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From major brands named for geographical landmarks to upstarts just making their way, "recycled" has become a buzzy requisite among any shirt or backpack's material list—a potential solution to the paradox presented to brands that implore us all to enjoy nature, not wreck it. Taking a different approach to championing sustainability, the modest team behind Portland, OR-based apparel brand Earth\Studies also works with deadstock and reclaimed materials—small run fabric and odd textile offcuts filling warehouse corners and factory floors worldwide.
Utilizing these otherwise discarded materials saves them from the landfill, creates limited edition products, and doesn't consume the energy required for recycling. The new workwear-inspired line called Experiment_09, released today 6 June 2023 and featuring a range of unisex pieces, puts these contrasting textiles and textures to good use.
Experiment_09 continues Earth\Studies' GORPy approach to creating stylish and unconventional silhouettes for everywhere wear. The line consists of fresh takes on recognizable staples: ripstop shorts and pants (with the brand's massive, signature "foraging pocket"), cotton tees, utility overalls, a bucket hat. There's even an apron, also meant for foraging.
The difference here is that these things are made largely using reclaimed, repurposed, and, yes, recycled materials. The cotton tees ($65) are 100% recycled cotton tees (and they're knit in the US), the MP-104 Field Short ($190) was once a heap of scraps on the cutting room floor, and the ripstop and twill of the EQ-107 Foraging Apron ($110)—complete with modular design and a mesh pocket for re-sporing the forest floor—can be traced back to the brand's first Earth White release.
Not everything in Experiment_09 is recycled—new cotton ripstop and twill is sourced from Jaipur, India, too, thanks in large part to their recent alignment with fellow indie GORPy apparel brand 18East. Regardless of origin, each piece Earth\Studies puts under the microscope is infused with the brand's unique and passive point of view. And yes, that means oversized fits, asymmetrical pockets, plenty of straps and cinch cords, and a characteristic earth-toned color palette. Dig it.
Experiment_09 by Earth\Studies is now available.
Published 06-06-2023
