Molly & Tommy Fashion Brand : colorful, bold, and so gay !

Molly & Tommy is currently one of the most trendy gay-explicit underwear and swimwear brands in Europe. We met Darren Edwards, the founder and designer. He tells us the story of his fashion label and talks about himself, his projects, and his achievements.

- What is your professional background, and what did you do before Molly & Tommy ?

« I have a fashion and marketing background, having studied at Istituto Marangoni in London and the London College of Fashion. I previously founded a womenswear couture and ready-to-wear business doing catwalks in London, Paris, and New York.

My husband and I lived in London for many years but decided to retire very early. We wanted a place somewhere much sunnier, so we now spend a lot of our time in our lovely villa near Sitges, south of Barcelona.»

- How and when did you come up with the idea of creating a gay fashion brand and why this name ?

« After a few years of traveling the world, I realised I was not ready to retire and needed a new challenge, so six years ago I decided to use my fashion experience and venture into the world of underwear. 

I wanted to use a name related to the gay world for the brand. I researched British gay history and came access Molly houses. In the early 19th Century, Molly Houses were safe spaces for the gay community to meet up and for what were then illegal activities. Tommy was the slang for a lesbian. I loved it and decided that would be my brand name.

Creating a brand can be difficult, as there are lots of elements to think about. It’s not just about creating a brand and making the product - it’s also about how to market them. But as I mentioned, I have done this once already, so the process was pretty familiar, and I was able to manage the challenges. I am the sole owner, but having an office in the UK and a store in Sitges, a number of people are working with me.

I have a whole range of products with the widest variety available in my retail store, but many also online. I designed a Pride products collection 3 years ago, which includes 6 images of gay characters with the Pride colours as a background. So, I have a Drama Queen image in Red, Bottomless in Orange, Totally Butch in Yellow, Chicks Rock in Green, Fabulous in Blue and Size Queen in Purple. These are all on T-shirts, vests, candles, hand soaps, lubes, perfumes, aprons, fans, and tote bags - there is a lot to discover in my store.

I actually set my business up in England, and that is where I opened my office. Because we have a shop in Spain, it gave me the flexibility to ship from there to the EU without the issue of import duties, which are charged to the EU because of Brexit. »

- How would you describe the style of your brand ? What message do you want to convey through your clothing ?

« My brand represents a part of me. I love colour and playful sexiness. Fuchsia is my favourite colour, and it is quite prominent in my collection and store branding. The images I use are all a play on words and roles. I want my brand to be about fun and colour to add a bit of vivid, sexy pleasure to people’s lives. 

Being a trained fashion designer, I understand fabric, fit, and construction, so all my styes fit well, use the highest quality fabrics, and are in bright, fun colours, although I do have a few styles and colours for the more conservative types - like my husband ! I have 47 styes so, too many to mention individually, but in my store all you see are walls of colourful underwear.

When I started Molly and Tommy, I wanted my brand to be affordable luxury. I use the best fabrics and construction methods, but I try not to reflect that in the price. The average price is around 20 euros a pair, which I think is very good value for designer underwear. »

- Your brand is openly gay ; was this an obvious choice for you ? 

« I was adamant from the start that I would be an openly gay brand. There are many underwear brands that tailor their marketing for the pink pound without any mention  of “gay”. Other than the mainstream straight man’s buyer of Calvin’s and a few other straight brands, men’s underwear buyers are predominantly gay, and I feel more brands need to acknowledge this.

There are lots of underwear brands, but not very many explicitly gay and not very many of such high quality. In my store, all the underwear and swimwear displayed are samples to try on, so the client can test the fit, feel, and look. Very few people try without buying. And some seem to rather enjoy the process!

Also, the world is a big place, so I try and collaborate with events and performers from all over. It’s so important to work with people in individual countries and cities so that they put their own take on styling and using the products. 

As I mentioned, we live a lot of the year in Sitges in Spain, and Sitges, like GC, is one of the world’s top gay holiday destinations, so it felt right to open my first standalone store on the main gay street in Sitges. I opened the store 4 years ago, and it’s such a fun experience, but we sell globally online through my website. »

- Let’s talk about Molly & Tommy Spirits : How, why, and when did you come up with 

the idea of creating a spirits brand ? 

« It is in my nature to always be thinking about what I can do next, and I found there is a gap in the market for more gay alcohol brands. So I launched Molly & Tommy Spirits with a Vodka, Gin, and Spiced Rum made in an English distillery in Devon. We used the same imagery on the beautiful bottles as on my Pride products collection, so we have a Totally Butch Gin, Drama Queen Vodka, Chicks Rock Gin, and Bottomless Spiced Rum.

Alcohol is a highly regulated business, and you have to have an alcohol license in every country you sell in, so at the moment, I only have the licence to sell it in the UK. I am currently working on my EU license so I can bring it to Spain.

We spent the last few summers doing pop-up bars at UK Pride events selling cocktails and alcohol slush puppies. It’s hard work but lots of fun being at Pride events meeting and talking with hundreds of people. »

- We've seen a lot of Molly & Tommy in Maspalomas over the past few years, especially during Pride events. What role does Gran Canaria play in your life and for your brand ? 

« My husband and I have spent so much time in Gran Canaria, sometimes spending three months in the winter there.  We have been to most of the Summer and Winter Prides in Gran Canaria since they started. It is, in my view, one of the best Pride locations in the world, but also just a lovely, fun place to be.

Before I started Molly & Tommy, I always said to my hubby, “one day I want to do something at Maspalomas Pride”. I have sponsored both Summer and Winter Prides in Gran Canaria before, and it was so much fun.

I think Gran Canaria works so well as a major gay holiday destination because the Yumbo Centre is such a safe space for the community to gather with no issues about being who you are without the threat of any abuse by people. It’s great to see other venues also opening outside of the Yumbo, which shows how progressive Gran Canaria is.

It’s so important for brands to reach the international gay community. Social media is a good start, but it’s better for brands to present the product in real life at events. Pride events everywhere are the best place to reach this market. But Gran Canaria Prides are great because it’s a week-long event rather than just a day or a weekend. »

- Something more to add about the future or maybe new projets ?

« For such a new brand, I have already expanded into many other products, so I need to focus a bit before I expand, but I am always thinking of the next thing I can add to the brand, so watch this space. »

www.mollyandtommy.com

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