Björn Borg introduces "nude" underwear for all skin tones

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Mar 21, 2016

Swedish sports and fashion label Björn Borg is doing its share to support equal rights and anti-racism with its new underwear collection, which was launched on March 21, the United Nations Racial Discrimination Day, and features "six shades of human."

Traditionally, "nude" underwear has catered to white-skinned people and come in hues of blush and beige. The Björn Borg collection instead follows the Fitzpatrick skin scale, a numerical classification schema for human skin color created in 1975 by a Harvard dermatologist. It was developed to classify the typical response of different types of skin to ultraviolet light.

"Nude is not a colour; it’s a concept that everybody should have the right to enjoy. 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," comments Björn Borg Marketing Director, Jonas Lindberg Nyvang.

Europe has recently seen a worrying increase in the popularity of white power movements and nationalistic political parties, and Björn Borg says this makes Racial Discrimination Day "more important than ever."

The collection is made from a fresh microfibre material to maintain high breathability and comfortable fit, and retails for €32.95 through selected retailers and the Björn Borg web shop.