Peter Simonsson is the founder and creative director of The White Briefs, the Swedish underwear and essentials brand he launched with his wife Henriette in 2008 as a deliberate antithesis to a category he felt had lost its way: underwear and everyday basics built around organic cotton, honest construction and quiet design, rather than logos and marketing spend.
The couple ran the brand from a Le Marais showroom in Paris for a stretch before returning to Sweden. They now live and work in Österlen, the stretch of countryside and coast in Skåne where Peter grew up — the landscape that shapes both the brand’s aesthetic and, increasingly, its campaigns.
For Locals Insider, Peter wrote about the gap in the market that led him to sketch The White Briefs in 2008, how many pairs a modern man should actually own, his firm views on going commando, the SS27 swimwear launch, and his take on the sexualized image of masculinity dominating social media right now. He closes with his corner of southern Sweden — Österlen — and the places he actually returns to.
Before The White Briefs — the Björn Borg years
I am from Sweden, born in Malmö, and I have been working in the fashion and apparel industry for a few decades. My last assignment before starting The White Briefs was as Creative Director for Björn Borg. The task was mainly to develop new categories outside the underwear business, including sports and fashion collections for premium fashion and urban sports distribution.
I saw a gap in the market for a new, fresh take on underwear — something very honest, chic, and clean in its language, quality, and comfort. THE WHITE BRIEFS was born from those principles.
The Idea — Product as the Hero
We have to rewind to 2008, when the pencil was first put to paper. At that point, the underwear market was very traditional and largely driven by price and marketing. I wanted to build a brand that offered the opposite: a focus on quality, plain and simple, with the product as the hero. THE WHITE BRIEFS. The brand philosophy is to deliver a compelling everyday item with great comfort and allure.
“I saw a gap in the market for a new, fresh take on underwear — something very honest, chic, and clean in its language, quality, and comfort.”
Seven Pairs, Updated Every Six Months
How many pairs of underwear should a modern man actually own? Seven pairs, with an update of newness every six months.
That’s the rule I use myself. Enough that you’re never washing on a Sunday, few enough that you actually rotate the collection rather than let old pairs lurk at the bottom of the drawer. The six-month refresh cycle keeps the drawer working properly — cotton wears, elastics loosen, and the version of a garment closest to your body deserves to be at its best.
On “Sexy Underwear,” Style, and the Man in the Room
“Sexy underwear” is not really a term I like. I prefer interesting and good-looking. It’s about the man and, I would say, the fit. How you create that kind of allure or interesting look is all about context.
I don’t like to categorize people, but if I have to, I tend to see the preppy boys going more for trunks and boxer shorts. Briefs, on the other hand, seem to appeal to the French, the old, the young, and the glamorous.
And the tighty-whities?
“The tighty-whities are here to stay. Nothing more to say.”
The Habit That Drives Me Mad
A lot of younger men swim wearing regular underwear underneath their swim shorts. This is something I really have a problem with. I don’t understand the point, and it’s not hygienic.
New Swimwear for SS27 — After Sixteen Years of Not Making It
Funny that you ask. We specialize in underwear and don’t currently make swimwear — but we have developed a new swimwear collection for SS27, and we have been sketching it for a long time. Finally, we are launching it very soon.
When Going Commando Actually Makes Sense
It totally makes sense to go commando, especially when the heatwave hits. It’s one layer less. Otherwise, it’s nice to have a nice pair of underwear underneath.
How Men’s Attitudes Have Changed Since 2008
In general, men’s interest in underwear and garments has changed significantly since we started. More brands are doing the same as we do, and customers are increasingly interested in fabric, fit, and sustainability. Everything has evolved.
Men’s Bodies and The Social Media Contradiction
Men’s underwear has become more sexualized on social media. Influencers try hard to attract attention, and it can be a rather vain and superficial approach.
At the same time, marketing and advertising remain fairly conservative because of the commercial and political considerations involved. I believe there is much more to explore in this area — something that can be interesting, compelling, and relevant without relying solely on sexuality.
I will soon be shooting a new campaign that presents a more modern and less vain image of masculinity. Perhaps I am wrong, but I would like to open the door to an alternative way of looking at things.
My Sweden — Peter’s Österlen
I am based in the southern part of Sweden, so I recommend my favorite spots around the neighborhood. Easy, tasty, and beautiful.
For anyone visiting Sweden for the first time, my picks are the beaches and the landscape around Stenshuvud, and the restaurants in the countryside. Try Talldungen — always a good idea.
Visit Wanås Art Park, go hiking or run a trail, and finish at Alunbruket for a fika, close to the small waterfalls.
If I were photographing a campaign for The White Briefs in Sweden, I would choose Backåkra Beach or Sandhammaren Nature Reserve to embrace The White Briefs brand philosophy: natural beauty and clean lines.
Peter Simonsson’s Guide to Sweden’s Österlen: 6 Local Picks
The gårdshotell, sculpture park, 90-year-old kaffestuga, national park and two Baltic beaches that The White Briefs founder actually returns to in Österlen — the southeastern corner of Skåne (sometimes called “Sweden’s Tuscany”) where Peter lives and runs the brand, roughly 90 minutes by car from Copenhagen. Verified addresses and why each is worth the trip.
Eat & Stay
the gårdshotell Peter recommends firstBengtemöllevägen 7, 273 50 Brösarp · northern Österlen, in Brösarps backar (Brösarp Hills) · +46 414 732 35 · talldungen.se
An 18-room countryside gårdshotell in Brösarp run by Emma and David Höök since 2011 — a former retirement home transformed into one of southern Sweden’s most serious wine destinations. Star Wine List #1 for southern Sweden (2020), named Best Hotel Restaurant in Sweden 2024, with a micro-bakery on-site and a four-course dinner influenced by southern European cooking. Room stays include dinner and breakfast; reservations essential.
Art & Fika
Sweden’s largest sculpture park + its oldest kaffestugaVanås, 289 90 Knislinge · northeastern Skåne, in the Wanås nature reserve · wanaskonst.se
Sweden’s largest sculpture park, founded in 1987 by the Wachtmeister family on their historical estate around a medieval castle. Nearly 80 permanent site-specific works by Yoko Ono, Jenny Holzer, Ann Hamilton and others, spread through a beech forest. Also home to an award-winning boutique hotel, restaurant and organic dairy farm.
Alunbruket, Andrarum · Tomelilla municipality, near Christinehofs Slott · +46 417 261 15 · alunbruket.com
Skåne’s oldest coffee cottage, run by the same family since the 1930s in an 18th-century half-timbered building at the edge of the Verkeåns nature reserve. Traditional Skåne fika of hemgjord kakor, cinnamon buns, and seasonal rhubarb pie with vanilla sauce. White Guide listed. A short walk to Hallamölla, Skåne’s highest waterfall.
Landscape & Coast
the national park + two Baltic beaches Peter would shoot a campaign atKivik, Simrishamn Municipality · SE coast of Skåne, facing the Baltic Sea
A 3.9 km² national park established in 1986, wrapped around a 97-metre hill that rises directly from the Baltic. Marked walking trails run through deciduous forest, past sandy beaches and up to the summit for the coastal panorama Peter has in mind when he says “the beaches and the landscape around Stenshuvud.” One of the most photographed pieces of coast in Skåne.
Backåkra nature reserve, Löderup · between Kåseberga and Sandhammaren, southeast Skåne
The 1840s farm bought in 1957 by former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, now a museum and café inside a protected nature reserve that runs down to the coast. The wide, dune-backed beach at Backåkra is one of the two Peter names as a location he’d choose for a White Briefs campaign — for the natural beauty and clean lines the brand’s philosophy is built on.
Sandhammaren, Löderup · southeast tip of Skåne, adjacent to Backåkra · park at the western Tyge Å entrance for the quietest stretch
Described by Visit Skåne as probably one of Europe’s best beaches — miles of fine golden sand backed by pine forest and dunes, part of a nature reserve rich with wildlife and Sweden’s most southerly elk population just north of the beach. The second location Peter names for a White Briefs shoot: natural beauty and clean lines, taken to their most literal.
Addresses and details verified against each venue’s own site, Visit Skåne, Star Wine List and the White Guide. Talldungen requires advance booking; Wanås Konst and Kaffestugan Alunbruket both keep seasonal hours (Alunbruket weekends only from September).
Editor's pick from Locals Insider
Locals Insider’s Alex is a personal fan of two pieces in particular — the Earth lyocell t-shirt, a very soft and comfortable everyday tee, and the Henner lyocell boxer shorts in green and white, with an elastic waistband and a corozo button at the front. The White Briefs also makes essentials for women. Browse and buy at thewhitebriefs.com — they ship fast.
