FASHION DESIGNER MAUREEN DE CLERCQ ON NOSHIRT WOMEN
“DESIGNED TO EMBRACE THE FEMALE FORM”
If you specialise in men's fashions, and you want to develop a collection for women, then you need to get the advice of an expert. That is why for the Noshirt Women collection, Noshirt Art Director Thomas Haukes called in Maureen De Clercq, the famous Belgian fashion designer who has her own sustainable fashion label and who teaches at the Fashion Academy in Antwerp. “Women are much more focused on details.”
DESIGNING A WOMEN'S COLLECTION FOR A MEN'S BRAND. WHERE DO YOU START?
“Noshirt has more than ten years of knowledge and experience in the field of fabrics and functionality. That provided a solid foundation that I could use to design the collection for women. Luxury comfort and invisibility are also the essential features of Noshirt Women, but women are much more interested in details: colour, shape, and elements that make an item stand out from the rest. That is why we decided to use the ‘Lite’ fabric: ultra-thin Supima cotton that feels like a second skin. After that, I started to add more elegance and unique details to the design. But of course, everything had to be designed so that it was invisible under the top layer of clothing, and therefore it had to embrace the natural curves of the female body. All the design choices we made were about ‘embracing’ the female form. And not about reshaping it.”
WHAT ARE THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF NOSHIRT WOMEN?
“All the shirts and tops have a unique, one-seam design. Instead of two seams at the side, that place the accent on the waist and hips, all the shirts and tops of Noshirt Women have a wide, flat seam on the back. The fabric comes together there, along the whole length, so that it circumvents the body and perfectly hugs all the shapes of the female form, without bunching up, sagging down, creeping up, or overstretching. The combination of the soft cotton and the one-seam design creates a very soft ‘shape’. Simple, but elegant and feminine. The flat, broad seam also gives the shirts and tops a unique, cool accent, without any contours and a minimal contrast in colour.”
TALKING ABOUT COLOUR… WHAT IS ‘INVISIBLE ROSE’?
“In addition to black and white, the shirts and tops are available in the specially designed colour ‘Invisible Rose’. A feminine, fresh, light colour that has virtually no contrast at all with white top clothing and your skin. Perfect under white or light clothing or open weave fabrics: Invisible Rose makes the contours of your undershirt and underwear completely disappear.”
Read more about this unique colour here.
NOSHIRTS ARE DESIGNED TO BE INVISIBLE. WAS THAT A PROBLEM?
“We decided to make the shirts and tops with low-cut necklines, so you can't see them if you are wearing top clothing with a low-cut or wide scoop neckline. The difference between the men's collection and the women's collection is therefore not in the fabric, but in the style of the undershirts. After all, women wear different types of clothing. For example, there is the spaghetti top: very fine and low-cut, also at the back. The tank top has wider straps and a higher back, which means the straps and contours are also invisible. And the short sleeve shirts are available with a round neck and V-neck, ideal for a low-cut round neck or a low-cut V-neck. But this is just the beginning. ”
