, that's such a douche comment. Right. You know what I mean? If it wasn't for the fans who support him, he wouldn't be there. Right. Now, I agree that there are times that it's not appropriate. Or, you know, I get that there's a line. But to have an across-the-board policy as a celebrity. I mean, I'm sure it gets tiring after a while. But it's better than the alternative is nobody gives a shit about you. Right. Which is on its way to happening for him. Yeah, you can say it. Please, you can say anything here. We haven't even started. Yeah, nobody's going to give a shit about Justin Bieber in about two minutes. He's like on his way to Aaron Carter territory. Okay, so then we also have rapper and nobody, Azalea Banks, who's constantly like hurling slurs at everybody. And now she's focused her attention on former One Directioner Zayn Malik. And apparently she misunderstood one of his tweets, thinking it was directed at her. And she went on a homophobic and racist tirade. So she has a history of this kind of behavior. So there's been a petition to get her off of Twitter. Now, obviously, the things she's saying are not things we want floating around. But what is your feeling on that? Like, do you think that she should be taken off Twitter? Or do you think people should just be able to say whatever they want and other people respond however they want? People can't get taken off Twitter, can they? I don't know. I assume, I guess, I think if like it's, I think if it's really damaging hate speech or constant that they probably could. Right. You know, or maybe just retire her handle. I don't know how that works, but. I mean, I definitely don't agree with what she's saying in her message. But, you know, I don't know if it's right to ban her from Twitter, you know. What about just banning her from the world? Yes. Maybe she and Sinead O'Connor could have a picnic somewhere. Right. And then I also hear, this is kind of interesting, that, did you hear that Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne are potentially splitting up after 30 years? Why? Why at this point? Like, really? Well, apparently he was having an affair. I don't know if it was a sales girl. Allegedly, again, I just want to be very careful to say allegedly, having an affair. I don't know if it was a sales girl or something somewhere, a nail salon, something. And she found out about it. And from what I have read, she wants him in a sex addiction clinic. Now, when I've seen him, and I've seen him in person many times, and he doesn't seem coherent enough to me to even know where to stick anything. Right. I mean, my first thought is, can you even get it up? Well, that's what I'm not understanding. Like, I don't get it. So anyway, these are just things going through my head right now. So anyway, on to you. So tell me, where did you grow up? I grew up in Fresno, California. Okay. So not far, not too far from. Yeah, halfway between LA and San Francisco. So how often as a kid did you come to LA? Would you come back and forth, or were you really just sort of stationed? I grew up there. I didn't start coming to Los Angeles until I was a teenager. And what was your home life like? Brothers, sisters? I'm the only child. Really? Yeah. And I'm not spoiled at all. No? You sure? I'm very sure. So what was your family life like? Your parents? What were your parents like? Give me a little background. It was pretty normal, you know? Pretty normal upbringing. I was definitely interested in fashion at a young age. The highlight of my week was there used to be a show on CNN called Style with Elsa Clinch. Okay, Elsa Clinch. And it showed all the runway shows, and that was like my highlight for the week. So my parents definitely knew I was a gay child. Okay, so that was part of what I was going to ask you. When? Did you actually come out, or did they just sort of, was it just such a, you were basically wearing a banner? Like, how did it unfold for you? I didn't come out until I was 20 years old when I was actually dating somebody, and I thought, okay, I better tell them now. But were you active at all before then, or you kind of waited till then, and was that like the first person you were dating, or that was, you had met other people before that? I had messed around. I had messed around. I had messed around. I had messed around with a few friends in high school, but it didn't really turn into like, it wasn't a relationship type of thing. Because I never, I didn't come out until I was 31. I was a virgin until I was 31. Really? Because I always say I made up for lost time. Uh-huh. But I always felt, and people said, well, what were you doing behind everyone's back? Like what were, and I wasn't, you know, I just, I wasn't comfortable for whatever reason. So I wasn't doing it. So I'm always so envious of people who at least had the guts to go and try it out. Right. I mean, I think I was still trying to figure it out. of figure it out for myself and, you know, thought I could date women. Have you ever dated a woman? Yeah. You have? Yeah. Have you had sex with a woman? In high school, I did. You say it like it's a bad thing. Obviously, it wasn't good enough to continue doing. Correct. So was your first sexual experience with a woman or was it? No. No. Okay. That's good. Yeah. My first sexual experience was with a guy. Good. Okay. I'm happy to hear that. So I went back to guys. Good. You just sampled. I have a few friends that went that path that sort of weren't sure. I knew when I was in kindergarten that there was something different. It wasn't like I didn't really understand sexuality. So I didn't have a, I didn't really have an understanding of what exactly it was that was different. But there's just this thing that I knew. And I knew that like my sister was two years older and the kids like in her class, like I would look at the little boys in her, like I just knew that I was interested in them and not, did you have that or no? I mean, I definitely knew I was attracted to guys, you know, there's just that they just do it for you, you know? Believe me. I know. I know. So I read somewhere that you would make your own clothes to wear to school. I would. Well, my goal every week. My goal every week was to make my own outfit to wear to these underground clubs I used to go to when I was in high school. So how did you even know about the underground clubs? I wouldn't even know. I wouldn't even know. Like I, my finger wasn't on the pulse of anything. I don't know. Where'd you find out about them? You have friends and somebody talks and tells you about this and that and then. Okay. All right. So these underground clubs, so you'd, you'd make clothes to wear there. Right. So that was my goal every week. So I'd make clothes for myself or my friends. And then we'd, you know, go out. And then one time somebody came up to me. He's like, oh, I like your shirt. Where'd you get it? And I'm like, oh, I made it. And he's like, oh, you should sell them at my store. So then I started making clothes, selling them on consignment. I was like, oh, wow, I can make money doing this. Maybe I should go to school and learn how to really do this. Now wait, how old were you at that point? I was 16. So did you, did you, did you feel that you sort of had, like, did you feel like you'd be, did you have any idea of what you wanted to do? Like that you wanted to do something? Something entrepreneurial at that age? Or was it sort of the suggestion of this guy? It was more just the artistry of, like, making clothes and creative process is what I loved. Okay. So it wasn't really the business. No. That was your thing. Okay. So what kinds of clothes? So describe some of these clothes to me that you were making. Oh, my God. They were horrible. They were horrible. When I look back on it, they were hot glue gun together. But like with what? Like what, like what was on them? Like what would one, what would it look like? And this was for a, these were for clubs. So obviously they were flashy and. Yeah. Yeah. Mirrors. I mean, you name it, like pretty out there stuff. Are there photographs that exist anywhere? I don't think so. Okay. That's too bad. So did other students, so at what point then did you transition from making them just for the clubs to wearing your own things to school? Because I'm kind of curious how other kids took to that. Like did, did people. Sort of celebrate you for that or were you bullied or like what? I was, I was definitely like the outsider weird kid. And do you ever feel now like, oh, look at my huge company? Yeah. Assholes. Right. Well, you know, living well is the best revenge. It is. It is. So, so, so was your family accepting? So when you came out at 20, I mean, obviously, like you said, there was enough going on that they kind of knew. That you were gay. Right. Were they accepting of it? Definitely. Definitely. Very accepting. Always very positive of, of, you know, I wanted to pursue fashion. And they were always like, well, that's what you have to do for the rest of your life. So you better love it. So there was no out for you. Like they sort of, they're like, if you're going to do this, you're doing it. Yeah. And then even though you were making these clothes, was the moment that you realized that you actually had a talent for it, when this gentleman suggested you sell them in the store, were you like, oh, that, I mean, like that, did that sort of lend some credibility to your design work? I think it gave me a little more confidence, you know? And then, you know, actually when I started like receiving the checks and the cash and the money, I was like, oh, wow. Well, I really like doing this and I can make money doing this. Like, I'm going to do more of this. Let me like, like I need, I should go to school and learn how to do this. Yeah. So what, at what speed was the stuff selling? Like were you, were you like, you were at 16, you're clearly going to school and then creating. Yeah, this is what I was doing like on the weekends and. So how much of your free time was spent doing that? Was like every minute you making clothes? Pretty much, pretty much. That's so fascinating to me. So then when did you move to Los Angeles? I moved to Los Angeles right after high school. Okay. To go to fashion school. Okay. Where'd you go? I went to LA Trade Tech. Okay. Which is sort of the lesser known fashion school in LA. It's not very glamorous, but. It isn't. I learned what I needed to learn. I was going to say, you were already on your way. I mean, fashion school is a formality is what it sounds like to me. It was. I mean. It was. You know. So what did, did you feel, did you feel that your style and your technique sort of evolved because of that? Or do you feel like, all right, I went, I have the piece of paper that says I went and I'm still doing what I would. I've done before. It definitely gave me a better foundation to do what I do today that I didn't have prior to that. Like in what ways? Like, what is it that's. I just. What do you really learn that's. I mean, I learned a lot. A certain stitch. I learned a lot of technical aspects as far as like construction and pattern making and, and whatnot. So yeah, it definitely helps. And was there anything with, from school that sort of changed the way you saw what kinds of things you were doing? Yeah. I mean, I think it was a lot of things you were going to design because obviously every, your business has, which we'll get to, but it's sort of really changed because you were doing a lot of more sportswear kind of things and then it evolved more into underwear. Right. I mean, it definitely exposed me to a lot more possibilities that I didn't know were out there as far as design and construction and whatnot. Okay. So the clothing line actually started in 97. Am I right? It did. It did. So you're in your late teens then. Yeah. So explain how that happens in your late teens and the launch of a clothing line. I mean, I was just a... Because at that age, I was just studying math, but, but tell us. I was just a hustler. I mean, I would run around town, run around Los Angeles with my samples, trying to sell them in any little shop I can get them into. And yeah, I mean, I put my way through school by selling clothing in LA at different boutiques. And did you, and then in terms of the design, what was the first thing that you did? I mean, I think it was the design, like your logo, which is that sort of non-denominational cross. Right. Which I understand the Christian part, but what, like, where did that come from? Did you have that professionally designed? Like, how did you even know at that point that you needed to brand yourself in a certain way? Well, I definitely wanted to, you know, my name, Andrew Christian, I wanted to, you know, have a cross in it, but I didn't want it to have any sort of religious connotation to it. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. How I came up with the logo. And did you come up with it yourself or did you actually have somebody? I came up with a concept. And is it the same one that exists now? Like, from the beginning? It's very similar. Yeah. A friend of mine helped me execute it. But, yeah. That's so fascinating to me that you, like, at that age, like, knew to do that, knew that there needed to be a consistent label. I love that. So how does someone go about actually doing that? How does someone go about actually doing that? launching a brand at that point? Where did the means come from to do that? Because you obviously needed to be buying materials. So you're selling some of the clothes on consignment, but you obviously needed to buy materials, have labels printed, have labels made. You couldn't have been making everything at that point. No, no. But definitely all the money I would make would all go back into the company. It took a long time to grow the company. There was many, many years of struggling and barely making it. But where do you even think to know, like, okay, I have to find people who can turn this out or I need to find a factory that can do this. How do you even go about finding the places to execute your vision? Just networking and sourcing. But I wouldn't even know where to start. I'd be like, can somebody find out? So what do you do? Pick up a phone book? Pick up a phone book or just walk around and just walk through buildings and pop your head into different shops. And how did you know what shops? Did you know to target specific places with the kinds of material you were making? Just to see what other products they were making and whatnot and if they could execute what I wanted to do. And did you have an idea at that point? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. At that point, whether, like, what kinds of stores you, like, did your style sort of evolve to match certain stores you liked or did it happen the other way? It happened the other way. I mean, I was definitely making stuff that I wanted to wear when I started. Stuff that wasn't out there that I would like to wear, so. So what wasn't out there? What was missing? There really wasn't any fashion forward clothing that was still form-fitting and complementary to the male body. Got it. All right. Well, you certainly have cornered the market on that now. So you design now, there's all kinds of sportswear, swimwear, undergarments, like from hoodies, tanks, caps, like you need jock straps. I mean, you know, top to bottom, as it were. So what is your favorite item, type of item to design? Like as a designer, like what is it that gets you most, you know, juiced up and excited? I like designing everything. I mean, for me, it's about the creative process. But is there one thing that gives you a little more, like, you know, is a jock strap as interesting to design as a, I don't know, a hoodie or a, you know, some other kind of like pant, you know, a swimsuit more interesting? Because more people, you know, more people are going to see the swimsuit than will probably see someone's underwear. Right. I would have to say I like doing sportswear, you know, what I originally started out doing. And so how much of your line, percentage-wise now, how much of your line is, your lines are that versus the underwear? Underwear is about 50% of the collection. And then the rest of it, including swimwear, is just a little bit more interesting. So swimwear is just a little bit more interesting. So swimwear is just a little bit more interesting. So swimwear is just a little bit more interesting. Sportswear is a portion. Sportswear is a portion. Sportswear is a portion. Got it. Okay. So the underwear came in in 2006, if I'm right. Yeah. Okay. So what was that? How did that get into your, like, how were you like, okay, this is the next thing? Underwear had been something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. And I actually tried to launch an underwear collection two or three years before that. But it didn't take, the original underwear collection was taking like really cool old vintage t-shirts and like reconstructing them into underwear. Oh, that's cool. Which it was, they were really cool, but they were. So how does that not take off? They were like super expensive because each one had to be hand cut and placed and. When you say super expensive, like what would that be? They were like a hundred dollars. But I think there are people out here who would buy that. Are there any of those pieces that exist still? I think I have a few. In the vault. Oh, so I wouldn't be able to buy a pair. No. Because those sound great. I wish I would have kept like, looking back on my career, I wish I would have kept more pieces over the years. So what do you, what, like, what do you most wish had worked that didn't? Like, do you think that is that underwear? What, like, if you could go back, would you, is there anything you'd pull out of the archives and try to reintroduce now that the marketplace is different? Because I feel like now you could get, you could get people to spend money like that. I think everything happens for a reason and it got me where, where I am today. So. All right. Well, I still want a pair of those. So. But I do wish I would have kept like more pieces that I designed over the years. And like. For the museum. Yeah. Like kept a vault because even sometimes I'll see somebody wearing something. I'm like, oh my God, I forgot. Like I designed that. I'm like, oh my God, that's really cute. So you, so you realize later what a good job you did. Yes. Okay. So the brand is worldwide. Is that right? It is. So is there, are there particular places or regions where particular things perform better than others? Like, do you see the underwear or certain kinds of underwear performing better in certain places? Definitely. We do. Give us some stats on that. We're really, we're really big in Japan. No pun intended. So is David. Hasselhoff. And Alyssa Milano's singing career. But it's weird. Like in Japan, they like the really wild kinky underwear. Like the web thongs and like anything that's kind of looks a little tricky and a little out there. Why do you think that is? I think because societally they're very conservative. Okay. And it's very, very strict. And that's their way of, you know. Sort of lashing out. Not conforming. And I don't mean lashing out, but yeah, it's sort of like, you know, letting themselves go a little bit. That's so interesting. But they're the only ones who know it, you know? That's so fascinating. And what about the UK? UK's good for us. Do they? Because I feel like it would at least the people that whom I have dated from the UK, they are very reserved, but then they can be kind of wild in bed. I don't know if what your experience has been, but I have found that. So I find that they're, again, pretty reserved clothing wise, but then underneath I've seen all kinds of things. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So do you find that that's, that the underwear, is the underwear the best seller there too in terms of the line or? Underwear is definitely the best seller in the UK. Yeah. And what, is there a specific style or line of the underwear that is, that does particularly well there? Pretty much everything. And what about versus here? Yeah. It's pretty similar actually. Like that's what I'm trying to find. Like, are we really more conservative than everyone else? It's actually pretty similar. Really? Yeah. All right. Okay. So then in terms of marketing, how do you direct different campaigns at different people? Because obviously you have a large gay following, particularly with some of the sexy models you have. And if you go to the website, you'll see, you know, especially with Pride coming up, you'll see two men in an embrace. Or something like that. But there's nothing that's, there's nothing about the underwear that's specific to sexuality. So how do you sort of make straight men feel as comfortable in some of your stuff as gay men? Well, I think it's really about being true to yourself and your own voice and not being afraid to be gay. There's a lot of companies out there that sort of get around it. And at the end of the day, most of the guys buying this underwear, are gay guys. So I think, I think that's what people, what resonates with people is our marketing is aimed at them. You know? That they can see themselves in your campaigns and therefore see yourself, see themselves in your clothing. Right. But that's not to say straight people buy it as well. You know, a lot of, a lot of women buy it for their husbands and. Well, I, I have a friend who I was just talking to the other day about you being on the show. And he was saying that his girl, that he had just, he had been in the store in West Hollywood, which is your main store. Right. Our flagship. On Santa Monica Boulevard. And that his girlfriend went in with him and was picking out all kinds of things for him to wear. You know, so obviously she wanted to see him in. Right. In these things. So do you think that straight men can go in and feel just as comfortable? I think definitely in our boutique, they can go in and feel just as comfortable. Okay. And then. And I was kind of, I was kind of surprised when I was at drag con, was it two weekends ago? Mm-hmm. Um, so many women came up and like knew who I was and knew about the underwear and their husbands wear the underwear. And so that was kind of cool. How do you think they find it? Do you think they've, back to the marketing question, how did these women know? If it's really targeted towards gay men, how do these women find out about it? Or how do straight men find out about it? Um, you know, we sponsored the season of Drag Race. Right. And maybe they, they found out that way on the pit crew. Um, I was. Jason Carter was actually just here. Oh really? I love Jason. He's awesome. Yeah. Um, you know, I was on a few different, um, reality television shows. Yes. Millionaire Matchmaker. We're gonna get that. Patty's a friend of mine. So I did ask her about you. She's a hoot. She said, you're very nice. She had nothing bad to say. So no dish, sorry people. Um, I'm, and I'm gonna get to your experience on there too. Cause I had my own. Mm. Anyway. Um, so we talked about the marketing. So let's talk about the models. Okay. So some of the models are, how do you cast these people? Because one is better looking than the last. And then there's a sort of a mix of people, fresh faces whom you haven't seen. And then some familiar faces that you may have seen more than their faces. Right. Um, so how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you sort of figure out the mix of your regular guy and then your gay porn star? And do you use those models differently to appeal to different groups? Um, definitely, definitely. You know, our regular guys we use for more basic products and the guys who have been in porn, we kind of put them in the more racier underwear that the other models may not be as comfortable in. So it has to do with the fact that the models, you know, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.. comfortable wearing it or it has to do with that's what you want that specific person in? Or is it the person who watches porn might be more likely to wear a racier? Yeah, they don't care that somebody is going to see their junk and, you know. Mm-hmm. Now, do you, when you cast these things, do you sort of cast that, like, basically what I'm asking is, do you watch enough porn to handpick your own, the people, do you look at somebody and say, oh, that guy is somebody who'd be great for this? Because I noticed you have Landon Conrad, you have, you've had Brent Corrigan. So you've had, like, major names in porn. Right. Are these people that you may or may not have seen in certain productions and identified as possible models? Or do you have staff that brings them up to you? Or, you know, how does that work? And by the way, there's no shame in anything here. So, I mean, I wrote a book called Porn Again. Well, I definitely have not seen them. And. Action before, before I've hired them. Got it. I mean, once. But you have to admit you want to go back and see them in action after. I always, I mean, I'm a huge porn fan. So I, you know, I know who all of them are. I mean, yeah, definitely you want to see what they're doing and whatnot. Right. So do you find that they're, that in terms of fan base, that that, how, how much does that help the lines? You know, they definitely have their own following and they bring their own following to the, to the brand. And likewise, you know, they get a following too from, from working for me. And do they want, do they, why did I totally just lost my train of thought? Um, do, do a lot of times when you watch certain porn, they're wearing your underwear in the porn. Yeah. So is that just, you know, serendipitous or is there a product placement arrangement or how does that work? Do they ask you for the underwear in exchange or do they buy the underwear? I mean, obviously it's, I mean, it's in all of them. Uh, sometimes it's a product placement. Sometimes it's just coincidence. I mean, it's a great way to me. It's a great way to, it's a great way to reach the market. I mean, I don't know anybody who doesn't watch porn. Well, people who say they don't, but they're liars. Um, it's a problem watching porn for me though now. Really? Because I can't watch a porn if I know somebody who's in it. It's like a total like boner killer. Well, I have the same thing. And like, I know so many of these guys now. It's like, ugh. I know. So do I. And you know, it's funny. I talk in my book, one of my favorite porn stars had become a good friend, coincidentally, totally unrelated. And it's the kind of thing where now I can't even look at it or see it or it just, I don't see him that way at all. I don't see him even as a sexual being. And now he's moved on and he's married and he's whatever. And I'm like, I can't even imagine him having sex with his husband. Like he just seems. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And this was somebody that I was so into, you know, as I was growing up and watching porn. So it is kind of funny how it, how it sort of takes the fun out of it in a way. Now, do you think that there's a stigma still? Do you think the stigma attached to doing porn is less now, especially now that sort of anybody with a camera and a computer can be a porn star now? So do you think there's less of a stigma attached to that kind of work? I think there's definitely less of a stigma attached to porn, you know? I think in gay society, it's, it's even looked up upon. Really? That it's like that we sort of idolize these people. Yeah, definitely. Well, and you've sort of embraced them and given them this really mainstream platform, which I imagine is great for them. Right. So now, have you ever, so, so who is it who identifies the models? Do you have people who work for you who help with that? Or do you? Do the casting or how does that? I have scouts, but I do a lot of the casting as well. And do you ever just see people out and say, oh, that would be a great person or that would be or, you know, what's the, what, how do you find these people? I see people out. I meet people through, meet models through the other models. So many different ways. Sometimes we do open castings on Facebook. I don't know why I haven't been asked yet, but, you know, whatever. What, what is your lifestyle like? Are you out all the time? Like, I think I sort of picture when I think of who this person is, the name of the person on the band of this underwear, this netted black underwear, that's really sexy. I think that you're like out all the time partying, especially because there's glitter on this waistband. I like to go out, but I'm not out as much as I would like to be. Why? Because I'm running a company. I know, but don't you have a lot of people at this point? Like, I mean, you sort of, you've become more than that because you've sort of become a recognizable face. I mean, I think people would recognize you out and about. Oh, definitely. So, so, I mean, you got to go out there and represent. Yeah, of course. Now, can you explain some of the technology that, because in your underwear, there's, there are some of them have like some built in functionalities. Yeah. That helps to sort of accentuate certain assets for people. So how did it come, how did you realize that that was something that guys really wanted? And then how did you figure out how to construct it to sort of lift people's packages and lift their asses and all of that? Well, I mean, women have all this stuff. So I was like, well, why can't a guy have it, you know? So it took just, you know, a little engineering, a little trial and error. I came out. I came out with my show at underwear, which is a package enhancing. So it's kind of similar to a cock ring. It just sort of lifts it up a little bit and pushes it out. And how does it do? Is it, is there, is, is there a strap underneath or how does that, how is that design that underwear? There's a special little pouch that you put it into and it's sort of like. Oh, holds it forward. Yeah. Lifts it up and pushes it out. Okay. And then what, do you have anything that helps people's butt? I have my flash lift. Flash lift underwear. Okay. Which, you know, the inspiration for that was, you know, I was at the gym and I'm like looking at all these people working out their butts and trying to get the perfect butt. And myself included, no matter how much I work out, I'm not going to have that butt. Okay. So I was like, oh, it'd be great if I could like come up with a pair of underwear that like automatically did that for you. So do you wear your own underwear? Of course. And is there, is there ever any? Is there any, are there any of the styles that you would be like, okay, I could see this on this person, but I could never get away with this? Or are you comfortable in anything that you design? I'm comfortable in anything I design. So even the ones that have just a few strings on one side and the pouch on the other side? Yeah. Why not? I don't know. Listen, you look like you could pull it off to me. I'm just saying, I, I don't know that I would ever, you know, look, if I look like your models, I'd go to Gelson's in a Speedo. You know what I mean? I'd go to, I'd go shopping in your underwear. You know, but. Definitely like my favorite underwear collection though is Almost Naked, which is made out of. That's like the, that's like a general line, right? It's not. So it's made out of like a bamboo fiber. So it's extremely soft. The pouch is like a hang free pouch. So it's kind of like free balling, but you're not. What do you say to people who go commando? Because Jason Carter from the pit crew who was here, he was talking to us about how he mostly goes commando now. And obviously you're against that. So it depends who's doing it and where they're doing it. For the most part, we want them to be against it. We want them to be buying the underwear. Of course. Right. Unless they're in our bedroom, they need to be against it. So in 2008, you designed a pair of Obama underwear and $1 from the sale of each unit, as it were, went to support the campaign. So will you be doing anything similar this election year? And if so, who will be on them? I don't know. You'll have to wait and see. So there is a possibility. There is a possibility. Got it. And is it more likely that there'd be a woman on them or a man or both and maybe one on one side and one in the other? Yeah, it might be, you know, even. Got it. All right. Well, I'm going to be curious to see. And if that were to materialize and if that were to come out, when could we look for that? Early fall. Okay. So you've just launched a line called Fucker, F-U-K-R. Yeah. Okay. Which is somewhat S&M inspired. So tell me how that came about and sort of what informed the design of these pieces. For those people who are watching, I actually have a pair here. So it's obviously almost a lot of it see-through. A lot of it see-through. And not a lot of material in the back. Right. Easy access. Right. Okay. Well, we... Well, we... Well, we... Well, we... Well, we... We've always designed kind of, you know, out there pieces that are, you know, a little S&M inspired. So I thought, well, why don't I like launch this into its own collection? And it can just be very like out there and... Do you think this is the most out there line you've had? Yeah, definitely. And... So we just launched it this spring and it's doing extremely well. A lot of the pieces have sold out already. So when it sells out, will you continue to manufacture? Will you continue to manufacture that? Or do you... There's a point where you retire a line and move on to something else. So like when people are buying these pieces, are some of them sort of exclusive pieces that they then might not be able to get again? Correct. I mean, it may come back, but something's going to be different about it. The fabrication will be different or the cut will be a little bit different or there's going to be something different about it. I never do anything like exactly the same twice. So you kind of have to buy it when you see it. Yeah, they're collector's items. Okay. Okay. So... Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. When you say a lot of your pieces have been S&M inspired, is that an area of sexuality that's interesting to you personally and that's why you do it? Or is it just something that you find an interesting... It's interesting to me in theory, not in actuality. Yeah. Well, I... Listen, I feel the same way for the most part, although I am open... I'll try anything, you know, 50 times. So... And then this spring, you released a new... You released a collection of sports underwear called Vibe. So... And that's more for active people, right? Like gym... Like underwear for the gym. Yeah, it was like very sports gym inspired. So it's very functional. It's very breathable. It's really comfortable too. So is that something that... I mean, as for me, somebody who's big sport is eating Oreos, I don't really need to sit around and Vibe. No, but we can put you in a fucker jockstrap. Totally up for that. So it's kind of understood. It's understood that in the gay community, there's sort of an emphasis on looks and body type. Do you design for a particular aesthetic? Like when you design, obviously we know that certain things look and fall a certain way on different bodies. Right. But you encourage everybody to feel good in his own skin. I mean, when you walk into your stores, the people who work in the store are... I mean, in my experience, are extremely helpful. They make you feel good about yourself. They, you know... Have you tried things on? Like they're really great about making you feel good. Do you feel that... Would you keep that in your mind when you're designing? Like how the average person who doesn't look like somebody on one of your posters would feel in these things? I definitely do. You know, of course the underwear look great on the models, but they're actually designed and engineered to fit real people with real bodies in the end. And I think, you know, the underwear give people a lot of confidence that they might not otherwise have. Yeah. As well. So I think, you know, something as trivial as like, you know, designer underwear can do a lot of good for people. I agree. Like, do you ever hear from people who say, who tell you that, you know, they were, you know, not that sure of themselves or whatever and that they feel a certain way wearing it? Yeah. I've heard so many different stories, stories like that. One that really touched me was a guy came up to me in Seattle and he was, he was like, I used to weigh 300 pounds. And I lost 120 pounds just so I could fit into your underwear. So to have that kind of positive impact on somebody's life, you know, he's going to lead a much healthier life now. He's going to live a lot longer, you know, just because he wanted to, you know, look sexy in a pair of underwear. That's great. That's really awesome. So do you think feeling comfortable in your own skin is really a state of mind? Or do you think that it really is about the physical thing? I mean, because there are people who at all sides. Who can be really sexy just because they're confident. I think it's definitely a state of mind. You know, especially in LA, there's a lot of people who are amazingly good looking and they don't feel sexy themselves. They don't, they're not comfortable with how they look. They're very insecure. And so what does your, how do you feel like your brand helps people pass that? I think, you know, the minute you put them on, they just feel good. They feel sexy. Yeah. They look cool, but you know, they have to, they have to feel good if you're wearing them all day long. Right. Or just for 10 minutes. I was talking to Jason Carter last week and he was like, your underwear are the most comfortable underwear. When he wears them. When he wears them. Well, he wears them on the show. By the way, those, he sent me a photo the other day of, of him with Bryce and they were wearing this underwear. I don't know if it's on the finale, the RuPaul's Drag Race finale tonight, but it looked like a tuxedo. Yeah. Is that what? I didn't even see it. I didn't see that in the store. No, no. We made those special for the, for the show. Okay. Can I get a pair of those? I love them. We can make that happen. And I was also looking at, you know, not that I was paying close attention or anything, but I was looking at where the buttons fell depending on who was wearing them. But I know that they wear, that they have to put shapers and things inside, right? In their underwear so that you don't actually see any penis outline. So you don't see their dickheads. Right. But let's talk about that for a second because that's an accessory that you guys, you know, you can sell in the store or you can get online. Right. Okay. So there's one that looks like that sort of gives you a Ken doll crotch in a way that it has no discernible anything. Then there are two different, then they have ones, you could have ones that you can buy that you can put in, but that have the outline of a penis and the head of a penis. Those are so, and there are two different versions of that, right? What are, what one's a light color and one's a dark color. Is that what it is? So it looks okay in the underwear. Like I saw three different things online. One was just that had no outline. Right. And then I thought I saw two that had the outline. Right. That had a shape. Right. And is the shape different? Is that what it is? The shape's different or? Because they're both, they're both Jewish clearly. Right. Because they're both circumcised. The shape's the same, just the color of the hat is different. Different. Okay. And where did you recognize, like how did you figure out the need? To have that product? A lot of dancers use them when they're dancing. Like go-go dancers? Yeah. A lot of go-go dancers use them. Now, why is that? Because couldn't, if they're wearing underwear that the fabric you can sort of see anyway, like why do you need a fake penis outline? They feel like they need to, need to fill it out a little more. Yeah. That is so funny. And like, how did you, and that's how you came up with the, the, was the dancers? Yeah. You were like, huh. I. I. I find that so fascinating. Love it. Um, so I've heard you say, okay, so when you design underwear, do you ever design for, do you design thinking about like the kind of guy you'd want to go to bed with wearing it? Not usually. Okay. What, what are the instances in which you have? Is there a specific line of, is there a specific line or piece of underwear that you've made? Cause you're like, I want to see somebody in this. Yeah. Hmm. And do you ever find your own underwear sexy on other people? Like, do you see it? Like, oh, that's hot. Definitely. I see it on guys and think it's hot. Okay. And you're like, oh, I designed that. That was a good one. Okay. And is there ever one that you're like, oh, fail? Like that? No. All right. I like that confidence. Um, so I've heard you say that you essentially live in a playboy mansion. This is, was the quote I heard from you. Boys running around in their underwear, answering the door in their underwear. So. So I want to know who are these boys, A, and people are just coming and knocking on your door. Like, how does that work? Well, actually nobody just comes and knocks on my door. That's what I was going to say. Cause the quote was like, you know, answering the door as though there's just a ding dong. Right. But I definitely have a lot of pool parties in the summer and all the models are over and it's a lot of fun. Have you ever, I'll, I'll expect an invitation to one of them. Yes. Um, have you. If the weather will cooperate. Um, have you ever dated one of the models? I have not. Really? I have not. Believe it or not. Why not? Is there a reason? Is like, do you just separate the business from, cause I can't imagine that there hasn't been at least one who's appealing to you on a personal level. Definitely. And, and likewise the other way around, but I just, I don't know. I just, I've always liked to keep a professional distance. I think that's probably the smartest way to go. So. And I mean, there's so many boys in LA anyway, so. And so little time. Um, so as the founder and head. And as the fashion designer for one of the most iconic brands, what is dating like for you in your mid thirties? Like as somebody who sort of is a recognizable face and a recognizable name, like how is dating for you different than it would be for somebody who's completely anonymous? Because I imagine there's a whole host of issues that come with that. It's difficult, you know, it's difficult because, uh, sometimes you have to like figure out, oh my God, are they just a fan? Are they, you know, dating me? Because. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. effective way for you to do that? Assuming that you're single right now. It's difficult. It's really difficult. A lot of times I meet people through mutual friends. I always think that's a good way to do it. That seems to be the best. The only thing I find is sometimes you meet somebody through mutual friend or a friend will set you up. And it's one thing when you're friends with somebody, it's another thing to date somebody. So how somebody behaves in a romantic environment versus how they behave just to somebody's friend. And then if it doesn't work out and you report back to your friend, they're like, no, he's so nice. I'm like, well, he may very well be, but he's not as mature romantically or he's not, you know, so people don't always see, they don't know that their friends are, you know, not necessarily the best to date as lovely as they may be otherwise. Right. There's a lot of dynamics that play. Um, so do you think, so how do you deal with it? So what do you do? Like, do you, do you have like questions that you ask people or do you have, I mean, I know you can't have like an exact like design to how you interview somebody that you might date, but like, do you have little tricks to knowing if somebody's intentions are pure or if they're really in it for the wrong reasons? I mean, it becomes pretty apparent pretty easily, pretty soon. Are people really that? You can tell by the type of questions. They're asking you and you know. Okay. So are people, do you think that people are intimidated by your success? Like not to mention that you're constantly surrounded by underwear models. So, um, I can't imagine that's easy for men who want to date you. Um, I think, I think there's a bit of intimidation that comes into play as well. And what do you do to sort of ease that for people? Um, I don't know. Just, just kind of like let them know that I'm, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not a normal guy, you know, I'm not, I'm not an underwear model, you know? Right. Right. Um, what- And nor do I necessarily want to date an underwear model. Right. But what, so, so speaking of that, what's the most important thing to you in a guy? Uh- Like I know you've said you like them younger. A sense of humor. Okay. Somebody doesn't take themselves too seriously who can laugh at themselves, you know? Well, I always think that's important. I mean, make me laugh and like you're mine forever. Got it. But do you, and you like younger guys because that's what you said at least on, okay, so we've talked about the fact that, um, you were on Millionaire Matchmaker and you did mention that in your audition video. Right. So it, does that still hold true? Uh, generally. Um, because I said, you mentioned, which I, which way I thought was funny. You mentioned that a turn on for you is a great physique and a turn off for you is chicken legs. So I was like, how does it feel to be sitting across from the person you wouldn't want to date? Because I have chicken legs. Um, how was Millionaire Matchmaker for you? What was that experience? It was a lot of fun actually. Yeah. Yeah. I loved it. She's, Patty's a blast. Patty was a blast. She's so funny. She was great, um, on set and even off. Like, you know, we went out together, we went to the Abbey and she was a hoot. She's so funny. We had so much fun. I know. And, um, she, um, I know she really likes you as I said earlier. So the guy that you met on the show, what did that, did that, I don't remember what, how that happened. I don't remember how that happened. I don't remember how that happened. I don't remember how that happened. I don't remember how that turned out. Um. He went to, he did like an underwear, you took him to a fashion show that he had to do. And he was actually game enough to model. Right. He modeled in it. Right. Um, was that something that was organic or was that sort of a production thing? Oh, it was a reality show. Of course it wasn't produced. Right. Right. So was he somebody that you saw after or not really of interest to you after that? Um, we talked a few times after that. And it just. We didn't, it didn't work out. It didn't work out. Okay. It's so weird how like things can work out when you're in that environment and then afterwards not. Right. Well again, it's, it's just a heightened. Yeah. You know, on all levels. Um, so just one more thing before we get to the sex advice question that I have to answer. Um, how do you, how does it feel, okay, that your name is really probably one of the last things that men see before they see you? Before they get it on? That makes me feel really good. Really? Yeah. Okay. Because, you know, I mean, you're literally, I mean, it's across your waist. So as you're, as you're ready to go down. There's my name. There's Andrew Christian. All right. Well, um, so as you know, I do the sex column for a gay times. And so sometimes I can't always get to everything in the magazine. So, um, I have a letter from, this is actually an interesting one. And I'm curious to know if you have any questions before we get into the sex column. Yeah. Yeah. I have a letter from a friend of mine. She has a great sex column. She has a great sex column. She has a great sex column. She has a great sex column. and so sometimes I can't always get to everything in the magazine. So I have a letter from, this is actually an interesting one and I'm curious to know if you've heard of this before. So this guy, this is Todd in Chicago and he said, my husband and I have been married for 10 years. He's a total bottom, I'm more of a top, making us compatible in the bedroom. His penis is on the smaller side, maybe around four inches in length, which has never been an issue for either of us. But he said in recent months, the partner has been fixated on his size and has asked Todd to make fun of him while he jerks off. So he likes him to laugh at his tiny cock. It's like, I'm not really into shaming the person I love, but he seems to get off on it. He wanted to know if I've ever heard of this and what my thoughts are on it. Now, I don't know if you've heard of this. I've never heard of this. Okay, it's actually referred to as SPH. It's called small penis humiliation. And it's actually like a fetish, an actual fetish, and has become a like sort of this rising genre in porn. So particularly in the straight market, and men will hire women, even if they are not, even if they do not, I mean, the average male penis is around, I believe, 5.2 inches, 5.3 inches. I don't think so. On average. I mean, we can double check that, but I'm pretty sure that's like the average. Not in Los Angeles. They grow differently here. So some of the people who like this practice are not even people with smaller penises. There are people with nice size penises who still just sort of like, it's like a dominant submissive role play thing. And I've noticed that there are men, rent boys, all kinds of offers online where people can, you know, you can pay and, you know, gay or straight and get somebody, to do that for you. Right. And it's not even like a sexual thing. To some degree, it's not. Right. But. I mean, there's no like intercourse. No, no, no. And they do it. And cam shows like where people pay and they get to interact with somebody via a Skype type format. So basically what I, my answer, I don't know what you're, I mean, obviously you would never had even heard of this before. You can go to the Andrew Christian store though, and buy something. You can buy something to put in the front. If you're really concerned about your size. But I just say you should discuss your discomfort with your partner and sort of see if he's open to reframing the submissive fantasy. So instead of the focus being on the size of his penis, perhaps it can be altered. Like you're, he's being punished for something, but you know, it can be the same dynamic, you know, a power, you know, right. Dominant submissive thing, but just not focused on the size. Right. Especially if it's uncomfortable for the person who's having sex. Right. Having to shame his partner. So that's my answer to that. So. I think that's a good suggestion. Do you? Yeah. It's the only way I can think of it. Cause otherwise I think it could be trouble for their sexual relationship. So I'm going to ask you to sign a bunch of underwear, which I will let people know via social media, how they can potentially win a pair. Awesome. And thank you for joining us. You, Andrew can be found on Facebook, at Andrew Christian Inc on Twitter at Andrew Christian and Instagram at Andrew Christian, I N T L, which is international. And Snapchat and your Christian. Oh really? I haven't joined Snapchat yet. I love Snapchat. I'm obsessed with Snapchat. Really? Yeah. I need you to explain that to me after, cause I just don't need one more thing to be doing, but if I need to, I need to, I really enjoy it. Um, and you can visit andrewchristian.com, uh, to find all the collections, including the new, fucker and vibe lines and, uh, keep an eye out for some new episodes of porn again. Thank you for being here. Andrew. Thanks for having me. Thanks. Thanks for listening. The no holds barred conversation continues 24 seven on Facebook at Josh Sabara, author and Twitter and Instagram at Josh Sabara, and then buckle your seatbelts for some titillating real talk. Porn again, a memoir by Josh Sabara is available now as a trade paperback ebook and audio book. We'll see you next week. Bye. Bye.