PRESSING REWIND
BEHIND THE SEAMS
It’s our 40th birthday this year and it got us thinking. How should a brand mark its birthday? We did contemplate celebrating in classic 40th fashion (big table at the local pub, home by 10pm for the babysitter). But we decided instead to bring back some of our best pieces from 40 odd years ago.
“White Stuff started on the slopes of the Alps in 1985,” Paula, Buying & Design Director, says, as she pulls up a chair in a corner of our South London office. “And a lot of our customers had been asking us to bring back some of our pieces from back in the day. Our sporty, archive half-zips and things.”
“So we asked customers if they could reminisce about the clothes they loved and root in their wardrobes and send us pictures of their vintage pieces. And we got an amazing response.”
We dug through archives of old mail order catalogues. And then the next step was for Paula and one of the brand’s founders, George, to visit a long-standing supplier of ours in India, with armfuls of throwback pieces. “We really thought about what everyone loved about our products back then, but also what they love now. We looked at garment dye processes, pigment dyes. We used block printing, which gives the fabric a little bit of a mottled effect.”
“We obsessed about the details. The cross on the side, the back neck labels, the little hanger loops, the zip pull. And then we had lots of debates about the colours,” Paula smiles. “We wanted to keep it quite pared-back and go for those duskier colours that felt 90s. But we added in a few quirky colour combinations to make the collection feel relevant for now.”
The result are half-zips and t-shirts with a chilled, 80s/90s vibe. The fits are slouchy, relaxed, with drop shoulders. “I'm a bit of a dog lover,” Paula, says, showing us a picture of Bertie, her Miniature Schnauzer. “When I’m out dog walking and I need that extra layer because it's a bit chilly in the mornings, I'm loving the little half-zip to do that. And the t-shirt that you can tuck into a pair of high-waisted jeans. Or wear it with leggings when you’re chilling”.
ALL IN THE DETAILS
The Rewind ’85 collection wasn’t just about the clothes. “It was about looking at the brand’s heritage, the story, and telling that through the logo and branding,” Celia, Senior Design Manager, explains, as she joins us on one of the sofas.
“We started by leafing through our old catalogues. We call them ‘magalogues’ because they looked like little magazines. We delved into our old logos, typography, photos of vintage garments that customers had kindly sent us. Paying attention to the little details and seeing what we could do with them.”
“We then landed on a triangle, mountain logo. With a handwritten font, mirroring the ‘Boys and girls from the White Stuff’ graphic that was almost scribbled on the back of our original tees that we first sold in the Alps. And we went for 80s, retro colours.”
- PAULA
“It was a real collaboration. The heritage of the brand and the here and now.” Paula says, showing us her favourite piece, the khaki half-zip sweat. “Inspiration came from customer’s wardrobes which is always the best place.” She pauses. “And now it’s on to the next 40 years.” We can’t wait to see what’s to come.
Shop everything that Paula and George designed together. And read more about our Rewind ’85 story (including an eventful campervan trip up and down the length of the country).