The Hundreds Public Label's Patrick Hill Speaks About the Sub-Brand and His Search for the Perfect White Tee

Designing super clean basic stuff for The Hundreds’ cut & sew affiliate Public Label is a dream come true for its lead designer, Patrick Hill. For the past four years, Hill has been at the helm of the company, steering its minimalist direction. His unique approach is drawn from his own style and an urge to fill a void in the market with what he calls “timeless non-branded basics.” Hill recently sat down with The Hundreds’ blog to chat about the Public Label brand, his own inspirations and creating super basic, clean clothing and rad jackets. Check out a few excerpts below.

When did Public Label become what it is now?
Fall ’10 was the first season of Public Label that I designed. The need for it came from the fact that we were doing all this loud cut and sew that wasn’t necessarily what we wanted to wear. We wanted a cleaner aesthetic. We saw a gap in our market and wanted to provide some timeless non-branded basics.

What were you into that led you to lean more towards that minimal aesthetic?
It’s not even what I was into at the time. I’ve always been like this ever since I was young. I only really wear basic non-branded pieces. It’s the same pair of black jeans and a white tee every day. And to me, that’s what it is: It’s all about basics. It’s all just about super basic, clean clothing and rad jackets.

Why do you think you were into the non-branded utilitarian basic type stuff since you were young?
I’ve always worked in the clothing industry and I’ve always worked in the skateboard world. And everything was always like Volcom, Element, and these loud, showy things. And once you’re into that for a couple years, you’re like, “I don’t really want to be a billboard for people anymore. I’d prefer to just wear something that fits me really nicely.” You get over the whole brands and logo thing, and what I got into was wanting to wear clothes that look really good and fit me really well. Something really clean and simple and not a billboard.

How would you describe the perfect white T?
Slim-fitting but not too slim-fitting. It’s long, the sleeves hit you just below mid- bicep. The neck isn’t too tight. Crew-neck.

Besides the T-shirt, what else would you say are completely essential basics?
A crew-neck sweater, clean wovens with nice fabrication, and then a military- inspired jacket. And that’s everything from a three quarter-length parka to a M65 to a MA-1 flight jacket.