A-list comedians give their take on the tee
When asked to explain the inspiration behind their new clothing line 'Hang Tuff' the two radio jockeys, who host a daily breakfast show on radio station Nova 969, are as brief as they are absurd.
"Merrick and I have always worn clothes so we have sort of grown up with fashion. I see this as the start of something huge for us. I'd love Hang Tuff to move into pearl necklaces and design the interiors of an aircraft."
Mainly comprised of hats and tees - with a move to expand into denimwear, sunglasses, headbands and "asprin based painkillers" - the new line is available from the duo's online concept store merrickandrosso.com. Priced from $20 for caps to $25 for tees, the range is entirely manufactured in Australia by "workers who have funny sounding names".
Developed over a time period of three weeks, the tees are currently available for purchase in one size with a childrenswear line set for release at a later date.
Eventually aiming for a retail distribution deal, Rosso said the 'Hang Tuff' slogan was conceived after a ten pin bowling match with Alex Perry - although Perry could not confirm this at the time of press.
"His sunglasses flew off his head and landed in the lap of a kid in a wheelchair [and then] it came to me. Hang Tuff. The slogan says I'm going to stay home and watch a DVD but it also says, 'It's okay for 'Rock Me Armadeus' to be my unofficial theme song."
"I thought of making the slogan have a silent 'T' as in Thang Tuff but that just seemed plain stupid."
Although the label is only available online, Rosso said he would like to see the brand stocked in a mass market outlet.
"We are talking with Target at the moment to do a range like Stella's [McCartney] but a little more sporty."