Interview: The Designers of Chubbies Shorts

Out: What is the story behind Chubbies?

Tom Montgomery: We are four Stanford grads who simply hate pants--not to mention cargo shorts --and so we felt compelled to do something about it. We looked at the shorts from the '70s and '80s and were utterly confused as to why things had changed so drastically since. Why are our shorts less manly and more thigh-constricting? What's with all the unnecessary cargo pockets? Why are dudes ashamed to show their legs? It just doesn't make sense.

Why name a clothing company Chubbies?

The elastic waistband, of course. It means you can gain some weight and your shorts still fit like a dream.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

Can we say everything? We're four really good friends working together to bring about the largest shorts revolution in the history of the planet. We literally couldn't be more stoked to do what we do.

What makes your company standout, from others?

We've got a product that we friggin' love and are just completely stoked to be bringing about the end of cargo shorts. Because of our passion, we have the liberty to just be completely ridiculous, and that's awesome.

What are some staple items that every guy should have in his closet?

Well, we don't claim to be a fashion experts, so let's start with what you shouldn't have: CARGOS. No man should ever wear cargo shorts for any reason. They are a blight on this planet and serve absolutely no purpose.

Beyond that, dudes should wear things that makes them comfortable, confident, and liberated. I think it's the mentality of what you're wearing that makes the difference rather than the actual articles of clothing.

What is the most important thing about the design process?

Having an awesome time during the process. When we are contemplating new concepts, we make sure to sit back, relax, crack open a beer and just wing it. Those are amazing meetings and we always come out with some ridiculous ideas.

What do your shorts say about your customers?

BOOMSHAKALAKA...literally.

Why ship your shorts only on certain dates?

Our biggest problem to date has been keeping up with demand from an inventory standpoint. Because we're a new brand, we haven't had much time to build out a war chest of cash, so when we got a ton of demand that needed to be filled in the beginning of spring, we had to launch pre-sales. And we set specific shipping dates because we want to make sure our customers know exactly when their shorts are going to arrive. However, we are now getting to a point where we won't need to pre-sell to meet demand--and we are utterly and completely thrilled about that. We really hate that we had to make our customers wait, sometimes a month, to get their shorts, and it is the greatest feeling to say that those days are almost over. Stay tuned.

What can we expect from Chubbies next?

We've got plenty in store to close out the summer and kick off fall with a bang. We can't tell you too much, but it's going to be bodacious and radical. Yep, that's right: both of 'em. Sign up for our mailing list to keep up with new products/promotions here.

What inspires the name behind the different type of shorts?

Each short has its own essence and that's how the entire naming process comes about. We try to bring out the very nature of each and every pair by bestowing a highly complex and extremely well thought out names upon them--actually, not really. We just think of ridiculous names that we hope makes some sense in the context of the shorts.

If you could have one person be the spokesperson for your company; who would it be and why?

Will Ferrell would be an unbelievable spokesperson. Not necessarily the beacon of fashion, but that's what makes him awesome. Dude would sell shorts like hot-cakes. If you know him, tell him I've got a job offer waiting.

To see more, visit Chubbies Shorts online.