Outerknown is a boy’s club no more.
Founded in 2015 by 11-time champion surfer Kelly Slater and designer John Moore, the eco-friendly lifestyle brand for men is making its first foray into clothing for women, a sign of its continuing growth.
The collection of 17 styles, which debuted online Tuesday, features a breezy array of tees, tanks, dresses, pants and a jumpsuit that work together to create the “ultimate conscious wardrobe,” Outerknown said in a statement. They consist of 100 percent “benefit”—which is to say, organic, recycled and/or regenerated—fibers and range in price from $48 to $168.
So why the move into women’s wear? For one thing, the Culver City, Calif.-based company was being bombarded with requests.
“Honestly, the women surrounding us were our biggest inspiration,” Moore told Sourcing Journal. “Our friends, family members and associates at work were always wearing Outerknown men’s blanket shirts, sweatshirts and tees, and were telling us that we should make versions for women.”
And it wasn’t just the ladies in Outerknown’s immediate circle who were clamoring for a piece of the merchandise. The brand couldn’t ignore the number of women who flocked to its sample sales to purchase men’s items for themselves.
“We thought it was finally time to give women Outerknown items to call their own,” Moore said.
But while the cuts and silhouettes may look different, the ethos behind them remains unchanged, he added.
“Back then, we said we wanted to smash the formula, but mostly we wanted to make clothing we love with a process we believe in,” Moore said. “With women’s, the mission is the same: inspire, build community, provoke thought, question the norms, drive change. And do it all with style.”
Its inaugural campaign places inspirational women front and center: Lauren Singer, an environmental activist who blogs at Trash is for Tossers; Candace Reels, founder of feminist platform Female Collective; and Raychel Roberts, founder of vintage clothier Chasseresse.
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“These are women who are driving change in their communities, and they are doing it with a sense of style,” Moore said. That’s the approach Outerknown is taking with its women’s line. “They’re uncomplicated items that are effortlessly cool,” he added.
There are women behind the scenes, too. Outerknown manufactures several of its garments in collaboration with Piece & Co., a social enterprise that works with thousands of mostly female artisans across the globe to produce socially and environmentally responsible fabrics and soft goods.
The Outerknown woman is someone who appreciates details like that.
“Our target customers are intelligent women all over the world, regardless of their age, fighting to leave this planet better than they found it,” Moore said. “Women whose style comes from their intelligence.”