Alter Boy

The king of skivvies looks to his next venture: making secondhand clothes first-rate.

You may not know Nick Graham by name, but were it not for him, the question “Boxers or briefs?” may never have evolved. It was his tongue-in-cheek designs—think glow-in-the-dark shorts that read “Yes, yes, yes”—for Joe Boxer, the brand he founded in 1988 (and sold in 2005), that redefined men’s underwear. Two decades later, Graham’s creative vision, which he describes as whimsical and ironic, is the driving force behind William Good, a newly launched sustainable-clothing line he created in collaboration with Goodwill Industries.

“I had been thinking for a while about how to create eco-friendly clothes,” says the 49-year-old Marin resident. “I was driving by a Goodwill one day and thought, There are so many clothes in there; I wonder what they’re doing with them all?” Along with Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, CEO of Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, Graham devised a threefold concept for William Good that, while restocking the closets of trendsetters, also benefits the environment. Castoffs from the Goodwill discard bins are recycled into one-of-a-kind pieces using one or more of the following methods: recutting (whereby two sweaters might magically be transformed into one), adding appliqué (a bisected stuffed animal becomes a swan on a Björk-inspired dress) or performing a bit of fancy needlework (embroidered words such as “tart” and “dirty birdie” have made appearances on sweaters).

“They’re viable and fashion-forward, but not like a craft project,” says Graham. The community reaps rewards too: Goodwill Industries trains and hires disadvantaged people to design, sew and sell the William Good clothes.

The brand has enjoyed an auspicious beginning, carefully choreographed by Graham, who is also the founder of the Larkspur marketing agency 100 Minute Company. An unveiling at L.A. Fashion Week last October generated a healthy buzz, and now the line—which at press time numbered 1,000 pieces (“That’s 1,000 different ideas!” he raves)—is available in San Francisco at Eco-Citizen in Russian Hill and at Goodwill outposts in the Haight and Fillmore districts. There are plans to expand nationally; meanwhile, pieces are also being sold through WilliamGood.com. “We do everything but underwear,” laughs Graham. “Isn’t that ironic?”

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