EXCLUSIVE: After Colby Melvin Lost Everything, he Clawed His Way Back to the Top

In Part 1, interviewer Matt Baume chatted with Colby Melvin about how he came out, lost his job, and moved across the country to pursue his dreams. Here in Part 2, we’ll take a look at how just how those sexy fun dreams are coming along.

Before he suspected he was gay, Colby Melvin knew that he wasn’t like the other boys. “I don’t really like hunting, and I’m not really crazy about most sports,” he reflected. For years, that difference gnawed at him until he realized the stereotypes didn’t have to define him as a man. “I can be fun and playful and like the things I like, and still be masculine,” he said. “the definition of what masculinity is is changing, and I think the modern man is comfortable being silly … being confident about who you are on the inside.”

That’s certainly reflected in his interest in style. A few years ago, he picked up a sewing machine simply because he wanted a hobby. His great grandmother was the head seamstress for department store Montgomery Ward, and taught his mother how to sew. Growing up, he was surrounded by textiles, and he had picked up the basics. The rest he taught himself over the next year, buying whatever fabric and patterns appealed to him.

The result: a bright, sparkly collection of underwear, swimsuits, tank tops, activewear and more. There’s no mistaking his designs, which feature bold shapes, wild neon colors, and animal prints aplenty. His outfits in these photos are all Colby Melvin originals.

“I pride myself on being a goofball and having a vibrant personality,” he said, “so I wanted to make clothes that showcase that. I wanted to be adventurous and show personality.”

Last summer, hunched over a sewing machine in his West Hollywood apartment, he created a swimwear collection called Petting Zoo that was inspired by animals. Swimsuits sported cartoon sharks and seahorses, callbacks to everyone’s inner child.

Becoming a fashion designer was never his plan. “I had no intention of starting a fashion line or doing any of this,” he said, but “there weren’t other brands that were making the things that I wanted, so I was like, ‘okay I’ll make it.’”

At first, he just started wearing his handmade garments out of the house. But people started asking him where he got them, so he offered a few pieces for sale. Demand kept increasing, and he opened an Etsy Store. It sold out within 15 minutes.

For now, “I am the sweatshop,” he said. But he’s working on scaling up, and plans to open a bigger store early next year. (At the moment, he’s only doing custom designs by special request.

Colby wants to make people feel good in his clothes, “like they’re putting on a superhero costume or a cape. It’s meant to accentuate the awesomeness that’s already within. I want people to feel empowered and confident when they put it on.”

You can’t miss the parallels between his sartorial goals and his difficult coming-out. Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, being manly required masculine apparel: hunting hear, sports uniforms, baggy one-size-fits-all garments. For a bright, playful kid like Colby, those clothes were an oppressive disguise. Now, finally, he can outfit the world the way he’s always wanted.

In Part 3: Colby’s lived a very public life via social media. But he’s also learned the hard way that some things are best kept secret.

matt baume

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PHOTOS: Inside The Bizarrely Sexy Phenomenon Of “Boyfriend Twins”

We’ve all seen it happen. Two people start dating, and over the course of the relationship, they start to morph into mirror images of each other. It can be funny, sad, hot — it all depends, really.

But did you know there’s a blog that chronicles this phenomenon? The aptly named BoyfriendTwin Tumbler is just chock full of wonders.

Here’s a taste of our favorites:

Dan Tracer

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Best Photography of the Year: 2014

Over 50 editors’ picks from our this year’s photographic portfolios.

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Christopher Harrity

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Michael Sam Tells Oprah Heartbreaking Childhood Bullying Story (VIDEO)
Coming out as a gay athlete takes courage — just ask Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL. In his first television interview since being cut from the Dallas Cowboys, Sam opens up to Oprah about the painful experiences he endured as a child.

One of eight children, Sam grew up in the small town of Hitchcock, Texas. Of his five brothers, one was killed, and another was declared dead after going missing. Sam says his remaining older brothers were always getting into trouble and known around town as the “damn Sams.”

“They used to abuse me daily,” Sam says in the above video. “Maybe just for fun. Maybe because I was different.”

“They called me a lot of things,” he says. “They called me fag, they called me gay — anything you could think of, just to hurt me.”

Sam threw himself into sports, and in the seventh grade, received his first honors in football, basketball and track. “For the first time in my life, I got a trophy,” he says.

“Validation,” Oprah nods.

“Yes, and my mom was so proud of me and it was the first time any of her kids had achievement that high,” Sam says. “It was most valuable player. And I was so proud of those trophies.”

But his joy quickly was shattered. “My older [brother], he was so jealous and he just broke them in front of me, and it was just the saddest thing,” Sam says. “I couldn’t have anything without them destroying it or taking it from me.”

Oprah’s full interview with Sam airs Saturday, December 27, at 10:30 ET, following the premiere of the exclusive “Michael Sam” documentary at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.

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