Steen Jones is certainly no stranger to Bonds. Earlier this year, he featured in our For Aussies By Aussies video series, which captured the passions and pursuits of four creative Australians. Now, he's back with his very own men's undie capsule range for Bonds!

The collaboration, a first for the Bonds men's underwear team, offered an opportunity to step outside the norm to create a bespoke four-piece collection fusing Steen's love of bold tattoo graphics with the fit and fabric of the Fit Trunk franchise. Here, Bonds men's designer, Ben Lalic, discusses the in's and out's of partnership from start to finish...

How did the collaboration first come about?

After first working with Steen on the For Aussies By Aussies campaign, we wanted to continue the partnership with a collaboration in the men's underwear category, something that previously had not been done.

Describe the development process from illustration to producing the range?

Before any ‘briefs’ (ha!) were sent, we had to run Steen across the makings of an undie, its pattern and its construction. This way he knew when designing each illustration how it would work on the body. Once the initial designs and colour palettes were set, we had to match Steen’s colour choices with our own colour library so that both design house standards were met in the printing process.

From here we scaled the artwork multiple times on each size scale to make sure it had its greatest appeal in store and on the body. We also worked on a new metallic elastic waistband, pip tag and swing ticket highlighting the collaborative work on the range and the fact it's a limited collector's edition range.

Were there any unexpected considerations to take into account when adapting Steen’s illustrations?

Working with the individual motifs that Steen generated and making them work both in a yardage and placement print was probably the most difficult challenge. We had to take into account the scale of each motif and how it would work on the pattern for each size scaled undie, making sure that not only we were happy with the final strike offs but also making sure it encapsulated Steen’s vision.

What’s your favourite piece from the range and why?

My personal favourite would have to be the roses. The injection of colour not only ensures it stands out but it captures both the Steen Jones and Bonds handwriting synonymously.

What was your favourite part about collaborating with Steen?

Being able to work with an artist so closely while pushing the boundaries of the typical Bonds design aesthetic was a real thrill. Especially when the first samples started to come in.

Shop the Steen Jones x Bonds collection online now >