BASKIT CONTINUES UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL SERIES WITH CONNEXION.ORG MODEL SEARCH WINNER BILLY DORTCH

September 14, 2011 Following an up close and personal interview with connexion.org modeling contest winner Tim Baird, comes the second finalist Billy Dortch, a free-spirited Sacramento native with the looks of a bad boy, but a heart of gold and a voice to match.

Over 200 members of social networking site connexion.org submitted pictures for consideration and selected the two winners through a series of eight rounds of voting. Over 30,000 votes were casted in an eight-week period.

Check out what Billy has to say when we peak into his life and love of Baskit…

Baskit How old are you Billy?

Billy I just turned 27 in July...

Baskit What do you do for a living (aside from modeling)? What did you want to be when you were a kid?

Billy Currently I am a singer/songwriter. (Check out Billy Dortch on iTunes or www.billydortch.com) and for money I manage and bartend at a popular bar in West Hollywood. As a child I wanted to own a farm with my brother and sister…. now the bar at times feels like a barn with farm animals.

Baskit You have some body art - can you give us a description of it and what it means to you?

Billy I have 10 tattoos. They all are special and have meaning to my life. I have my last name on my arm, a bird with a breast cancer ribbon for my mom (she is a survivor, love ya mom!) I also have the title to my first music single "breathe" on my neck. The music video for the song was actually nominated for video of the year on LOGO in 2009.

Baskit What's the best way to spend a day off? Extra hours at the gym? On the beach? Hiking?

Billy I love to hike. I try to go on a different hike each weekend! I also enjoy camping and am currently restoring an old camper trailer and it's almost ready to take to the road!

Baskit Were you familiar with Baskit before the model search and what drew you to it?

Billy Yes, I actually did a shoot a few months before and by chance I was wearing Baskit underwear. I entered a picture from that shoot to the competition.

Baskit Is there something thing you aren't doing that you wish you were? A sport/skill you were never good at or just haven’t gotten around to learning yet?

Billy I actually want to learn trapeze and run away with the circus!

Baskit What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Billy Not sure if it’s advice, but I have always had unconditional love form my family.

Baskit On a random Saturday, what are you likely to be wearing?

Billy Swim shorts in my blow up kiddy pool ala Homer Simpson.

Baskit If you had a week on a beach and could only take three things with you what would they be (aside from clothes and money?)

Billy My boyfriend, an iPod with speakers, and a bottle of wine.

Baskit Any other interest tid-bits or pieces of information you'd want to share with the readers? Something nobody knows about you?

Billy I love the P90x workout and I've never had a gym membership! Plus, as I write this, I am currently on a ship in the middle of a sixty-six day exploration of the Mediterranean Sea!

Rick Day takes on Baskit Action Cool

BASKIT AND CONNEXION.ORG MODELING CONTEST GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE WINNERS

Clothing brand Baskit, best known for premium underwear, swimwear and activewear collections recently joined forces with social networking site Connexion.org to find the perfect ambassadors for its new image campaign that launched this month.

Over 200 Connexion members submitted pictures for consideration and members of the social networking site selected the two finalists through a series of eight rounds of voting, casting over 30,000 votes in an eight week period.

Hailing from the Nation’s Capital, meet Tim Baird, an all-American guy who proved he is more than just a pretty face and a super fit body. His killer smile and charming personality brought the heat to beach during a photo shoot that found him showcasing new styles from this year’s underwear offerings, dangling from cliffs over crashing waves, and braving the freezing water to show off an irresistible swimsuit.

We took a moment to ask the brand’s newest face some questions for a special look into his life and what he fills his baskit with….

Baskit: What’s your age and where you are from, Tim?

Tim I’m 27 and right now I live and work in DC. I grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, a small town just south of Boston.

Baskit What do you do for a living (aside from modeling)? What did you want to be when you were a kid?

Tim I work full-time for a healthcare non-profit, but as a little kid I always wanted to be a professional soccer player.

Baskit What's the best way to spend your day off? Extra hours at the gym? On the beach? Hiking?

Tim If I had a totally free day, which never happens, I’d sleep in, then with a little motivation I’d get to the gym and spend the rest of my afternoon by the pool or beach with some friends, music, food and drinks.

Baskit Were you familiar with Baskit before the model search and what drew you to it?

Tim Totally. I have a few pairs and modeled for a Baskit underwear show in DC. It’s sexy, great fitting underwear so entering the contest just made sense for me.

Baskit Is there something you aren't doing that you wish you were? A sport/skill you were never good at or just haven’t gotten around to learning yet?

Tim I really want to learn how to surf. I need to get my ass to a beach where I can practice!

Baskit What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Tim Never take anything too seriously, including yourself!

Baskit On a random Saturday, what are you wearing?

Tim Shorts, a tank or v-neck and flip-flops. I’ll probably have some kind of necklace on, aviators if I haven’t lost them and Baskit’s, of course.

Baskit If you had a week on a beach and could only take three things with you what would they be (aside from clothes and money?)

Tim Tough question. Definitely music, a volleyball and a surfboard so I can finally pickup surfing!

Baskit Got any other interest tid-bits or pieces of information you'd want to share? Maybe something nobody knows about you?

Tim I speak Spanish, bummed around South America for a year, and have cut my own hair since I was 17.

Rick Day takes on Baskit Light*

ACTIONCOOL BY RICK DAY

/BASKIT/ TAKES ON SUMMERTIME IN BRAND NEW AD CAMPAIGN

Baskit (www.baskitwear.com), a premium player in the men’s underwear, swimwear and activewear segment, announced the launch of a new brand campaign for 2011 that continues the brand’s goal to reach active men everywhere. With new collections added, Baskit now offers a style of underwear for every man, for every activity and day of the week; reinforcing the name as the go-to brand for stylish men everywhere and their motto, “The brand you dig through your drawer to find.” The new image and video campaign, produced by photographer Toky Castellanos, kicks off with the redesigned PURE organic underwear collection and ENERGY, the label’s moisture-control underwear offering.

Baskit designer and CEO Eric Schwers commented, “Our goal with this campaign is to broaden our audience while continuing to appeal to our loyal customer base. We set the bar pretty high with last season’s campaign and this one continues that trend, showing our guy in a new perspective. Men who are familiar with our brand know us for good fitting underwear and great designs, but we want to expose them to the active lifestyle element of our brand. We started this two seasons ago when we introduced the jockbrief to market and we’re continuing that with more active cuts and fabrics.  So this campaign plays right into that and the collections allow us to continue our goal of offering our men a style and fit for every occasion.”

Andre Ziehe in Baskit from "MADE IN BRAZIL"

NYC Photographer Marco Ovando: Conrad Woolfe for Baskit Underwear