Surf Wear for People and Planet
Issue No 2: Outerknown
Editor’s Note
Three weeks ago I decided to launch Unsustainable to share how trailblazing brands make better products that last longer, learn about the organizations powering the circular economy, and about new innovations and technologies.
In the second issue of Unsustainable we are taking a look at the sustainable lifestyle brand Outerknown, co-founded by the 11 times World Surf League champion Kelly Slater with a total commitment to sustainability.
Transparency is the keyword in everything Outerknown does, from sharing their supply chains, sourcing of materials, and partnerships to future strategic plans and social, environmental, and multicultural responsibility.
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For people, planet, and profit,
Per Håkansson (follow on LinkedIn), Publisher and founding editor
Table of Contents
Outerknown’s Story
Professional surfer Kelly Slater and creative director John Moore founded Outerknown in 2015 to show that you can make great lifestyle apparel using fair labor practices and with materials that doesn’t harm the environment.
Kelly Slater had seen how many of his sponsoring brands in the surfing industry took shortcuts and wanted to do the right thing:
“Our growing business shows us that people want to make conscious choices about their clothes—you don’t have to harm people or the planet for the sake of fashion”, says Kelly Slater.
The name is a play with Outer and Known, signifying “the furthest reaches of our knowledge today.” The ambition is to reimagine everything from product design to circularity and lead the innovation in sustainability and fair labor practices.
The company designs the essentials for the surf and beach lifestyle; from tees, shorts, and shirts to surf trunks, jeans, and sweats for both men and women with a trial collection for young kids.
Outerknown began selling their clothes online and via wholesalers a few years before they opened their first store in Manhattan Beach, California in 2019, followed by another seven stores by the end of this year and planning for ten more.
“We wanted to create a physical manifestation of the brand that would allow customers to touch, feel and try on our product,” says CEO Mark Walker.
One of the key words to understand Outerknown is transparency. They share openly where they source their recycled and regenerative materials and how their conscious partners make their apparel with a minimum impact on the environment.
Key Milestones
2015 – Outerknown is founded by professional surfer Kelly Slater and creative director John Moore with the mission “to transform the way we outfit the world by inspiring an industry to reimagine design and embrace circularity.” The same year they become a Fair Labor Association partner.
2019 – Opens its first brick and mortar store in Manhattan Beach, California followed by five more stores over the next few years. Launching first women’s collection.
2021 – Launching their resale program Outerworn with the technology platform Recurate.
2023 – Introducing the Regenerative Organic Certified® Collection only using regenerative cotton.
2024 – Planning ten more store openings on both the West and East Coast.
Insights and Actions
Outerknown’s business model is designed around sustainability, product innovation, and fair labor practices. They design and market their collections and collaborate with certified organizations across the world in sourcing material and manufacturing.
Their partnerships are deeply integrated, from Bergman Rivera who manages the whole supply chain to Recurate who runs Outerworn, and returns which is managed seamlessly by Happy Returns.
Their reseller platform Outerworn is a great example:
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