WHAT ABOUT THE BOYS?
AN INTERVIEW WITH COMFORT CLUB’S COLIN Tracey
I know, I know. I’ve been slacking on giving my glorious opinions on menswear. Admittedly, I am still learning about menswear, as well as how sustainability fits into it. It’s time to broaden my, and your, horizons. Let’s jump right in!
This is colin.
@comfortclub on Instagram
Born and raised in Michigan, Colin was first a hockey boy before he got into music and fashion. When hockey became too competitive, he fell in love with the expressive nature of music and fashion at 16! Colin is now the owner, designer, & musician behind Comfort Club — a clothing and music brand for any and everyone into a soft-boy vibe. I was lucky enough to get on a Zoom with him, and we may have yapped a little tooo much.
Putting the “comfort” into comfort club
Colin has definitely adopted the “soft boy” aesthetic; from his natural demeanor, to the way he dresses, to his music! And that’s where Comfort Club comes from. Even his website is relaxing to look at — pastels and blue skies as far as the web can see. And he didn’t stop there.
Comfort Club’s merch was built around a cozy vibe for everyone. When he was starting to create merch, he would thrift blanks and screen print designs on his own. (Gushing over how sustainable this is, eeek!) He now produces merch with a print-on-demand source. Colin’s inspiration for Comfort Club merch comes from his own ideas as well as vintage designs from Pinterest or what he’s seeing IRL! He likes to put his own spin on vintage designs he finds and use the identity behind his brand to connect the designs with Comfort Club. His baseball tote bag is actually inspired by a little league t-shirt he saw on eBay! GIRLS — he is a Pinterest user! How cool is that? We love a man who isn’t afraid to use a female-dominated platform (and art shouldn’t be segmented by gender anyway).
Side note: Ummm so Colin informed me that even though Comfort Club is trademarked, White Fox (you know, those ugly sweat sets sorority girls wear) started a collection called “Comfort Club.” So if you’re looking to buy Comfort Club, buy from ACTUAL Comfort Club.
“What MENSWEAR trends are you seeing living in la?”
BOXY CROPPED TEES & OVERSIZED OUTFITS!
The literal moment Colin told me that he is based in Studio City, LA I knew I had to ask about the menswear trends he’s noticing. We talked a lot about boxy cropped tees, which we’re both loving on the boys right now. Though this was a popular style in the '80s, we’re seeing it make a comeback—and we’re here for it! He’s also into the oversized looks from the '90s and 2000s, and honestly, I can’t argue with that. It was great to hear from someone truly surrounded by fashion (meanwhile, I’m stuck in the Midwest—AKA hell. On wheels.).
“What/who inspires you?”
“i know this may alienate some of your audience…”
Don’t worry, Colin. We listen, and we don’t judge. Just because you like an artist’s music or style doesn’t mean you support their actions. That’s exactly how Colin feels about John Mayer. And I can’t argue with that—I’ve never seen a photo of him looking uncomfortable.
Honestly, I totally see Mayer’s music vibe reflected in Colin’s brand and aesthetic, so vibe check: accomplished. Colin really focuses on taking inspiration from different people and places (Mayer, Depop, vintage finds, etc.) and putting his own spin on it.
GQ photo by Carlos Serrao
“How do you pick Your outfits, especially for performances?”
Colin starts with the pants—usually a statement piece or something with an eclectic vibe—and then builds the rest of the outfit around them. He’s been paying a lot of attention to how silhouettes (which can be totally overlooked in menswear, by the way!) affect the overall look.
Boys, listen up — he’s right. Silhouette does matter. Pay attention to the shape of your shirts and pants, and how they work with your body type and height! A baggy pant with smaller shoes can throw off proportions and make your feet look way smaller than they actually are. We also talked about how easy it is to play with the silhouette of shoes—something as simple as tucking the hem of your pants into the tongue of a shoe can make a huge difference in your outfit.
Colin and I agree on a lot when it comes to fashion, but one of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was: wear what makes you feel good. It’s so much more important to feel comfortable in your own skin than to follow trends just for the sake of keeping up with everyone else. It’s a bigger deal than we often acknowledge—to have an article of clothing that you wholeheartedly feel like yourself in. And that’s a huge key to sustainability in fashion.
“Fashion is more fun when you put boundaries on yourself.”
Colin touched on sustainability further when we discussed fast fashion. Fashion is more fun when you set boundaries for yourself—like making a commitment not to shop fast fashion and instead trying your best to shop sustainably.
A perfect example of fast fashion in action? A little anecdote I shared with Colin about an experience I had while studying abroad. I was worried about ruining my grandpa’s leather jacket, so I picked up a cheap one from Zara to wear when going out. Within two weeks, literally everyone and their mother had the exact same jacket, and at that point, I had to donate mine. So there you have it: fast fashion kills not only the planet but also individuality.
“I think I’m maturing a bit…”
Me too Colin, me too. There’s been a huge movement in 2025 thus far to get back into essentials — for Colin, that’s a good, reliable pair of blue jeans or dickies. Making that transition into adulthood from looking like a hype-beast x carpenter to a functional adult can be scary, but folks, it’s happening.
Colin also brought up an interesting POV about digital footprints: maybe gen Z thinks more about looking back at our old selves on the internet and not wanting to cringe. And this is a valid point. I look back at 2020 TikToks of myself and my outfits and kind of want to throw myself off of a ledge. Kidding, of course…
“I’m trying to have fun with music again”
Colin tries to play at smaller crowds, such as house shows, DIY-venue shows, etc. “I want to make the music more accessible, I want to play in front of more people in an environment where it feels like people are there to have fun.” He’ll be doing lots of traveling and touring this year! Click here to see his tour schedule, and see a show if you’re looking for a good time!
Comfort club website
COMFORT CLUB ON SPOTIFY
COMFORT CLUB ON APPLE MUSIC
COMFORT CLUB ON TIKTOK
It was great to expand into the menswear world for a bit, and especially lovely to chat with Colin. I hope to continue my exploration, and when I do, hopefully, you all will be here to read it.
