B.D. Baggies Make a Comeback
B.D. Baggies
In 1986 a line of shirts hit the market, designed with one simple tactic in mind: give real guys shirts that are so soft, they feel as if they’ve been passed down through multiple generations. Their packaging was unique, as the shirts came in small laundry bags. The brand soared. But in the mid 1990s, B.D. Baggies hit a slump. To shake things up, the new parent company WP Lavori in Corso, the Bologna, Italy based company that revived Woolrich, recently brought on designer Dave Mullen, who is acclaimed for designing Save Khaki.
David Mullen in New York
“I was approached by WP Lavori just as we launched Save Khaki… We had a shared vision in how to rebuild the brand,” Mullen says. While he came in at a time of reinvention, Mullen’s role maintains truthful to the brand’s essence. B.D. Baggies strives to reflect modern American prep with a heightened focus on where it most excels: shirting. It’s Mullen’s memories of the originals that resonate within his updated designs. “I remember the line mostly for their laundered shirts and great packaging in cotton muslin-like bags. The shirts were preppy—blues and whites, oxford and chambrays, timeless and ageless.”
B.D. Baggies
What differentiates B.D. Baggies is the luscious softness that dudes rave about. Mullen works closely with various fabric mills utilizing 100% pre-laundered cloth. “It’s more about the fabric than it is about the wash. We often micro-sand the fabric before cutting and sewing the garment. A good fabric should improve with wear and wash.”
And while the B.D. Baggies heritage is rooted in Americana, Mullen has incorporated a melting pot of references to help define his vision. “Denim and khaki are quintessentially American, while tweed blazers were adapted from the English, tailoring and sweaters from the Italians. American style borrows a little from its ancestors, but tends to be less formal or serious. Of course, the B.D. Baggies aesthetic is derived from this, but with a modern preppy twist.”
Mullen has plans to grow the brand exponentially. “Ultimately, as the brand grows, we hope that it will stand for a few simple things,” he says. “Simple, honest, and approachable designs.”
B.D. Baggies
B.D. Baggies
