Drake & Hutch participated in our Creativity in Underwear. They are a great British Brand. Read what they have to say!

Our readers love fun underwear. What makes fun underwear for your brand?

I set up D&H because I wanted to create a Brand that showed real British character and our sense of humour. Initially we started with fun preppy prints in vibrant colours as a way to turn something as simple and every day into a talking point. Over time we have developed a more subtle approach including things like fun card inserts and cheeky messages on the underside of our garment labels. While we pride ourselves on the quality of clothing we make, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have a great deal of fun designing each range and it’s important that this shows through to the customer in the final product.

Do you have a Philosophy about creating underwear? If so what is it?

Whenever you mention underpants to someone they smile/laugh. Our philosophy is based around this, we want to make great quality great fitting every ay essentials that make you smile when you put them on.

In one of your recent pairs/lines, what was the inspiration behind creating it? 

One of the first ranges we launched had preppy prints that were inspired by the prints you find on classic British made ties. Our own background is in British tailoring, so it was a way of having fun and demonstrating our heritage.

It took a few goes to get the colours right and our in-house design team took some very traditional prints and made them more modern without loosing the sense of tradition or fun.

If this is a pair you designed before the previous collection, how did it influence other pairs/lines going forward. If a new pair, is this pair/line going to influence more collections in the future.

We loved the fun preppy prints, but going forwards we are moving to a more simple colour pallet with key colours to create our new multi pack offering. Our details have become more subtle, but still demonstrate our sense of humor and the fun that we have designed the ranges.

Three years on from the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh and the ugly side of fashion hasraised its head again. This time in the form of Beyonce’s new Ivy Park label and accusations of 63 cents an hour sweat shop factory workers.

Labels are happy to spend vast sums of money on celebrity endorsements and social media selfies, but are far less keen to say how and where the clothing is made. Behind the scenes cost savings and aggressive margin targets are regularly applied. This is like building a skyscraper and skimping on the foundations to afford a nicer façade. Unfortunately customers are kept in the dark until the next scandal unfolds.

British label Drake & Hutch believes change is long overdue and plans to save the world one pair of pants at a time!

They have broken away from the traditional closed door retail model and instead offer full transparency in production.  A simple idea, from cotton grower to garment maker, every stage of production is advised for each luxury pair of pants they make.

Founder Pete McGuinness spent two years traveling the world looking for suppliers who shared his passion for high quality comfort and it became clear those with the happiest staff, who are treated well and paid fair wages, produced the best quality clothing.

He explains: “once I spent three hours talking with the floor manager of our Italian partner mill and soon realised he was as passionate about the fabrics he was weaving as he was about his beloved AC Milan. It’s enthusiasm like this at every stage of production that gives us pride in telling the story behind how and where we make.”

This is a small step in the right direction and one we hope will become the norm as opposed to the exception. Being open and honest about how and where clothing is made gives power back to the customer and this is where the drive for change must come from. We believe putting on the right pants in the morning is as good a place to start as any!

You can find more information about Drake & Hutch and their transparency policy online at drakeandhutch.com/suppliers.

Drake & Hutch have launched a Kickstarter for their new Pima Cotton range. We have introduced you to them a few months ago. If you aren’t aware of them, this is what they have to say about the brand:

“At Drake & Hutch we have created a new approach to men’s underwear by utilising the world-renowned principles of classic British tailoring to produce a fit and feel like no other. We create everyday clothing consisting of outstanding quality and attention to detail designed for those who are truly thoughtful when investing in their wardrobe.”

To make the finest luxury underwear you need the best designers, best materials and a factory willing to go that extra mile to pull the vision together. The below gives a small insight into the thought and level of detail that has gone into creating the new range. This is what makes our underwear so comfortable and Drake & Hutch unique in the market.”

They are an English company taking British Tailoring to the world of men’s underwear. This line is very classic. This is in colors and styling. I really like what they are doing. Their Kickstarter is one of the more detailed in who they are, it covers the company, underwear, waistband, lining and packaging. They left nothing out of this!

If you want to support a really great company you should go read the Kickstarter information. But to tell you why they started the crowdfunding:

“So far Drake & Hutch has been personally funded with the help of a small start up loan and a number of fantastic friends and family! With the success we have seen from our initial range and the feedback received on the new Pima cotton range detailed above we feel confident in taking the brand forward in this highly competitive market. We can’t do this without your help.”

Creating an underwear line is a large undertaking. You may think it’s super simple and would be a breeze. I am glad more companies are turning to crowd funding! Go read the Drake & Hutch Kickstarter and donate if you can!

Profiling new companies is one thing I LOVE to do on UNB. Drake & Dutch reached out to us and they seem like a really interesting company. We wanted to share a bit more about them and give you an introduction to the brand. We will be working with them more but enjoy this brief look at them!

Drake & Hutch have created a new approach to men’s underwear by utilising the world-renowned principles of classic British tailoring to produce a fit and feel like no other. They offer simple everyday essentials consisting of outstanding quality and attention to detail.

Drake & Hutch tailored underwear caters to the lifestyle of the modern man. As the first thing you put on and the last you take off, they believe underwear should be formed with the same attention to detail you would find on a bespoke suit. That is why they spent 2 years working with Jermyn St. tailors, testing and developing to perfect the block on which Drake & Hutch underwear is made. The fit this created is unique to the brand, providing support while preventing garment rise. Every piece of clothing has its own story which links to their tailoring heritage.

The brand are proud to work with some of the finest artisan mills and factories in the world. With over 100 years collective experience in clothing production they have a supply chain that shares their philosophy and belief in creating underwear of unrivalled character and quality.

On customer reactions to the brand, founder Pete McGuinness comments “there has been an incredible response to what we are creating, the positivity around comfort is particularly pleasing as we have invested heavily in perfecting this working with some of the finest tailors on Jermyn St. Attention to detail is key, we analyse every stitch to ensure our garments not only looks great but feel great. Competition in the menswear market is incredibly tough and to have a chance of succeeding you have to create something that really raises the bar, so that is what we have done.”