‘Cleaner and cooler’ fashion with Outerknown

You might not expect the mantra of a brand co-founded by surfing legend and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater to be “It’s OK to go slow,” but that is what makes premium lifestyle label Outerknown special.

Launched in 2015, the men’s and women’s wear brand takes a different approach, putting “purposeful design, responsible sourcing and fair labour practices” at the core of its business. Eschewing trends, it focuses on perfecting wardrobe staples and making small collections of quality, versatile and long-lasting items of clothing that are as stylish as they are sustainable. Its bestseller – the Blanket Shirt – is made from organic cotton twill in a variety of colour and pattern combinations to the exact same design since it first launched nearly 10 years ago: slow fashion at its best.

Riding a wave of success in its native US, the brand has now arrived on UK shores. Stockists include John Lewis and independents Fluid in Poole, Hapi Lifestyle in Jersey, Minimum Maximum in London’s High Barnet, Shore in West Wittering and West French in Swansea, as well as Mr Porter online.

Wholesale prices range from £18 for a T-shirt to £200 for outerwear.

Drapers meets Outerknown co-founder and chief creative John Moore, who has previously held senior roles at Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch, to find out more about the brand.

Why did you and Kelly Slater want to launch your own brand?

We launched Outerknown to up-end the traditions of the industry in search of a better way to build clothing. We believe products should look good and do good: you should feel great in our clothing because of the fit and quality, but also because you know it’s made with the highest regard for the environment and our makers. We take a “no compromises” approach to making the world cleaner and cooler in the same stroke.

How would you sum up the style of Outerknown?

Our customers are constantly travelling and leading adventurous lives, so the Outerknown mentality is to pack light, pack right and be prepared for wherever your journey takes you.

We want extreme versatility in our wardrobe – clothing that’s made sustainably and built to last, with an elevated aesthetic, and clean, simplified design that allows you to feel comfortable and confident anywhere.

What are your bestsellers?

Outerknown’s Blanket Shirts are the hands-down bestsellers. They feel exactly like they sound: comfortable and cool at the same time. And nothing goes better with Blanket Shirts than our bestselling SEA – social and environmental accountability jeans. Our customers love them because they fit so well, and we guarantee them for life. Sojourn Pocket T-shirts, towel-soft Hightide Series, Sur Sweats, and our jumpsuits for women – especially the SEA suits – round out the list.

Tell us about your latest launch, California Series.

It was created through our participation in the California Cotton & Climate Coalition, otherwise known as C4, of which Outerknown is a founding member. We’ve combined forces with other brands to create scale for local farmers growing and selling climate-beneficial cotton in the central valley of California.

And we’re manufacturing a small capsule of sweats – hoodies, crews and shorts – closer to our studio here in Los Angeles. So the California Series is locally grown and sewn, and comes in a loosely spun French terry that is lighter weight than most sweats and extremely soft, in washed-out, beautifully faded colours.

What are your favourite products?

I love our Chroma solid colour Blanket Shirts and wear one almost daily. They layer super-easily with everything, allowing me to transition comfortably throughout my day and clean up nicely when I’m headed out for the evening. I’ve also worn our Sojourn Pocket T-shirts religiously since the beginning: I love the longer, leaner fit that’s easy at the neck and cleaner through the arms and body. I don’t go anywhere without my Sur Sweats in any colour – the Sur Snap Hoodie is always with me and I sleep in our Sur Shorts nightly.

“Responsible innovation” is a key pillar of the brand. What does this mean?

I use “responsible innovation” to demystify the larger “sustainability” conversation, which can feel daunting and intimidating. Every company or customer translates “sustainable” or “sustainability” differently and there’s a lot to unpack in those words. For me, responsible innovation means just doing things in a better way. Not getting too self-righteous about it, and simply just trying to make choices that are better. It could relate to any variable in the process: recycled materials, better washing and finishing methods with less water and no chemicals, or even using paper over plastics in our packaging.

Has it been challenging?

It’s absolutely critical to what we do, and we won’t cut corners. So yes, but even when things get challenging, we’re going to find a way.

Manufacturing clothes sustainably and ethically is challenging because it’s not the norm. We spent two and a half years building a supply chain that shared our values before we sold anything.

This meant searching out material, trim and packaging resources, with lots of trial and error, and building relationships. Those were the hardest yards because there weren’t many resources available when we started, but now we’ve worked this way for a decade.

What advice do you have for brands that want to follow in your sustainable footsteps?

My advice is always the same. Focus on the little wins, getting one thing right, and build momentum over time. There are already thousands of brands making everything you could dream of, so don’t join the flock – pioneer your own path. Design what you love, and make what you want to wear, because you’ll make it better.

Tell us about the upcoming SS24 collection.

We’re focused on getting the “find your Outerknown” feeling into everything we do across the brand for men and women. This means being more aggressive with extremely soft and lived-in washes, sun-faded colours and signature details with a big emphasis on great fits that are consistent across categories.

We’re excited to launch a capsule of performance items for aquatic pursuits for the first half of 2024, and more allweather layers and outerwear for the back half of the year.

What is next for the brand?

I’m really focused on our big retail push. We’ve got six shops open currently, and we have six shops in the works, scheduled to open second half of this year. We’ve been to Philadelphia, Georgetown, Austin and Denver in the last few weeks looking for more locations, and we’re already in California, New York and Massachusetts.

We’re also looking to expand in Europe, and particularly the UK, through collaborations with new and existing wholesale partners, which is really exciting.