Minimalism With Bite: How Paire Makes Basics Anything but Basic.

In an industry that thrives on fast drops and louder-than-life campaigns, Paire has chosen the slower, quieter lane - and somehow made it the most compelling ride in town. Founded by Melbourne-based duo Nathan Yun and Rex Wu, Paire started as a garage experiment and has since grown into a brand known for reinventing the everyday basics: socks that refuse to slouch, T-shirts that actually breathe, and fabrics spun from corn waste, eucalyptus, and even coffee grounds. It’s not hype-driven; it’s comfort-obsessed, science-backed, and cheekily understated.

What makes Paire interesting isn’t just its commitment to timeless, functional minimalism - it’s the way the brand refuses to fall into the trap of “corporate vanilla.” Every piece feels like the product of quiet rebellion against fast fashion’s shortcuts. Think ethically made, earth-friendly, and obsessively tested until it passes what Yun once called the “would I actually wear this every day?” standard.

So how does a company scale from folding sock samples in a Melbourne office to innovating with materials like BioFlex and ReBrew, all without losing its scrappy, start-up edge? That’s where this conversation comes in. We sat down with Paire’s co-founders, Nathan Yun and Rex Zhang, to unpack what it really takes to build a brand that is as rebellious in spirit as it is refined in execution.

1. From Rex’s garage hustle to a polished flagship in QV, how do you keep that raw, scrappy spirit alive in a brand that’s grown beyond its humble origins without slipping into corporate vanilla?

Rex: We still feel like a small Melbourne business, honestly. Yes, we’ve got a store now, but that garage mentality hasn’t left. We’re still figuring things out in real time, testing fabrics ourselves, folding samples in the office, getting excited over a sock prototype. We’ve stayed small on purpose because we want every product to feel personal and considered. This store is big for us, but the mindset hasn’t shifted. We’re still just trying to do things better, from the ground up.

2. Timeless comfort is your anthem, but minimalism can so easily tip into bland. How do you dance that fine line between “understated elegance” and “did I just wear a bedsheet”?

Nathan: The secret is what you can’t see straight away, the fabric. We create everything in-house, and you won’t find these materials anywhere else. They’re engineered to feel luxurious the moment they touch your skin. You might look at one of our tees and think it’s simple, but then you try it on and realise it feels different. There’s a softness, a breathability, a weight that feels premium. That’s what gives our minimalism its edge. It’s refined, but it’s never dull.

3. Corn waste activewear? That sounds like the future calling, but how do you marry high-tech innovation with that effortless, ‘I-just-threw-this-on’ vibe Paire is known for?

Rex: At Paire, everything comes first—comfort, function, design, and sustainability. We don’t prioritise one at the cost of the other. When we developed BioFlex, we weren’t just trying to solve a sustainability problem. We were trying to create something people would actually love wearing every day. It had to feel incredible, move with your body, and last.

Then we made sure it looked clean and timeless. That’s why we have a designer focused purely on creating pieces that still feel relevant five years from now. We want innovation that fits into your life, not just your feed.

4. Socks that refuse to slouch: seemingly mundane, yet revolutionary. In a world of over-engineered hype, how do you find poetry in the little victories like these?

Nathan: That’s what we love, taking something ordinary and quietly making it better. We break every product down to the smallest parts. If a heel slips, we fix it. If a seam rubs, we change it. We obsess over the things people usually overlook, because those tiny moments of discomfort add up. And when you solve them, you’re not just making a product, you’re improving someone’s day in a really tangible way. That’s where the real magic lives.

5. You champion peace of mind through ethics. How do you keep it real and not fall into the trap of performative virtue signalling, especially in an industry swimming in greenwashing?

Nathan: It’s in our DNA. We don’t just talk about it, we live it. From day one, we’ve chosen better materials, worked with ethical factories, and created packaging that returns to the earth. We don’t do this to impress anyone. We do it because it’s how we live. The team we’ve built all share that mindset. It’s not a requirement, it’s just who we naturally attract. We’re not trying to retrofit sustainability into something that wasn’t built for it. This is who we are, not a marketing angle.

6. When pushing boundaries in sustainability, how do you reconcile the allure of glossy innovation with the quiet, enduring beauty of garments that simply survive and thrive with you?

Rex: I think the most powerful reaction someone can have is when they put something on and say it’s the most comfortable thing they’ve ever worn. That’s what we aim for. Our clothes don’t need to dazzle in photos. They need to feel extraordinary in real life. When something becomes your go-to, your default, your everyday favourite, that’s where sustainability becomes real. It’s not about spectacle. It’s about trust and comfort that lasts.

7. Scaling from two people to twenty and beyond must have its brutal truths. What’s the most deliciously uncomfortable lesson you’ve learned about growing without selling out?

Nathan: We were never tempted to take shortcuts or grow faster than we should. From day one, we knew this would be a long game. The lesson has been in trusting that slow, steady, and thoughtful growth is the right kind. It can be uncomfortable watching others move quicker, but we’ve built Paire with intention.

There’s no room for compromise when your foundation is about doing things properly. We just put in the work, day after day, and let the results speak for themselves.

8. If Paire’s garments could whisper tales of their makers, what cheeky or profound secrets would you hope they spill into the ears of their wearers?

Rex: They’d probably say you’ve got no idea how long it took to get this right. Every fabric we release has a long backstory—failed blends, months of wear trials, endless tweaks. It’s not fast fashion, it’s very, very slow. But we believe in that pace. It means when a piece finally arrives, it’s not just another item. It’s the best version of itself we could make.

9. Minimalism is easy to get wrong. How do you ensure Paire’s pared-back aesthetic never lapses into the sterile, soul-free zone of luxury clichés?

Nathan: For us, minimalism isn’t about having less. It’s about making every detail matter more. We design for functionality as much as form. Our clothes don’t just look clean, they work. There’s joy in a perfect pocket, a seam you don’t feel, a fabric that breathes just right. That practicality gives our clothes soul. People wear them because they make life easier, more comfortable, more enjoyable.

10. What’s the next audacious, eyebrow-raising innovation brewing in your lab, something so fresh it might just make traditional fashion houses reconsider their entire playbook?

Rex: We’re working on a new material called ReBrew, which uses recycled coffee grounds. The goal is to gradually replace polyester in our fabrics using this process. We’re not 100 percent there yet, but we’ve started testing. It’s early, but it’s promising. One day, your morning coffee could be part of your favourite top. It’s another step in making waste useful, and in our world, that’s always worth exploring.

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Words by AW.

Photo courtesy of Paire.