It turns out, Pieters just needed a break. For nearly a decade, he had been living from show to show, always upping the ante, but without receiving much personal gratification. During his travels, he reflected on what he wanted most and came up with a radical idea for a new clothing line: Honest By.

“Simply put, Honest By is something I wanted as a customer,” says Pieters. “I love shopping and buying luxury products, but at the same time, I like to know where they come from.” His new company, launched in January, is sustainable, ecological and the first 100% transparent fashion label in the world.

It strives for complete honesty about everything, from the origin of the materials used to the final mark-up. The details of each piece are listed on the website. “I realised that every purchase you make has an impact on the world around you,” the designer explains, “so I wanted to create a brand that allows customers to see all the information they would like to know. They must be able to make a conscious decision, and, at the same time, I also want to be completely aware of what I’m making.”

Uncompromising openness is without precedent in the fashion industry, where brands are often vague about their manufacturing practices. According to Pieters, the internet has made matters worse: “Today, there are so many online rumours about how clothes are made. As a customer, I was left assuming, and assumption is dangerous for a brand.”

Pieters, 36, believes that when you buy a luxury product, you don’t just buy the clothes. “You buy the whole story,” he says. “Part of the fun is knowing something was made with savoir-faire. The story translates into the quality you buy; otherwise why would you pay that amount?” It’s a fair question, considering that Honest By comes with a designer price tag: about €400 for cotton shirts and pants, up to €800 for wool coats. So the question on everyone’s mind is, just what is the mark-up? True to his word, Pieters releases the information. A jersey knit dress of €527 (excluding VAT) cost €132 to make. The rest is wholesale and retail mark-up.

All the pieces in Honest By are limited editions – only about 10 or so of each piece are made. Though if the concept works, more of each piece will be made, and – crucially – the cost will come down. So the more consumers buy over the next few months, the better the chance of lower prices.

Transparency is the new black

The company’s transparency forms part of the personal philosophy Pieters developed during his year off . “India especially was an eye-opener for me,” he reveals. “To see how people live there and interact with each other – the freedom, the chaos. I saw a beauty in it that just felt liberating.”

But India wasn’t the only inspiration. “It didn’t take two years to create the brand. Honest By is the result of the 36 years of my life.” The collection does show Pieters at his most mature. The sharp lines and clean-cut silhouettes for which critics have lauded him make a comeback, but there is an extra softness to the pieces. The choice of organic, skin-friendly and vegan materials will undoubtedly have contributed to this. In stark contrast with his time at Hugo Boss, Pieters refused to use leather or fur. Instead, Honest By includes sweaters made from recycled wool, linen wrap dresses and cotton jersey bomber jackets: all wardrobe staples for the Kyoto generation.

The line knows no seasons. Pieters prefers a more organic approach – pun intended – to building a collection. “We have about 60 pieces for men and women, and every week we put up a few new arrivals. Right now, it’s turning summer here and winter in Australia, so it’s nice to offer both seasons the whole year round.” The new items dropping in are not the only reason you might want to keep an eye on the website. Pieters hints that Honest By has some exciting projects in store: “Every three months, we will have a guest designer, and in-between we will launch collaborations with other brands.” The first guest designer is Toronto-born Calla Haynes, now based in Paris with her label Calla.

Honest By, Pieters emphasises, is more than just his project: “The designers who agreed to do guest collections understand that this is not about helping me or my work. It’s about doing something they believe in themselves.”

The future of the fashion business

Whether this brave new transparent world will take off is yet to be seen. According to Pieters, it’s all in the hands of the customer. “In the end, it’s up to the public to decide what to buy,” he says. “Th ere’s no company in the world that will do something that the customer doesn’t want.” Via the brand’s website, customers can leave comments and even ask Pieters for styling advice. Then there is the blog, which features people who have bought items from the collection. “I want to make fashion more personal,” he explains. “A lot of brands focus on name and heritage, but I want to invest in the present and in the people who buy my clothes. To me, the human side is the most fascinating one. When people ask me what the future of fashion will be, I say: ‘Whatever you want it to be’.”

Honest By is sold online and at eco-fashion boutique Haleluja, Nieuwe Graanmarkt 6, Brussels

www.honestby.com

Fact file: Bruno Pieters

1975: Born in Bruges
1999: Graduates from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts with a BA in Fashion Design
2001: Makes his debut as a designer at Paris Couture Week
2002: Launches a ready-to-wear collection
2005: Becomes creative director of the men’s line at Belgian leather goods brand Delvaux
2007: Named art director of Hugo by Hugo Boss, the German house’s avant-garde line
2011: Announces the retirement of his own label in February and spends most of the year travelling in India. In-between trips, he creates a capsule collection for Swedish high-street brand Weekday
2012: Returns as a designer with Honest By, a revolutionary new concept based on sustainability and transparency