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It still feels very strange, a man talking so in depth about underwear. I grew up in a family where men begrudgingly bought a cheap pack of boxers or briefs from wherever they could find them, and that was the end of that. However, things have moved in a very different direction for men’s style, grooming etc in the last decade, with so many of us Millennials looking back to the time of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers for sartorial inspiration, we have understood that they took a very different view. For them what a man wore both on the outside and underneath needed to be as smart as possible, so If it’s good enough for our ancestors, it’s good enough for us.
Peter McGuinness, the founder of Drake & Hutch, came from a family with a similar point of view to my own, a £5 pack of boxers from the local ASDA was good enough. A few years spent learning the art of tailoring in London, developing a rich understanding of men’s style, coupled of course with the major shift in men’s fashion in Europe, Peter came up with the idea of creating a men’s underwear brand that mixed heritage, quality stitching, and comfortable fitting. The brand is based in the historical city of Manchester, known for it’s textile production dating back to the Victorian era, during the great industrial revolution.
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“We (Millennials) have a much more refined taste when it comes to clothing and accessories” Peter says “where as, say our dads, would look for whatever fits and not really worry about much else, we take more time in looking for things that are of greater quality, from stitching to the way it’s designed, the inspiration behind it and so on.” It’s very true what Peter says, speaking for myself, over a period of five years my tastes have morphed dramatically, I’ve nurtured a style that has an eternally classic feel to it, with my penchant for heritage and gentlemanly masculinity playing a key role.
For Drake & Hutch, Peter decided that heritage would feature prominently when putting together his aesthetic. “I take a lot of my inspiration from heritage prints, a couple of examples are the black and white Bengal stripe, and the paisley design, which each have a very interesting history to them. I found that working in tailoring, the customers were more enthusiastic about designs that had a distinct historical feel, something classic that could be worn time and again. So, with that in mind I decided to incorporate these distinctly recognisable styles. It’s funny to think that only a few years ago, if you were to include styles like this into men’s underwear, it would be more or less laughed at, yet now the desire for heritage is grown immensely.”
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The designs from Drake & Hutch are of sterling quality, especially in the shape and stitching, another thing Peter learned from working in tailoring. “I paid a great deal of attention when it came to the stitching and general fit of the designs, as Drake & Hutch focuses on underwear, it’s important that we pay attention to every fine detail, we basically look at our underwear in the way we would look at a bespoke suit. The whole design process crosses from England to Continental Europe. Incorporating our collaboration with Jermyn St. tailors there is over 100 years of experience between us.”
With methodical precision and an adventurous sense of artistry, Peter has bore an aesthetic that is steeped in history, yet inventively caters to the modern mans taste for function and individuality. This will of course grow and mature with time, as Peter’s vision, going forward, is to take on board customer feedback and add additions, change etc as time goes by. The designs are above all masculine in tone, there’s a tendency for some designers to air on the feminine or outlandish side, but where Peter is concerned he really has reached the gold standard, and thus able to appeal to a more broader section of men. He says “I had always wanted to work in the fashion industry, but coming from a working class Northern family, much of it seemed a bit namby pamby, so I made my way in the world of tailoring, I learned my craft from true old school professionals, and its from them I understood how to create something stylish yet masculine.”
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I’m sure there’s a quote somewhere from Napoleon or Field Marshal Haig about a man’s need for a good pair of underwear, but I sadly can’t find one. So, I’ll end this by saying that if manners makyth the man, then a good pair boxer briefs make him a lot more confident.
Photos from the “St Andrews Shoot” courtesy of Peter McGuinness.