Pockies’ Michiel Dicker on Comfort, Chaos and Couch Couture.
Most underwear keeps a low profile. Pockies has other ideas.
Founded in the Netherlands, the brand began with a deceptively simple proposition and has since developed its own particular way of looking at clothes, comfort and the business of getting dressed.
There is a playful intelligence to Pockies - an instinct for taking something familiar, nudging it slightly off-centre and seeing what happens.
It is a sensibility that sits somewhere between fashion, everyday life and a refusal to take either quite as seriously as they might expect. The result is clothing with personality, but without the usual insistence that personality must announce itself from across the street.
At the centre of it all is Pockies' idea of "Couch Couture" - a phrase that sounds like a joke until you consider how much of contemporary life is spent trying to escape the sofa, the ordinary and the gloriously unproductive.
We spoke with co-founder Michiel Dicker about where Pockies came from, how its particular character evolved, and what happens when a straightforward idea is allowed to become something considerably less straightforward.
Pockies began with a gloriously simple idea - underwear with pockets - and somehow turned it into a cultural universe. When did you realise you were no longer really selling underwear, and what changed creatively when you did?
Michiel Dicker: There was always this bigger dream of creating a broader collection for Pockies, but being simple history students, we lacked the necessary skills to go beyond our pocketed boxers.
The push towards a full range came from us wanting to create more stuff and our customers demanding more wearable comfort. And also to earn more money, of course!
“Couch Couture” makes idleness sound suspiciously respectable. Is Pockies consciously challenging our obsession with productivity, or did you simply find a very good excuse to stay on the sofa?
Michiel Dicker: The very idea of Pockies originated on a couch, so we are forever in debt to that wonderful piece of furniture.
As we got older, the concept of hanging around and doing nothing has grown more into living a good life. That could be a nice stroll in the park, drinking a good glass of red wine or binge-watching eight episodes of the latest quality reality television.
That said, we’re also getting pretty tired of all the 5am run clubs, endless new protein shakes and calendars filled with back-to-back appointments.
Most fashion is designed to be seen. Pockies starts with the person behind the closed door. Has designing for the private self changed how you think about fashion and self-expression?
Michiel Dicker: We would say yes. The first eight years of our business we only created underwear that was locked behind a door, so creating a fully-fledged collection meant jumping out of those boundaries and our comfort zone.
I’d say our collections are pretty easy to wear, with good trend colours and fits that suit almost everyone. But with every collection we do introduce items for those people who like to stand out.
For our latest French Vineyard-inspired collection, a full grapevine camo two-piece, a tactical wine-tasting vest and denims dyed in red wine form part of the offer.
Your collaborations move freely between artists, designers, entertainment and decidedly unexpected cultural territory. What makes an unlikely collaboration irresistible - and how do you avoid producing two logos having a very expensive conversation?
Michiel Dicker: We only do collaborations with parties we really like personally. Whether this is our favourite mayonnaise brand, Zaanse, the matchstick brand Zwaluw that has been a staple in our households for ages, or a music artist who we love.
This ensures we stay excited throughout the project and that we want to create something that elevates both brands instead of just slapping a couple of logos on things.
Humour is central to Pockies, but branded humour can become rather painful when everyone in the room knows they are supposed to be funny. How do you keep the irreverence spontaneous rather than formulaic?
Michiel Dicker: No comment.
Customisation gives customers considerable creative freedom. Where does that freedom end and good taste begin - and how much creative restraint does Pockies actually need?
Michiel Dicker: We closely watch all custom projects and shut down any that look downright bad. We don’t want people accidentally handing out ugly stuff on our behalf.
A pocket is fundamentally practical, yet Pockies has made it something people want to collect. What has the brand taught you about the point at which utility becomes desire?
Michiel Dicker: Everyone loves a good pocket, that’s what someone told us a while back.
So while we love the practical nature of a pocket, we’ve always tried to create something that encapsulates more than just the pocket alone. The pocket stands for the freedom of carrying anything with you that you want and need. So I guess that’s where that desire part comes in.
Pockies treats comfort as something closer to a philosophy than a fabric specification. What does genuine comfort mean to you beyond simply being physically comfortable - and can something ever be too comfortable?
Michiel Dicker: There are no limits to comfort. For us it’s one of the pillars when designing our products. We want everyone to be super comfortable, as a way of life preferably.
So yes, comfort is super important.
The larger Pockies becomes, the greater the temptation to become sensible. How do you protect the slightly ridiculous DNA of the brand when commercial success starts knocking on the door?
Michiel Dicker: We will welcome all that commercial success and sell our soul at the first possible opportunity.
The original idea solved a tiny but persistent problem. If you could redesign one other everyday object, garment or social convention simply because “that’s how it’s always been done”, what would you fix?
Michiel Dicker: What really annoys me is how my cap often flies off my head when riding my bicycle through Amsterdam. I think caps could do with an elastic strap that goes under the chin.
This way the whole flying-off problem is solved and you look quite cool at the same time…
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Words and questions by AW.
Answers courtesy of Michiel Dicker.
Photo courtesy of Pockies.
