The origins of B.D Baggies, the American button-down shirt brand, is so singular as to seem almost destined. We are in 1919 and the founder of the brand, Bradford Dexter Bagg, then a young college student, was rummaging through the closets of his house when he found a veritable treasure chest - a trunk full of his father's old shirts. Made according to the Made in USA tradition, meticulous, elegant and hard-wearing, over time they had taken on a worn look. The fabric had softened, making the shape supple and the texture dense, in stark contrast to the stiff, formal apparel of the day. When worn by Bradford, the shirts’ lived-in look, combined with the innate coolness typical of those who do not take themselves too seriously, were an instant hit with his friends and fellow students. The affectionate nickname they were given - B.D. Baggies - a play on words between the adjective “baggy” and Bradford's surname, immediately became synonymous with a style that has never gone out of fashion.

 

B.D. Baggies shirts, a successful blend of a unique taste and a careful selection of materials, treatments and comfortable designs, soon become a valid alternative to T-shirts. Over the years, B.D. Baggies collections were extended to include ever-new styles alongside the more classic Oxford button downs, as well as minimal sweatshirts, long-sleeved polo shirts, jersey tees and fine cashmere sweaters.

Making B. D. Baggies the reality we know today, is David Mullen, the designer who brought a highly-established pedigree to the brand. Keeping its heritage unaltered, Mullen’s creativity led the brand to success, making it a massive phenomenon on the American fashion scene of the 80s and among yuppies. One of the pioneers of the lived-in shirt concept, Mullen updated and reinterpreted the preppy Ivy League college culture with elegance and a sense of youthful ease that has made B.D. Baggies the American shirt brand par excellence. And it was precisely the realxed vibe of those shirts that gave rise to the brand's philosophy: shirts wearable naturally as a t-shirt. The brand continues to celebrate American style, using pre-washed, soft fabrics like cotton, linen and denim, as well as innovative yarns, with an agreeably lived-in look that anticipated the vintage craze and appeal of distressed looks by decades.