When Clark Samuel launched SAMMY in 2020, he wasn’t trying to shock menswear; he was just trying to fix it. Frustrated by boxy fits, limited options, and clothing that made him feel disconnected from his own body, the Miami designer began rethinking men’s essentials through the lens of confidence, sensuality, and precision fit.
What started as a small brand selling at hotel pop-ups has since evolved into an internationally recognized label known for its body-conscious silhouettes and understated sex appeal. But as SAMMY expands into G-strings, Brazilian briefs, and form-fitting bodysuits, Samuel says the goal isn’t provocation. It’s freedom.
We caught up with the designer to talk about Miami nightlife, viral controversy, straight men buying thongs in secret, and the fine line between sexy and “too much.”
What was your relationship with clothing growing up? Was it something you thought about or something you felt limited by?
It was definitely something I felt limited by. I was pretty awkward. I had more of a skinny, lanky body, and I just always ended up in really baggy clothes mostly from the malls with very generic men’s limited stock. I was always kind of jealous of my sister and my mom because they had so many options, and they just looked like they had so much fun with clothes. And for me, it was just like, I love shopping and I want to wear different clothes, but it was just…there’s no selection.
Before launching SAMMY, what experiences most shaped your eye for fit, form, and detail?
I think it was knowing that the reason I didn’t like my clothes was because of the fit and the form, and I started to hem things or do little tweaks to make it fit better and I started to like my clothes. And then, randomly, I would go into the women’s section and find things that were gender neutral, like jeans or anything that wasn’t super feminized, and I found that they fit better. So, then I just kept finding ways to tweak it so that it actually looked good on my body and it went from there.
Miami has that reputation of being a very fashion town, and it’s very look oriented. How has being based in Miami influenced your aesthetic and approach to sensuality in design?
I think Miami is its own little bubble. It’s just a different world. It’s very fitness-based too. There’s a big culture of both being on the beach and showing off your body but there’s also this big fitness culture. I think those two things, and it just being kind of a party city…when you think of Miami from a tourist’s vision, you think of South Beach. You think of big lights and everyone walking around in their swimsuits and having fun. I think I was always attracted to that South Beach fantasy of just feeling free and just feeling really good.
How and when did you launch SAMMY?
I launched it in 2020, and it was more of a soft launch in a way but I actually, off the bat, was able to get it in Soho House and The Standard. That kind of immediately positioned it as this affordable luxury, but it gave it that Miami hotel vibe. And I did a lot of pop-ups. The first two years, I was just popping up mostly at hotels. I felt like that really went with the whole energy of the brand. And from there, it grew into more of an online business.
What were the biggest challenges that you experienced in the early days of your business?
Oof. The early days. The biggest challenge is literally just getting people to know what your brand is – finding ways to validate it and also making people actually see why it’s worth the price point, because it is a little higher price point than some other brands. It’s really about the fit and the feel. That’s why I did all the pop-ups to raise awareness from the inside out which helps also because I am gay. I would do a lot of Pride pop-ups, and I would have models standing around in SAMMY, so I really got in from the inside out. People really just started to see the brand and see it as a valid brand.
Was there a turning point for you when you realized that the brand was really starting to resonate with people?
There was a moment about two years ago, and I posted a video on Instagram. To me it was very casual. It was like a BTS video from a photo shoot. We had just launched a bodysuit T-shirt, and the whole idea was that it gives you the perfect tuck – which is not something that guys are really used to, like bodysuits in general. So, in the video, the model had the bodysuit on, I threw him a pair of shorts, and he puts on the shorts. And it just says, “Are you tired of messy T-shirt tucks? Introducing the bodysuit.” And when I woke up the next day it had 60 million views. It just went viral. I think it got so many eyeballs on the brand, that people then went to the site and were like, “Oh, this is a cute brand. They have nice stuff.” We sold out of the bodysuit in two days. And ever since then it’s just been kind of growing and growing.
Your new collection feels like a bold evolution. What pushed you to take your brand further this season instead of refining what was already working?
I think that in general I’ve been seeing that the pieces people are liking the most are the ones that they find difficult to find in other brands, and specifically in-store. Our best sellers are the Brazilian swim brief, which is a kind of sexier, cheeky cut in the back, and the shrunken tee. They’re things that show a little bit more skin, but they’re things that are particular. We wanted to push the sexiness a bit because we’ve been seeing that that’s kind of what they’ve been gravitating towards in general. I’m experimenting in a way with how far I can go but I still want to keep everything somewhat chic and stay on the classy side.
Going into G-strings and Brazilians is a bold move. What conversations would you hope that these pieces would open up?
I hope that people start to accept men wearing sexier pieces like this. We even have a lot of issues on our Instagram with being able to post pictures of guys in thongs. But when I go to other brands, it’s so normal to see women in thongs, and they don’t get rejected on Instagram. So, I’m hoping it starts to normalize just showing more skin and wanting to dress for your body and feel sexier as a guy and not feeling like it’s a feminine thing to want to do that.
How do you strike a balance with clothing with items like that between restraint and allure with such a minimal silhouette?
I think part of it is that we don’t do patterns, so it keeps it still in somewhat of this basics category. And then the other thing is just the shapes. There’s certain underwear that really accentuates the pouch in a way that is too forward. It’s like finding this balance between sculpting the body so that it looks nice, but not to the point where it’s in your face.
You’ve been quoted as saying that when the fit is doing its job, it doesn’t need to scream. How do you know when you’ve gotten it exactly right?
I almost feel like that’s intuitive. If I put it on and I look at myself, I think I’ve trained my eye at this point – and I just naturally like when things are in that really sweet spot of being not too sexy but not too conservative, that when I see it I am just like, “Yes, this is the balance. This is the sweet spot.” I wish there was a formula because that would make it easier. But yeah, it’s definitely just something I have to see because each style is so different.
Do you think that menswear is finally catching up to conversations around body awareness and self-expression in general?
I think it’s getting there. When I posted the bodysuit video, the reason it went viral was because it hit a really homophobic crowd. And so, a lot of the comments were guys who were just shocked to see this type of item. But A, I loved that it got so many impressions, because it got it out there. And B, it got people talking, because there were two different types of people that were in the comments. Some people were saying, “Body suits have been around since the ’70s, and it’s totally normal, and this is a great idea because I totally I always do want to dress for my body.” And then there’s other people saying “Oh, it looks like a big baby,” and things like that. Guys who just don’t understand. But at least it’s bringing up the topic. I think that’s raising awareness. There’s a big movement on social media called looksmaxxing. Guys are talking about how they can maximize their looks, so, obviously they’re starting to shift more from thinking of taking of care of yourself as a metrosexual or gay thing, and to it just being a thing that guys want to do.
What do you want a man to think or feel the second he puts on something from SAMMY for the first time?
I almost feel like it’s that same feeling I get when a piece just hits right. You just feel, “Wow, okay, I look good, and I don’t feel like I’m going out of my comfort zone. I just feel confident, and I feel like I’m in my skin.” I think there’s pieces that I put on and I’m like, “Ooh, I feel sexy,” but I’m a little uncomfortable because it’s doesn’t feel like me. Versus SAMMY, I feel like the balance makes it so that the person is just enhancing what they have and they just feel good about their own self and their own body.
What is one risk that you took early on that you think really paid off?
The bodysuit. I mean, I feel like it’s a bit repetitive, but that was me moving into a new category because before that I was mostly doing short shorts and cropped tees, things that did exist out there. The bodysuit was the first time I did something that I really wasn’t seeing, and I think that’s why people were shocked by it, because it felt almost like an invention. And now there are the new adjustable pieces in red. I really haven’t seen that out there. So, I shifted in concept too, trying to think of my new pieces as inventions in a way. So, specifically, finding things that usually just exist in womenswear or that I just think of that would enhance the male physique that don’t really exist for men.
Where would you like to see the brand go? How would you like the brand to evolve?
I have a really big appetite, so I want it to get as big as possible. Right now, it has expanded to international, which is amazing. It’s all digital. I would love to have some brick-and-mortar stores because I think that people don’t always feel comfortable buying online because they don’t know if it’s going to fit them. But I do feel really confident that the fits are adaptable enough that they look good on a very high percentage of people. I would love for people to actually be able to touch it and put it on.
I’d also like to be able to reach more straight men. Right now, we do have a pretty good mix of gay guys and straight guys, but I would love for more straight guys to just feel comfortable and feel like they could buy these things without maybe looking gay. I get a lot of emails from straight guys’ girlfriends buying it for them because they want to buy the piece, but they’re not totally comfortable doing it. So yeah, customer-wise it would be expanding into a brand where orientation doesn’t really matter, and then I guess expanding into more physical shops.
Shop SAMMY at https://sammymenswear.com/ and follow the brand on Instagram for the latest fashions (and sizzling images).
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