London – For the majority of fashion history, the word ‘nude’ was associated with
light to medium skin tones, excluding darker skin colours in spite of 84
percent of the world’s population being a skin colour which is other.
However, over the years a handful of brands, such as and have taken steps to expand
the word ‘nude’ to include all skin tones. Now, on Monday March 21, the United Nations Racial Discrimination Day, sportswear and
underwear label Björn Borg has launched a new, underwear collection which
aims to address every skin colour.
Unlike other traditional ‘nude’ collections, Björn Borg new collection
consists of six shades which were developed according to the Fitzpatrick
skin scale. “Nude is not a colour; it’s a concept that everybody should
have the right to enjoy,” commented Björn Borg Marketing Director, Jonas
Lindberg Nyvang in a statement. “We call it six shades of human and the
reason to our launch on the UN Racial Discrimination Day is that the
political climate in Europe has been very tough as of late and it is time
to show colour. This is our contribution to that debate.”
The Fitzpatrick scale is said to be based on human skin pigmentation which
has evolved primarily to regulate the amount of ultraviolet radiation
penetrating the skin. The scale is a classification of the typical response
of different types of skin to ultraviolet radiation and covers six main
skin tones – the same ones which are offer within the new Björn Borg skin
collection. The collection includes hotpants for women and trunks for me
and is made from a microfibre materials which has been developed to allow
high breathability and comfortable fit throughout.
The ‘nude’ collection is currently avaiable through selected retailers and
online at the Björn Borg web shop, www.bjornborg.com for 32.95 euros.