Phillip Proyce of Lady White Co.

Dedicating a brand to classic pieces and elevated basics is harder than it may seem. With nowhere to hide in logos and embellishments, a garment is judged and loved on the most minute of details. The fit, the fabric and the construction. Something Lady White Co have mastered. Founded by Phillip Proyce in 2015, with a clear focus on USA Sportswear classics, Lady White Co has become a revered Los Angeles designed and made brand.

Their small factory located in Burbank, CA has been owned by Peter for over 35 years. Peter recently walked LWC through his space, which was full of personal touches amongst the massive ribbing machines. We can feel the story that these images tell. One of a factory owner in the US in an ever struggling industry that continues to move its production overseas.

Read on below to see images of their LA store and factory, as well as words from founder Phillip Proyce.

KC: You founded the brand in 2015, when looking back over the past 5 years, what are you most proud of?

PP: I'm still most proud of our first product we put out - "Our White T-shirt". After 5 years it's still what our customers keep coming back for.

KC: Any big lessons you’ve learnt along the way you could share?

PP: Biggest lesson learned is how important our whole team is. We only have 4 people at the studio/warehouse and everyone plays such a big part to keep things moving.

KC: What are your favourite pieces from the current collection?

PP: The S/S Placket Polos.

KC: Tell us a little about your creative process?

The process is not very linear - but the general process is usually surrounded by researching photography and sketching. After that, it goes in all directions. A garment can start from the most far out idea, but the biggest reward is seeing someone move in it.

KC: What makes a great T-Shirt?

Fit, fabric, and construction - then balancing those three in the best way possible.

KC: You’ve specifically chosen to keep your manufacturing local to LA, including the use of US farmed cotton. Tell us more about this decision.

PP: Local manufacturing is super important for us. Clothing has it's obvious harmful effects on the planet and keeping things local really minimizes that impact. Not to mention an array of other benefits including fair labor practices and good quality.

KC: Favourite office tunes? What gets you in the zone?

PP: Mamman Sani Abdoulaye Unreleased tapes 1981-1984

KC: What is coming up next for LWC?

We are really proud of the AW20 collection, we've developed a Cotton/Nylon fabric in black that we used across a couple new styles.

KC: And last one as we can never have too many recommendations...  What are you watching or reading right now?

Shoe Dog, a memoir of Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight.