Interview with Sammy Founder Clark Samuel

By Anthony Valenti

Clark Samuel didn't set out to fill a gap in fashion. He set out to find a pair of jeans that fit — and when he couldn't, he bought women's denim, cut it himself, and hemmed it at home. That instinct, dressing for the body you have rather than the body the industry designed for, became the foundation of SAMMY.

The Miami-based menswear brand has built a devoted international following around what Samuel calls "sensual minimalism"— a middle path between the blandly utilitarian and the aggressively loud. Under his mantra, "Men's essentials, without limits," every piece is engineered to let the body do the talking.

Now, with its Summer 2026 swim collection, SAMMY is pushing further than ever. New cuts including

adjustable G-Strings and sheer Brazilians arrive alongside a threeworld color story spanning quiet

luxury earth tones, Miami brights, and the season's boldest statement: Red Hot.

We spoke with Clark from his home in sunny Miami.

Anthony Valenti: Most brands are either "very basic" or "very loud". SAMMY somehow lives in the middle.

Clark Samuel: We give you the full range, from classic to revealing, but even the sexiest pieces feel

understated and chic. The structure of the garment is the statement. Unique colors, premium fabric,

perfect proportions. The fit lets the body do the talking. The SAMMY guy does stand out. He just doesn't

look like he's trying.

AV: The G-String and low-rise Brazilian are daring cuts. Where's the line between restrained and provocative?

CS: The line lies in the details. Cut, fabric, color, and print. Tiny things make the difference. The width of a strap. The weight of a fabric. The angle of a leg opening. That's what separates sensual from just bare. Daring is easy. Daring that still looks expensive is the hard part.

AV: How many iterations does a single silhouette go through before it earns the SAMMY label?

CS: On average, eight to twelve rounds of sampling. One round might shift the rise by two

millimeters. The next might adjust a seam for glute enhancement, or the tension on a waistband so it sits smooth without digging in. We'll kill a prototype entirely if it looks great but feels restrictive, or if the fabric doesn't hold its four-way stretch after stress tests.

AV: Color in the new collection is organized into three distinct "worlds": quiet luxury, Miami

brights, and Red Hot. How did those emerge?

CS: The quieter shades came from places I'm always drawn to — a mahogany chair in a hotel lobby,

sage oil at a spa, an onyx bar top at golden hour. Warm, grounded, expensive-feeling. The brights are

the other side of the city: Mango, Caribbean, Baby Blue. Sunny, playful, vacation-minded. And Red

Hot is its own thing. Less poolside, more private. Miami has all three worlds living side by side, and the

palette just reflects that.

AV: How do you translate Miami's very specific local energy into pieces that will resonate with guys in, say, Chicago?

CS: The confidence that comes with dressing for your body is universal. A guy in Chicago wants the same things Miami guys want: a tee that makes his chest look good, underwear that fits right and does

something for him, swimwear he can wear to the pool, to Pride, to a party, and keep on long after he leaves the water.

AV: You chose Italian performance fabrics for the swim line.

CS: Our main fabric is a recycled Italian nylon with a semi-gloss finish and high shape retention. It holds

up against chlorine, oils, and sun while still feeling soft and looking expensive.

AV: How closely do you listen to customers?

CS: Very closely. Almost the entire new collection came from DMs, emails, and repeat requests.

The expanded Brazilians, the GStrings, the sheer versions — those exist because our guys asked.

AV: Have you ever pushed back on requests?

CS: I push back on requests that pull the brand too far from itself. Busy allover

graphics, neon clashing prints; we're firm on that. If the fit is doing its job, the body is the statement.

AV: The long-term vision is a "full wardrobe." What category are you most excited to crack?

CS: Denim. I aim to make the perfect pair of SAMMY jeans that make the body look better without

being too tight, too baggy, or overdesigned. Denim is unforgiving, and I won't release the line until I find pieces that match our standards. When SAMMY does denim, it has to actually be better than what's

already out there.

Sammy’s Summer 2026 Swim collection is available now at

sammymenswear.com