Out designers Voon Lai and Jonathan Cheng met through friends six years ago. They became fast friends when they discovered a mutual interest in fashion design. In 2009, they founded Stud as a lifestyle sports brand that would fill a niche between the bland big brands and the overtly sexual smaller labels.

"We saw potential in offering exuberant and energetic gear with a commercial appeal," explains Voon Lai.

From the start, Stud enjoyed a successful run in Asia.  Then, in 2011, the brand hit the world stage with its Winner Takes All line.  The collection was heralded for its spirited interpretation of the modern athlete.  It was quickly followed with this summer’s "Of Uth and Brothers". Produced in a striking color palette of blues, reds, purple and yellow and featuring bold messages such as "Wear It Proud" and "Made with Pride", the summer collection struck a chord with young athletes and wanna-be jocks who aimed to add a bit of flair beneath their sports uniforms.

This winter, Lai and Cheng are up at bat again with a brand new Stud line they’re calling We/Are/Stud.  The theme for the latest collection is masculinity, available now at LAJock.com.  Are you man enough?

GC: Why celebrate masculinity?

VL: We believe masculinity is a big part of what the modern man is about.

GC: Yet these are designer briefs.  Wouldn’t you agree that anything ‘designer’ leans toward a feminine sensibility?

VL: Even burly guys will wear designer briefs if they’re made to look masculine.

GC: The winter collection features a new version of Stud’s popular Wear It Proud brief.  What does Wear It Proud mean to you?

VL: It’s a declaration to be comfortable with who you are.  Even more than that - be proud of who you are. Whether it’s your sexuality, background, ethnicity, belief, or principle: own it and love it.

GC: Isn’t pride a bad thing?  It’s among the seven deadly sins.

VL: On the contrary, we regard pride as highly noble! Before you can learn to love others and the world around you, you have to love yourself. How can that be a bad thing?

GC: What are you most proud of?

VL: Without a doubt, we are most proud of what we have achieved with Stud. The road was not an easy one. Two seasons ago, Stud was a tiny, unknown Malaysian brand. We tried so hard to break into North America and Europe. We are happy and grateful that Stud can now be found in stores all around the world and online at LAJock.com.  It would not have been possible without some amazing people; in particular, Nir Zilberman of the Man Trends Agency.

GC: Does living in a Muslim country inspire your creations or stifle them?

VL: It certainly cuts both ways. The conditions can be stifling to creativity and ambition. But we find that we thrive with challenge. It fuels us to work harder.

GC: How are conditions in Malaysia today?

VL: Much like all of Asia, Malaysia is very cosmopolitan and advanced with beautiful, shiny buildings. But in terms of societal openness, we still lag behind other Asian countries.

GC: Are you optimistic that times are changing for the better?

VL: It is important to always be optimistic and hopeful.

GC: Which briefs in Stud’s winter 2013 collection are getting the most attention?

VL: There has been a great response to the strong military influence in the collection.  Metal buckles, buttons and pocket details have been worked into our signature denim collection.

GC: The City Degrees line has also been heralded.

VL: It is our take on the nations trend in briefs.  The country flag thing has been done to death.  We thought printing latitude and longitude coordinates would be more original and fun.

GC: What cities are represented in the line?

VL: New York, Los Angeles, Rio, Mykonos, Tokyo...

GC: Do you have a favorite city degree?

VL: We have two. 3’ 15 North, 101’ 71 East points to Kuala Lumpur, where Stud was born. Despite everything, we have to be proud of our roots and not forget where we come from. The other would be 34’ 3 North, 118’ 14 West.  It is the coordinates of Los Angeles where Stud has its second home. Our showroom is right in the center of West Hollywood.

GC: Who is the model featured in the campaign?

VL: His name is Felipe Otto Izing.  He’s from Brazil.

GC: You mean 43° 21’ West?

VL: (Laughing) Exactly.

GC: How does Felipe represent Stud?

VL: Besides the fact that he has a great look and a hot body?  He has a terrific attitude! Felipe loves sports.  He surfs, plays basketball, and skateboards. He embodies what STUD is about; he’s athletic with a sunny disposition. He’s fresh and loves life!  We enjoy working with Felipe so much that we have booked him for two seasons now.

GC: What is the significance of the ‘S Flash’ on some of the waistbands in the new collection?

VL: The ‘S’ stands for Stud.

GC: They have a superhero look.

VL: Jonathan and I have loved Marvel and DC comics since we were boys. I think every boy wanted to be a superhero at some point. Whether it was Batman, Spiderman, or Wolverine. We wanted to reflect that boyhood fascination in some of the briefs.

GC: How do you want guys to regard Stud?

VL: We want Stud to be a brand guys can relate to. It doesn’t matter if you are straight, gay, white, black, Latino or Asian, Stud is about celebrating diversity, individuality and having pride in yourself.

GC: What’s next?

VL: We are launching our complete sportswear line this Spring– finally! We are very excited about it as the sports collection will be an extension of our ideology and it will bring Stud to an even wider audience, completing the vision that we have had from the beginning.