Underwear can often be an intimate subject, but not for Peter Simonsson – creative director of Swedish brand The White Briefs. Founded in 2009, The White Briefs endorse an intelligent, high-quality, eco-friendly way of design, sourcing GOT’s to produce laid-back essentials with the utmost comfort and style, mainly in their signature colour, white. Here Peter talks to us about the values and ambitions of the brand and the importance of what lies beneath our clothes.
Annie: Can you tell us why you founded The White Briefs?
Peter: For me, it was important to reflect on utilitarianism, functionality and providing something different to our clients. It started with a concept of a brand with a new perspective on functionality in our day-to-day lives. Next to this, aligned with our core philosophy, we only work with sustainable materials of the lushest quality.
A: You source all your fabric from sustainable, eco-friendly sources,
why is this important to the brand?
P: It is central to our profound understanding of design and an important brand value. We will never do it in a different way. Next to this, it constitutes a sound promise to our consumers.
A: Your aesthetic is timeless, why have you stayed away from a more trend-driven way of design and do you think more companies should do so?
P: In my opinion, fashion is quick and, at times, even too quick. To me, it’s important to develop and create true wardrobe keepers, items that will last and that can withstand the test of time. With regards to your second question, I’m not sure if it’s better if other companies should do the same – of course making a change is important, but we do need a bouquet of variations on the global market.
A: You’ve collaborated with people such as Stephen Burks, Gustaf
Nordenskiöld, Nick Wooster and Fantastic Man– is there anyone else you’d really like to work with and why?
P: It would be very interesting for me to work with some strong independent women. Perhaps, Stella Mcartney for her sustainable vision and great personal style. On another note, Katherine Hamnett, since she is a true pioneer in sustainable fashion and started the eco movement decades ago, when the question was extremely relevant and in the news. l can still remember the great collections she did in the early ’90s. Some of them still reside in my current wardrobe.
A: For your SS14 collection you’ve introduced swimwear – how did this
design process differ from designing underwear?
P: This was to add an extra dimension to the brand. We would like to enhance the lives of our clients, swimwear being a most useful addition. Naturally, the fitting process and sourcing of eco-materials is a little different, but we succeeded in maintaining our conceptual philosophy after some profound research. The result is a high-cropped short and fitted bathing suit, minimalist and subtly complementing.
A: The White Briefs is predominantly an underwear brand – why is what’s
beneath our clothes so important?
P: Life can be measured in many ways. I wanted to come as close to the body as possible, to provide people with a sense of self. The closeness and intimacy of underwear also challenged us to seek for super lush materials and shapes that work with, and not against the body. We sought for an elusive combination of both, minimal universality and effortlessly functional wearability.
Interview: Annie Price
