#8 The Rest Is Pants

Crafting a Toile de Jouy with iconic figures from the history of underwear

Apr 24, 2025

My name is Louis Elton. I’m on a quest to craft an entire outfit from underwear-to-outerwear entirely in Britain. Why? To trigger a renaissance in British manufacturing and to heal the nation’s spirit! In this week’s post, I share a briefing that I created for an artist who is helping me design my “Craft Boxers” — the anti-AI boxers. Think toile de jouy x underwear lore.

1. Design Prize Reminder

Just a reminder that my Nation of Artisans Design Prize is open for submissions until May 1st. There’s £2,000 in prize money.

I’ve already had some wonderful submissions and would love to see some more. If you want to submit, go ahead! If you know a young/student designer, then feel free to share it with them…

Also: A call for judges. When all the submissions arrive, I will need to select a winner. I would like to create a panel of 6 judges. If you would like to be on the judging panel — get in touch! In practice:

We will meet — perhaps for coffee & cake.
Review all the submissions together.
Create a shortlist.
Select the winners!

Email me to be a judge

2. Craft Boxer Brief

The Vision

As mentioned, I plan to launch two boxers variations— Fully Automated Luxury AI Boxers and Craft Boxers. As per Dispatch #5, these Craft Boxers will be:

a special textile print that explores the lore of boxers. I’m thinking something on the historical characters that inspire underwear — perhaps featuring Saint Pantaleon and Pantalone (of Commedia dell'arte fame).

To bring these to life, I am collaborating with a fantastic artist — big reveal to come in the future!

This artist will design textile print that explores the history, culture, and lore of underwear itself.

Design Goals

Characterful: Feature symbolic or figurative elements — visual nods to the Pantheon of Underwear History e.g. etchings of key figures, eccentric inventors, archaic undergarments.
Loric: The design should invite curiosity — it should prompt research and story telling. Think: would you like to see the etchings on my boxers…
Timeless yet contemporary: Rooted in visual traditions (e.g., toile de jouy, etching, maps, engraving) but with a modern twist. Not nostalgic. Not twee.
Print-friendly: It must print cleanly on a white or light natural base (cotton, linen, or hemp).
Scalable: The pattern should be reusable or remixable — suitable not just for these boxers but potentially for future garments or limited-edition accessories.

Design Scope & Construction Constraints

Boxers are cut-and-sewn from multiple panels. Designs will be interrupted by seams and stitching; therefore, the pattern should either:

Be a repeatable character-led print — small, spaced illustrations that can be tiled and withstand distortion. This could be multi-colour with small characters/symbols in contrasting jewel tones or muted primaries — all on a white background.
Be a larger, flowing abstract/motif-driven print — something like a single-colour, lightly textured etching that isn’t disrupted by breaks. This would be a monochrome, richly layered line-work aesthetic, allowing the eye to wander and discover. Think: toile de jouy.