In a few short years, Los Angeles-based clothing brand Outerknown has established itself as a powerful voice in the clothing industry. Its offering of tasteful, well-made men’s wardrobe essentials are ethically produced using earth-friendly materials, proving sustainability and style are not mutually exclusive. While the brand has made major steps forward since its inception in 2015 including an ongoing collaboration with Levi’s Wellthread program, a partnership with regenerated nylon brand Econyl and a partnership with circular manufacturing specialist the Renewal Workshop, it just announced its most exciting endeavor yet: a complete line of women’s clothing.
Comprising 17 unique styles, the collection is made entirely of benefit fibers — those that are organic, recycled or regenerated — and ranges in price from $48 to $268. As with the men’s collection, these pieces are casual, everyday wardrobe staples that are easily incorporated into existing wardrobes. In the debut campaign photos, a selection of tops, dresses, bottoms and coveralls are worn by Lauren Singer (Trash is for Tossers writer), Candace Reels (founder of Female Collective) and Raychel Roberts (founder of Chasseresse).
Before the collection dropped, we caught up with Outerknown’s creative director John Moore to learn more about the ideas behind the line, how it became a reality and what the future has in store for the brand.
Q: When did the idea for a women’s line first arise? Is there a significance to launching it now?
A: Creating clothing for women was always part of the Outerknown vision. When we launched in 2015, we were actually working on the women’s pieces, but we decided to focus on men’s, so we could get the right suppliers in place and work out what it truly means to build clothing sustainably. We’ve obviously learned a lot over the last few years and had some wins and losses that have taught us many lessons.
Over this time, our supply network has matured and our understanding of how to build products with the utmost respect for people and planet has grown exponentially. I can say with a lot of confidence that we’re all pretty happy we waited until now. It’s worth mentioning that we were mostly men in the business when we launched Outerknown, so it made sense to focus on what we knew best. Now we’re almost 40 people (a majority of women) and they all played a role in bringing Outerknown Women’s to life.
Q: Did the past few years of men’s products help inform the first women’s line or is it a different situation?
A: Absolutely, we have a much greater comfort level with our makers, a much larger materials archive, and we’re constantly seeking out new responsible innovation and partnerships. Mostly we know what gets our audience excited on our men’s side, and we’ve been able to bring this understanding over to women’s.
For example, when you think about Outerknown today, you probably think about our Blanket Shirts, so we took all of our patterns and built Outerknown’s Blanket Shirts in a fit specific for women. We also had so many women tell us how hard it is to find the perfect t-shirt, and even harder to find one made sustainably. We know a few things about making great t-shirts for men, so we made two different fits for women in an array of colors, all Fair Trade Certified.
We’re connecting the dots with men’s and doing what we do best, but some of my favorite items are pieces we designed unique to Outerknown women’s such as a versatile assortment of knit and woven dresses and a pair of organic cotton coveralls we call the S.E.A. Suit.
Q: How does the Outerknown DNA shape women’s products?
A: Just like in Men’s, our mission of making the decisions with the highest regard for people and planet was woven throughout every decision while creating women’s. The best part is every single item is made in a planet-friendly, preferred fiber. We’re currently working with around 90 percent preferred fibers in men’s line so this feels great that 100 percent of Outerknown women’s is made in organic, recycled or regenerated fibers.
In 2015, we launched men’s with a partnership with Econyl, bringing recycled fishing nets and other nylon waste into trunks and jackets. As we launch women’s, we’re developing relationships with organizations like Piece and Co. who help us make textiles and prints with smaller artisanal makers in regions where we weren’t able to work previously — mostly because these regions have less formal infrastructure making it harder to ensure that our sustainable standards are met.
By working with Piece and Co., we are promoting women’s empowerment, environmental responsibility, and fair employment in these underdeveloped regions. This partnership allows us to make hand-printed woodblock florals in small runs for our Canyon Dress among other beautiful woven textiles like ikats and stripes across tops, dresses and pants.
Q: What was most difficult in creating this first collection of women’s pieces?
A: When you build expansive collections, details and everything of the sort can tend to blend into one another. But we’re not doing that. We’re focused on creating great items that will last, items without an expiration date, so each piece needs to really shine and have a reason for existing on its own.
Bringing anything to life in the fashion industry is challenging because there are so many variables to consider. Doing it sustainably adds another layer of complexity, so each material selection was a passionate conversation, every color selection was deliberately made to last beyond a season, and every fitting was a new brainstorm. We have an incredibly passionate team with lots of experience, all of whom really believe in everything we make. There were many passionate debates, plenty of wear-testing amongst friends and family, and a few key pivots along the way to bring our vision for women into the world.
Q: Do you have a favorite piece from this collection? What is special about it?
A: The Solstice Sweatshirt is my personal favorite piece! It checks all the boxes for Outerknown. An everyday staple in eight sun-faded colors that goes with everything. And the best part — the Solstice is Fair Trade Certified in the most amazing and soft organic cotton french-terry fleece with a slight slub texture.
Q: Obviously, this is huge. Outerknown is reaching two times the audience now. What are the opportunities and what does the future look like for the brand?
A: In 2017 we brought in a CEO named Mark Walker, and under his guidance, Outerknown has grown a lot over the last two years! It goes without saying that this women’s launch has the potential to take us to the next level, but we remain focused on the long term goals we’ve set out to achieve since the beginning.
Women’s is just one of the many initiatives we’ll be rolling out over the next 18 months; which includes rolling out more unexpected collaborations, bringing our first retail concepts into the world, introducing new sustainable partnerships in 2020 and getting involved with some exciting events around the world. I’m glad we’ll be able to dress women in Outerknown through these important next growth stages of our brand.
