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In an era where celebrity brands often begin and end by slapping a bold-faced name on marketing materials, Luke Evans is determined to do things differently. The Welsh actor, known for “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Alienist,” has built his apparel brand BDXY from the ground up with his partner, architect Fran Tomas — not as a vanity project, but as a hands-on business centered on sustainable production and timeless design.
“A lot of people with a following put their name to a product, but sometimes they don’t do all the work,” Evans told Variety at the brand’s pop-up holiday event at Nobu Los Cabos last month. “They’re the face of it, but there’s a whole machine underneath. I didn’t want to do that. We took no finance from anybody — this is all my own money, and we built it from scratch.”
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From its Lisbon base, where both Evans and Thomas reside for most of the year, BDXY’s design ethos is rooted in sustainability and timelessness. “We wanted to make the perfect T-shirt,” Evans said, laughing at how serious that sounds. “But we really did — we made a hybrid of our three favorite tees, from texture to fit to color. It had to feel premium, and last.” The line, which began with staple pieces like T-shirts, underwear and swimwear, uses fabrics made from lyocell and organic cotton — a combination that Evans estimates is “around 90% sustainable, maybe more.” These fibers, derived from wood pulp, require less water and energy to produce than traditional cotton, giving BDXY a tangible edge in an industry often criticized for its environmental footprint.
Evans and Tomas spent months researching materials and meeting with potential manufacturers before finding a small family-run factory in Porto, Portugal, a partnership that became the backbone of their sustainability mission. “The first thing I said when we met [the production team] was, ‘We want to do this as sustainably as possible. Can you do that?’ If it was a no, we would have left,” Evans recalled. “They’ve been making clothes since the 1970s — the mom started it, now it’s run by her kids. Supporting local businesses like that, to us, is part of sustainability too.”
That commitment extends beyond production volume. BDXY manufactures in small batches, restocking only as needed rather than overproducing and discounting. “When we sell out, we make more,” he explained. “We don’t sit on thousands of pieces. Fashion changes, and we don’t want to throw things out. It just doesn’t make sense to us.”
Tomas handles the operational side — “When the spreadsheet comes up, my eyes start to shake,” Evans joked — while longtime friend and stylist Christopher Brown serves as co–creative director, bringing what Evans calls “a finger on the future.” Together, the trio designs collaboratively across multiple group chats and time zones. “Chris is dressing David Beckham one day, then we’re on Zoom reviewing a prototype the next,” Evans said. “It’s chaotic, but it works.”
While BDXY’s foundation is grounded in modern sustainability, its aesthetic looks back to the effortless cool of old Hollywood. “We’ve always leaned into that Marlon Brando, James Dean simplicity — the perfect cut of a T-shirt, a leather jacket, timeless pieces that feel lived in,” Evans said. To achieve that vintage feel, BDXY puts its tees through a special lava wash and uses embedded rather than printed graphics, giving each item a worn-in softness without compromising quality.
Evans’ own lifestyle — split between London, Lisbon, Madrid and Ibiza — informs BDXY’s sensibility. “We love the beach, love being outdoors,” he said. “Solar power for me is like a drug. That warmth, that light — it’s inspired so much of what we do.” His most recent spring line continued that theme, with relaxed resortwear that feels as at home on a city street as it does by the ocean. “It’s just comfy, stylish, relaxed clothing that you could wear to the beach or to lunch. It doesn’t need to be a resort,” he said. “It’s all about ease and longevity.”
That philosophy was on full display at the brand’s recent Holiday Collection launch at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos — a weekend of poolside photo shoots, styling sessions, and sunset dinners that attracted a guest list of Hollywood friends and fashion insiders including Olivia Holt, Madison Iseman, Jonathan Bennett, Jaymes Vaughn, and “Shameless” star Emma Kenney. Guests wore BDXY tees, hats, and resort pieces throughout the festivities, which culminated in a beachfront soirée and dinner hosted by Nobu and Chrome Horse Tequila.
For Evans, though, the glamour is secondary. “We just wanted to make things we love — things that last, that feel good, that don’t harm more than they help,” he said. “BDXY isn’t about hype. It’s about building something that’s honest.”
