Crisp shirting: in-grid streamlines the classic wardrobe staple

'We make white shirts. For women. Made in England', Katie Timothy and Adam Barclay's website in-grid explains load and clear

British brand in-grid couldn't be more straightforward. 'We make white shirts. For women. Made in England', their website reads - a simple statement that captures the conceptual mission of Katie Timothy and Adam Barclay, partners in life and work who founded in-grid as a collaborative merging of their separate talents in tailoring and graphic design, respectively.

With just seven styles available online, the specificity of the product is the brand's strength. No matter how bare the shirts look at first, each has slightly tweaked detailing that makes them versatile. 'The beauty of a white shirt is that it's one of the hardest working garments in a woman's wardrobe,' they explain. 'Once a woman has found a particular cut they love, the garment can be worn in absolutely any personal or social situation and they will always feel great. Too many garments only look appropriate in certain situations. What really excites us as designers is a garment that transcends these boundaries and can exist anywhere.'

By designing and constantly re-designing white shirts, in-grid has, they feel, found the  'correct platform in which to create detail driven, sculptural yet wearable garments'. The elements that set the shirts apart - a kimono sleeve, a high V-neck, a rounded collar detail - are Timothy and Barclay's way of distinguishing them through elimination: 'Rather than adding another layer to our shirts,' they continue,  'we wanted to cut our details straight into the physical outline of the shirt itself, making them graphic in their appearance.'

Choosing to produce in Britain is another aspect of their ruling passion for simplicity. 'We find it absurd that you would produce a product off-shore when the skills and know-how can be found on your doorstep,' they continue, tying this in with the realisation that customers value a brand's ethics nowadays, too. 'People are becoming more and more connected to the objects they buy and the reason they buy them, and rightly so. As a brand we aim to be completely transparent as to how our products have been made, purely because we are proud of the processes employed to make our garments.'

Partners in life and work they founded in-grid as a collaborative merging of their separate talents in tailoring and graphic design, respectively

With just seven styles available online, the specificity of the product is the brand's strength. No matter how bare the shirts look at first, each has slightly tweaked detailing that makes them versatile

'The beauty of a white shirt is that it's one of the hardest working garments in a woman's wardrobe,' they explain. 'Once a woman has found a particular cut they love, the garment can be worn in absolutely any personal or social situation and they will always feel great'

The elements that set the shirts apart - a kimono sleeve, a high V-neck, a rounded collar detail - are Timothy and Barclay's way of distinguishing them through elimination: 'Rather than adding another layer to our shirts,' they continue,  'we wanted to cut our details straight into the physical outline of the shirt itself, making them graphic in their appearance'