Family behind Boak’s latest venture

WHILE best known for an impressive football career captaining Port Adelaide, Travis Boak said family was the inspiration behind his latest venture.

Having grown up on the Surf Coast, Travis alongside his cousin Brent Dixon and Brent’s wife Cherie have launched Rodgers Underwear from their home-base in Torquay, named in honour of Boak’s late father Rodger.

“The underwear came about through discussions between Cherie and I. We’d been talking over the past five years about getting some sort of business going in the fashion industry,” Travis said.

“I love fashion and Cherie has experience through working at Rip Curl. There’s so much clothing and t-shirts around and we thought there was a niche in the underwear market.”

The trio behind Rodgers Underwear are driven by the desire to create and deliver a label of the highest quality without the exorbitant price tag, something Travis said they’ve achieved.

“We’ve had really good feedback from people all over Australia and internationally. The product is really good, we’ve done two different styles (briefs and trunks) and are using modal cotton (a softer cotton) in both women’s and men’s,” he said.

“They can’t believe how comfortable it is, it’s not something we’ve whipped up overnight, hours and hours have gone into it.

“Our quality is right up there and we’re right in that spot with regards to affordability, somewhere between Bonds and Calvin Klein.”

Travis said the name was a tribute to his father, an “everyday fun-loving man” who dedicated his life to his family and left an ever-lasting legacy to the wider community, including the Torquay Football Club where he coached.

“It’s dad’s name and his values, the whole company is based on his values. The base of the business is in Torquay, we’re a family brand and that’s where we want to grow our products,” he said.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to go into Myer in Adelaide and that’s been really exciting. My sisters are really excited for us to create a brand and company based on mum and dad’s values.

“That’s really close to mum’s heart and she’ll be involved in the company moving forward.”

Travis said while football was his fulltime job, he was enjoying growing a business outside of  the football world, one he was passionate about.

“I’m not wearing anything else now. As soon as we got the final product, I got so many pairs.

“My whole wardrobe is full of them, I wouldn’t go back to anything else and some of my team mates have said the same.”

For more information, head to rogersunderwear.com.au.