‘If I’m not working I’m always on the beach,’ says Luke Evans, Hollywood actor and, now, fashion entrepreneur. Evans is explaining the origins of BDXY, the collection of beachwear and accessories he’s just launched. The name is a sort of acronym for ‘bold and sexy’, which is what you might expect from Evans, who has done his fair share of action roles. But the inspiration, he says, was the need for the perfect T-shirt. ‘I began to wonder what the reason is that when I have a pile of 40 to 50 T-shirts, I pick the same three to wear every time.’

The classic white t-shirt is a go-to for Luke Evans, just at its was for so many of his Golden Era Hollywood forebears

This thought dovetailed with the observation that the actors he knows pretty much live in T-shirts. ‘It’s the actors’ go-to basic. And I associate it with great male screen style icons from this golden period of the ’50s to the ’70s, like Marlon Brando, James Dean and Paul Newman. The white T-shirt in particular is iconic, a timeless look that’s never gone out of fashion; and it’s what we all wear.’

BDXY tote bag

And so Evans studied his three favourite T-shirts and came up with a hybrid style made up of the best elements of each. He researched how he could make this sustainably, using organically grown wood fibres, helped by the fact that he lives in Portugal, where many brands make their clothes. The result is The Actor T-shirt, and it spawned a range of accompanying pieces – swim trunks, shorts, underwear, a tote, a beach towel and more. All have names taken from the film set – The Cameo shorts; The Boom underwear. Check them out for a warm-weather movie star classic wardrobe.

bdxystudio.com