PACT, an online underwear brand that blends design and sustainability with support for powerful social and environmental causes, launched today with three premium organic cotton underwear collections for men and women. PACT believes that everyday essentials can communicate personal values. Buying PACT underwear is more than a transaction; it's commerce as a social movement embodying the motto: Change Starts With Your Underwear.
From how it's made, shipped and shopped, the PACT brand is conceived in partnership with Yves Behar and his San Francisco-based studio, fuseproject, the industrial design and brand strategy firm behind iconic products like the Jawbone headset, Herman Miller LEAF Lamp and One Laptop per Child XO laptop.
"We looked at underwear through the lens of 360 degree design," said Jeff Denby, PACT Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder. "Having fuseproject as an equity partner in PACT illuminates the fundamental importance of design to the PACT brand. Our collaboration is key to generating what we believe are the most innovative ideas at the intersection of business, design and sustainability."
At the core of PACT are deep partnerships with nonprofit organizations that work to create social and environmental change. Each underwear collection is aligned with a nonprofit. Internationally recognized artists and designers create graphic visualizations of each organization's mission with underwear as their canvas. PACT then gives 10 percent of each sale to support these organizations. Inaugural nonprofit partners are 826 National, ForestEthics and Oceana, with Yves Behar behind the first collections' expressive, playful prints.
"In building PACT, we re-thought everything about the way underwear is made and marketed," said Behar. "We're not doing anything artificial or superficial, not with the body, not with the packaging and not with our partnerships. Our vision is to unite fashion and design with doing good in an authentic way, building a company that truly embodies 21st century needs, showing a new way for businesses to operate in the future."
PACT underwear is manufactured in Turkey with all processes - from growing the cotton to producing the finished product - occurring within a 100-mile radius. Every part of the supply chain is certified to or exceeds the highest possible environmental and social standards. Underwear is shipped to customers in bright green compostable shipping bags, with each pair packaged in a reusable cloth bag made from scraps. No big cardboard boxes. No filler.
By visiting PACT's website, consumers can shop by cause, fit or print, easily choosing what matters most to them. With each new collection, PACT will continue to connect consumers and the world's most creative artists with the global community of organizations and people who are effecting meaningful social and environmental change.
"More than ever, consumers want to see their values reflected in the products they buy, from hybrid cars to fair-trade coffee, and PACT is applying this mindset to everyday essentials," said Jason Kibbey, PACT CEO and Co-Founder. "Underwear is a necessity. So why not wear the most stylish, best-fitting and sustainable pair possible and give back to organizations dedicated to positive change?"