PHIGVEL × LADY WHITE CO. Special Collaboration

PHIGVEL is a Japanese brand that creates high-quality daily wear based on the concept of “New Classics.” The brand has been covered previously in SILVER through interviews with designer Hideki Tohno. PHIGVEL has a distinctive fan base, but in Winter 2023, they surprised fans by announcing a collaborative pair of boots with Japan-based brand Midorikawa. In this Autumn-Winter 24 season, PHIGVEL has announced another highly anticipated collaboration with Lady White Co., based in Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States. Lady White Co. offers a “Modern Sporty” collection of mainly cut-and-sewn garments.

How did these two independent brands come together across the sea? We will unravel the relationship between Hideki Tohno, the designer of PHIGVEL, and Phillip Proyce, the designer of Lady White Co., through this conversational interview.

Can you tell us how the two of you met?

Phil – About 10 years ago, I found PHIGVEL while reading a magazine. At the time, a select shop in New York was carrying PHIGVEL’s clothes, where I got my hands on the actual product for the first time. I was amazed and attracted by the fabrics and designs, of course, but also by the small details that are not elaborated in other brands. Since then, I have been visiting PROD (PHIGVEL’s boutique in Nakameguro) whenever I visit Japan.

Tohno – When Phil started coming to the store, he was quickly getting along with the members of PHIGVEL. I had heard that he was doing a brand specializing in cut-and-sew, but I didn’t know many other small brands like ours with a distinctive focus and identity. So, it was at first hard to understand Lady White’s concept. After that, I checked his brand’s clothes in person, and I was surprised by the simple yet well-expressed brand concept of his cut-and-sewn garments. The minimalistic and refined manufacturing and branding were very different from the preconceived idea I had of a “Los Angeles” brand. I was excited to know that there were brands overseas that were different from so-called “Maison” brands, and that they are making products on the same scale and with the same sensibility as PHIGVEL.

How did the collaboration happen and proceed?

Phil – I’d always wanted to do something together someday, but PHIGVEL had so much more experience in the industry that I never thought we would be able to collaborate. So, I was so honored to be able to collaborate with PHIGVEL this time. I became deeply involved with Tohno-san through this collaboration, and the whole process reassured me that he was exactly what I had imagined from PHIGVEL’s clothing. Of course he has knowledge about clothes, but there are many other aspects of taste and sense that I found in common with him, and we were able to communicate without worrying too much about the language barrier.

Tohno – My impression of Phil is the same. I don’t speak English, but I feel that he and I share the same kind of intimate sensitivity. For example, once during a meeting, I was going to talk about my sense of how to make clothes, but Phil said to me first, “I think it would be better to make the slight difference in this part like this. What do you think?” He gave me exactly the same opinion that I had in mind. I was surprised and very pleased at that time. I thought, “Oh, Phil and I feel the same way.” So, we continued to trade sympathetic ideas this way, and it was easy for us to work together to make clothes. I think this collaboration is a well-structured collection.

Phil – We didn’t rush too much, keeping the pace comfortable to create this collaboration and build a collection that we were both satisfied with. We are very happy to be able to launch the collection at the right time for both Lady White Co. and PHIGVEL as brands. I can’t appreciate the PHIGVEL team enough.

This is the first time for PHIGVEL to make a full collaboration with other brands right?

Tohno – Yes. It has been almost 20 years since I first started this brand, and I felt that we have gradually solidified and arrived at what we want to do and the direction in which we should go. There are still some aspects that we are still exploring, but that will always be a part of making things. To take a new step, we made boots with Midorikawa as our first collaboration in 2023, and in 2024, we are collaborating with Lady White Co. in this way. They are a cut-and-sew brand, and PHIGVEL is a total fashion brand, so even though we are in the same field, we occupy different spaces, so it made sense to develop a capsule collection together.

Phil – I was very nervous about proposing an idea that I wanted to make, but Tohno-san has neatly put my ideas into 8 styles.

What is the theme for this collaboration?

Phil – We wanted to focus on the items rather than the theme. The idea was to use my favorite PHIGVEL items as a base on which to add a Lady White Co. personality.

Tohno – We make full lines of clothing, while Phil and his team mainly make cut-and-sew garments. So, for example, we asked Phil and his team to come up with a few items from sports brands or examples of vintage clothes that they liked, and started development from there. Then, we thought it would be interesting to present those elements as a set-up.

Phil – We wanted to create garments that are not often seen in each other’s seasonal collection. I asked them to incorporate elements of vintage ski jackets I had.

Tohno – Based on the set-up items we talked about earlier, we added items such as a shirt, a hat, and a pair of boots, aiming for a lineup that allows you to make two outfits. We also made a track jacket, unlike something you would expect to see in PHIGVEL’s collection. It is an item that illustrates Lady White Co’s brand image, and by making it together, we were able to expand the range of PHIGVEL.

Can you tell us a little more about Lady White Co’s personality that you have added to this capsule collection?

Phil – The main thing was to add a sportswear dimension. PHIGVEL has strong work and military throughlines, but I was looking forward to seeing how adding sportswear elements would develop interesting contrasts and complements. For example, the wool zip-up and the silhouettes of the set-up in this collection are particularly expressive of that. The shape of the beanie and the color of the boots’ lining also pursued that, along with some features of items Lady White Co. has produced in the past, also express the brand’s character. And in the end, Tohno-san balanced everything out.

Tohno – Phil was more particular about the silhouette than I had imagined. He broke down the elements meticulously and refined them down to the last detail, which made me realize once again how much Phil and his team really love making things.

Phil – The priority was to send the message through the fabrics and the making of the clothes more than anything. For this reason, we were thoroughly particular about fabrics and patterns. Lady White Co. focuses on cut-and-sew garments. Because cut-and-sew is the most basic type of clothing, we believe that it should be as simple and stripped down to the most bare essentials as possible. We are particular about the details that make them unique to us.

Why did you guys only use black color?

Tohno – PHIGVEL has previously released a jacket in sumi black, and Phil really liked it. We don’t often make clothing in pure, simple black, as we’d rather use faded black. I think Phil liked that ambiguous black color. In carefully selecting 8 styles for the capsule collection, we thought that focusing on one color would be stronger both as a concept and as a total outfit.

Phil – There are not many items in each other’s seasonal collection that are available only in black, so the one-color focus was very valuable.

You guys are also holding a one-day launch event for the launch on Saturday, September 28.

Tohno – This collaboration was born through the brands’ closeness and sensibilities, so we didn’t want to make items and then just sell them. So, we also produced photo and video shoots in Los Angeles, where Lady White Co. is located, with a team of photographers from Japan. By having the launch event as the last piece of the puzzle, we can deliver the collection while seeing the customers’ faces. In this way, this project, which is all about connection, is completed.

Phil – I am very much looking forward to meeting the customers who will actually wear the items from this collection. I hope that something new will happen again by connecting PHIGVEL and Lady White Co’s respective customers and stockists across the sea.

Sometimes, collaborations between two brands happen for marketing purposes, but I was reminded the most natural way to make a collaboration item is through the relationship between the people inside the brand, like Tohno and Phil. Phil expressed his respect for Tohno by calling him “Tohno-san,” and Tohno said, “I was happy to be able to connect with someone who has similar sensibilities even though we speak different languages.” The collection is a special one that is different from the seasonal collection, and should be picked up by fans of both PHIGVEL and Lady White Co.

Hideki Tohno
launched PHIGVEL in 2002. Under the concept of “New Classic,” the brand makes products by reinterpreting heritage items such as workwear, military wear, and American casual wear.

Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/phigvel_makers_co/
WEB：http://phigvelers.com/

Phillip Proyce
started Lady White Co. in Los Angeles in 2015. Based on jersey T-shirts and fleeces, the company’s creations are influenced by the good old American aesthetic.

Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/ladywhite_co/
WEB：https://ladywhiteco.com/

Photo Taro Mizutani Photo (Portrait of Tohno) Yusuke Abe Photo (Portrait of Phillip) Lady White Co.

Styling Dai Ishii

Interview & Text Yutaro Okamoto