Bite Denim are raising the bar for quality and sustainability with elevated everyday denim
There are few brands as fundamentally aligned as Bite Studios and Nudie Jeans. This extends from their garments, which emphasise material and fit over flashy aesthetics, to their unwavering commitment to sustainability. But it goes even deeper than that; in 2019, Nudie invested in Bite, taking on a minority stake in the company. The two brands even share an office in Stockholm.
So it comes as little surprise that when Bite would venture into denim, Nudie would be there to guide them. “Our core principles are the same,” says William Lundgren, Bite’s chief executive. He’s sitting next to his partner and chief operating officer Veronika Kant in a video call — the couple co-founded the brand alongside likeminded creatives Elliot Atkinson and Suzanne Liv. “It was a very natural collaboration.”
The result is a three-piece Bite Denim debut, made in collaboration with Nudie, available exclusively via Net-A-Porter.
Tasha Tilberg for Bite Denim.
Founded in 2016 and based between Stockholm and London, Bite’s ethically-driven luxurious essentials appeal to aesthetically-minded professionals and fashion industry insiders alike. Anyone who wants to look sharp and feel good about what they’re wearing, basically. Everything the brand does is meticulous and considered, from the effortlessly relaxed fit of their trousers to the extended cuffs of their silk blouses to the painstaking sourcing of the most sustainable materials and production methods on the planet.
When it came to denim, the approach was no different. Luckily with Nudie, they had a head start. “Nudie has been pioneering sustainable denim for years, and they have built up this incredible supply chain,” says Kant. “They took a stand 15 years ago saying they want to do one hundred percent organic denim.”
With Nudie’s production expertise already in place, the focus turned to fit. Working with Nudie co-founder Maria Erixon Levin, Bite whittled it down to three essential silhouettes. “We are very much about tailoring,” says Kant. “We based the silhouettes on our silhouettes.” This is most evident in the wide leg offering, which mirrors the brand’s signature trouser. It is joined by a slim and wide cut — a tight trio of denim that can be effortlessly dressed up or down with pieces from Bite’s main collection. To narrow the focus even further, each cut is only offered in a single wash.
Tasha Tilberg for Bite Denim.
It wouldn’t be Bite without radically transparent, outrageously sustainable production. This starts with certified organic cotton, sourced from Turkey and India. “We've got to work with organic cotton, because you have so many people dying in the cotton fields every year from from cancer — five thousand people,” says Lundgren. “It's super important to work with organic production, so we don't use all of these pesticides.” Then it’s a “full Italian production,” from the sewing to the washing to ensure both exceptional quality and unnecessary use of chemicals in the washing process.
This is the first offering in an ongoing collaboration between two brands out to change the world. And from a less idealistic standpoint, they’re simply great jeans.
Available on netaporter.com and Bite studios.