Cristiano Ronaldo Q&A
Q. Tell us about CR7 by Cristiano Ronaldo
A. CR7 is a luxury underwear and sock line that I created in
collaboration with JBS and Richard Chai. I wanted to create a
brand of my own, to design product and produce something that
I have full control over. I work collaboratively with brands
and have done for some time, but this is really something that
is totally my own, so it is very exciting.
Q. Why did you decide to produce underwear?
A. Because everybody wears it! I think that style starts from
the inside out. If you are wearing good underwear it makes you
think more about how you put the rest of your outfit together
and is a real foundation for your style. I really appreciate
good underwear and that’s why I decided to start with an
underwear brand.
Q. Do you have plans to launch any other products?
A. Yes definitely. We first started just with making
underwear, then we decided to make socks as well as we were
enjoying the process so much. This is definitely the start of
more products and lines under my own label.
Q. What did you enjoy most about making the collection?
A. I enjoyed being creative and working on the design elements
with Richard. It was also great to see everything come
together after all of our hard work. When we received the
first samples and were trying them on and when we first saw
the packaging it gave us a great sense of achievement and was
really exciting.
Q. Is fashion a passion of yours?
A. Yes I am really interested in fashion and design. I like to
have fun with fashion and have my own sense of style. I really
appreciate the design aspects of fashion- craftsmanship, cuts
and materials. Working on the collection gave me even more
respect for the process and hard work that goes into fashion
design.
Q. Why did you decide to work with Richard Chai?
A. I was introduced to Richard by my team when I was first
starting the collection and we immediately got on well and
liked the same things. Richard has an amazing eye and is very
talented. He’s worked with designers including Marc Jacobs and
Donna Karen and has his own line, so he has a lot of
experience and was able to bring that to our partnership. We
really enjoyed working together.
Q. Why did you decide to work with JBS Textile Group?
A. JBS are one of the best underwear companies in the world.
They have been making underwear for over 70 years so it made
sense to work with real experts. They have worked with me
every step of the way and are great partners. I like the fact
that they are a family run business and, for them, quality is
key. It was very important for me to work with someone who
only uses the finest materials and quality craftsmanship.
Q. Tell is about the product and designs
A. We have four different collections- Luxury, Fashion, Basic
and Boys. To begin with, we were just going to do one men’s
line and a boy’s line but when we started to design the
product we had so many ideas and so many things that we wanted
to do that we decided to make different ranges. The Luxury
range is stylish and made from very premium materials. The
Fashion range is more fun- I love colours so we put a lot of
bright colours and some patterns into the design. The Basic
range is everyday wear and the Boys range is really colourful
and fun for my younger fans.
Q. How involved were you with the process?
A. I oversaw every element- from design, to packaging to fit.
It is my own brand so it is important that I am involved in as
many aspects as possible. Plus, I really enjoyed the creative
process and worked with a great team, so it was a lot of fun.
Q. Which is your favourite piece from the collection?
A. My favourite are the pieces in the Fashion line. I like
wearing bright colours, it puts me in a good mood, and I like
how bold the designs are. For fit, I like the long trunk which
is like a tight boxer, that’s the most comfortable one for me.
Q. How important is it to wear good underwear?
A. It’s very important! It’s the first thing you put on so if
you have good underwear on then it makes you feel more
confident. You can’t wear a stylish outfit and have bad
underwear on underneath!
Q. Are you going to introduce a collection for women?
A. I’ve thought about it! We may do. I wanted to start with
men’s product as I obviously wear it myself and had a lot of
ideas around what I wanted to design. Women’s is a little
different but never say never!
Q. Where will the collection be available?
A. We have a website which is www.cr7underwear.com so it is
available online and we ship anywhere in the world. It is also
available from retailers worldwide.