Absolut intimacy

Designer underwear is perplexing. Only a few people can explain the exhilaration that comes with wearing fabulous, elaborate and often expensive underwear that only very few – lover and the next-door perv included – would be able to glimpse. There’s a sense of duplicity involved, as if your real identity or maybe an alter-ego, can only be revealed by little scraps of fabric that barely see the light of day.

"Underwear is part of the personal enjoyment of a person," explains designer Lesley Mobo. "People are now living the kind of life where they don’t feel the need to display the quality they have purchased to others."

Lesley Mobo knows what he’s talking about, being one of eight up-and-coming designers Absolut has chosen from around the world to give new meaning and a designer twist to underwear, the intimate, often concealed, clothing that is the focal point of Absolut Label’s newest fashion collection. Absolut Label is the vodka brand’s "ground-breaking fashion project." Started three years ago, the brand picks a particular fashion piece and interprets it, as inspired by a random word inscribed on the classic Absolut bottle. After the "Country Collection" of T-shirts and the "Famous Collection" of bags, Absolut takes the word 1879 (the year LO Smith started to produce vodka under the Absolut name) for their 2006 collection, to unveil one of the most essential and intimate pieces of everyday clothing.

Lesley, the Central Saint Martins-educated designer who made waves at London Fashion Week last year, is thrilled to be one of Absolut’s designers to dress up underwear, not only because it puts him in the same circle as Tom Ford and Stella McCartney – who also worked on projects for Absolut in the past – but because it brings Filipino talent into recognition. "I was surprised that they chose me, a Filipino designer, considering that the Philippines is a small market for the brand compared to other Asian countries. It’s great because it brings a name to the Philippines. " Just goes to show that, for Absolut, it’s not where you’re from, but what you do that counts. Lesley is presently head designer for swanky London locale Harrods’ newest label Jasmine Di Milo. He is also the latest winner of the ITS festival, now one of the most prestigious competitions for young designers.

Though he specializes in womenswear, Lesley chose to create a design for classic men’s underwear for the Absolut Label project. Bearing in mind the modest and pedantic principles of the 1879 Victorian era, Lesley doesn’t go skimpy on the skivvies; instead, he piles on detail to 100 percent cotton classic briefs. "Victorian society is all about perfection and constriction, so I put in elastic Moulin Rouge-inspired suspender bands on the waist." He also dotted in Absolut lettering in red onto the waistband, which he explains is reminiscent of the 19th century practice where mothers and grannies would stitch their initials onto handkerchiefs or pinafores. Complex suspender straps are also stitched into the design.

"I just wanted to make underwear very good and interesting, combine the classic and the contemporary," says Lesley, who goes on to enthuse that Absolut made it easy for him, and all the other designers, to play around with their designs. "Absolut gave us absolute freedom – they really respect talent and ideas." The result is a collection that runs a gamut of concepts and underwear interpretations centered around 1879: Indian designer Ashish created an intricately embellished singlet, Canada’s Jean-Pierre Braganza came up with a complex undershirt in perforated jersey, among others. The pieces can be seen across the world in exhibitions and fashion shows, or in a photographic collection book with images taken by flourishing photography duo Sofia and Mauro of Argentina.

When it comes to the product itself, though, Lesley is not one to experiment. His favorite Absolut mix? Classic Absolut with cranberry juice. "I’m not really curious when it comes to alcohol. I stick to the classics… And I like the color of cranberry vodka: it’s Moulin Rouge red!"