Being the first to do anything is never easy. Especially when it’s in a space as competitive and resistant to change as the garment industry. But ten years ago, when 11-time world champion Kelly Slater and L.A.-based designer John Moore partnered up and launched Outerknown, they endeavored to lean into innovative materials and production processes to make their company a model for sustainability in fashion. And now, after more than two years in development, they’ve just released their signature Blanket Shirt made with a seaweed-based fiber called Kelsun.
Collaborating with sustainable materials company Keel Labs, who has created the technology to turn seaweed into spinnable fiber, Outerknown is the first company in the world to bring it to market. And let’s be honest, who better than Slater and Moore to do it.
“The collaboration and creative process that’s gone on to turn this concept into a reality, it speaks to how committed everyone’s been to the idea,” Moore told SURFER last week. “I mean, making a shirt out of seaweed? Think about that.”
Outerknown
“It’s been ten years since we made the first Blanket Shirt,” Slater explained in a press statement. “We are proud to partner with Keel Labs on the next generation of this shirt with a version made from Kelsun, a 100 percent bio-based fiber derived from seaweed. Working with suppliers that share our love for the ocean is a great fit for Outerknown. I’m excited to see this grow.”
The press release from Outerknown sites that the textile industry produces 21 billion tons of waste annually. Considering the labor and resources required to produce traditional cotton alone, and the impact it has on the planet, seaweed harvesting for producing fabric has the potential to be a game changer. More kelp means a happier ocean. A happier ocean means a happier planet. As surfers, we know this innately (somewhere buried in the SURFER archive is an article from the ’70s dedicated exclusively to kelp, we’ll dig it up for you at some point).
Keel Labs follows sustainability guidelines and local harvesting calendars in sourcing their seaweed, which Moore shares comes largely from Central and South America at this time. From there, Keel has developed a technique to extract a biopolymer, forming the basis of the Kelsun fibers.
“It’s really soft, it feels really good. It’s a little bit lighter than our regular Blanket Shirt,” Moore explains.
“This is a pivotal moment, not just for Keel Labs, but for the industry as a whole, standing as a marker for what lies ahead when conviction, action and collaboration combine,” shared Keel Labs co-founder and CEO Tessa Callaghan in the press release. “This garment is the first (though not last) of its kind, and we can’t wait to continue sharing the evolution and expansion of our partnership.”
Getting your hands on one of these new seaweed shirts might take a hot minute. Launching the new Blanket Shirt with Kelsun last Saturday, the initial run is bound to be collectable. Only releasing 150 shirts, they were available at the brand’s flagship shop in Carlsbad and online. Retailing for $228, they sold out in less than 24 hours.
“I hope they saved me one,” Moore smiled the day before they hit the market.
“It takes time to get these things right, and it’s take a lot of work from a lot of people, but to see it come to life, it feels really good,” Moore adds. “We’re all really excited about the possibilities and where this could go.”
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