Ep 4 / John Moore, Outerknown
The co-founder of a sustainable-first clothing brand talks about design, sourcing and working with GOAT surfer Kelly Slater.
Listen: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube
Our guest this week blew me away. I've talked with a lot of interesting folks who are doing amazing work on this podcast and my other podcast - You Can't Eat Money - but I don't think I've had someone on who is as thoughtful and genuine as our guest for this episode.
John Moore, is the creative director and co-founder of environmentally responsible clothing brand Outerknown.
If you haven't heard of John, you have probably heard of his co-founder Kelly Slater, widely considered to be the greatest surfer of all time. A decade or so ago - as John recounts in this episode - Kelly asked the earliest members of the Outerknown team if they had really thought about their clothes and where they come from.
Despite many doubters - including one very high profile fashion industry executive - about the relevance of sustainability in clothing, Outerknown has been built on it since day one.
As you'll find out in this episode, John is the perfect person to bring this to life. With 30 years of experience in the apparel industry - including being one of GQ's menswear designers of the year in 2014 - as well as other creative projects, John was open-minded and connected enough to the natural world to unlearn some of the fashion industry's worst tendencies. And a lot of that inspiration - as you'll hear - comes from his time growing up in the valleys of Southern California and spending time in the surf lineup near his home in Venice Beach.
If you listen to this podcast and care about wild spaces and the natural world, you probably know about the worst of the fashion industry. If you want to get the dirty details, I highly recommend checking out 'Unraveled' by Maxine Bedat. But I only tell you that so you can understand just how important and impressive the work Outerknown is doing to track its entire supply chain and drive responsible innovation for people and planet as John puts it.
Huge thanks to John for taking time to chat and really sharing his deep relationship with nature and how that informs his work at Outerknown. I hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please leave us a positive rating on your favorite podcast platform and share the episode with anyone you know who might be keen to have a more considered closet.
Thanks for listening -
Rick
Mentioned in the Episode
John Moore and Kelly Slater Chat Sustainability
Outerknown Econyl Factory Visit
'Unraveled' by Maxine Bedat