Undies in the museum?
PACT underwear makes history as first underwear brand on display at the London Design Museum
Our friends at PACT are at it again- challenging the conception that underwear is merely a wardrobe staple. This time, they beg us to consider that undies are more than utilitarian, more than a means of contributing to the important work of social and environmental causes, more, even, than a way to connect our power as consumers to our values – PACT underwear is art.
On February 17, the London Design Museum opened an exhibition showcasing the nominees for the Brit Insurance Designs Awards. These are “the Oscars of the design world,” honoring the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world, so you can understand how excited we are that PACT underwear is among the products on display. Last year’s winner, the unofficial Barack Obama poster campaign by Shepard Fairey, demonstrated the power that design can have at a grassroots level. This year’s winner will be decided by a jury chaired by Antony Gormley and announced on March 16th.
Many who are aware of the PACT brand understand how diligent the company has been in creating the most sustainable profile possible. Underwear is shipped in zero-waste, compostable packaging, made of organic cotton and sewn in a vertically-integrated, socially-conscious factory.
What may go without saying most of the time, however, is just how truly eye catching and unique the design of each print is. With contributing artists including PACT partner and design guru Yves Behar, painter and former graffiti artist Sage Vaughn, and new prints by Tucker Nichols (the de Young Museum’s first roving artist-in-residence), the caliber of the artwork reflects the belief by the company founders that design can be a vehicle to change behavior.
Behar’s three inaugural prints for PACT will be on display at the museum until June 06, 2010.
For more information on the exhibit, go to http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2010/brit-insurance-designs-of-the-year
