Blue Cast: Megan Stoneburner on Outerknown’s Circular Sea Change
In the past year, apparel supply chains have been faced with disruption, ushering in a transformation toward more ethical, environmentally responsible operations.
“It feels almost as if we’re at a breaking point where the industry is fragile, it’s fragmented, and it’s essentially kind of breaking down,” said Megan Stoneburner, the director of sustainability and sourcing at Outerknown. “But I don’t want to state that it’s at a breaking point where it’s failing. What I think is actually happening within the system is that it’s flawed, so we’re at this point where we have to course correct.”
During the latest episode of our Blue Cast podcast, Megan explained that for Outerknown—the sustainable apparel company co-founded by professional surfer Kelly Slater—this push to change the status quo happened pre-pandemic. Since its launch in 2015, the brand has carefully picked its suppliers to support fair wages and eco-minded production. And a couple years ago, the brand set a target to be fully circular by 2030.
Outerknown’s holistic approach to a circular model includes choosing new materials, reducing waste and pollution, developing products that can be recycled, creating services that promote reuse and building garments that will last. To get to its goal, the brand is also partnering with solutions and investing in technologies that advance circularity. In one recent alliance, Outerknown has inked a deal with Recurate for peer-to-peer resale, giving its clothing a second life.
Consumers’ embrace of vintage is helping to push circularity forward in denim. “Secondhand is allowing denim trends to break down,” Megan noted, adding that people are wearing everything from flares to skinny jeans today. “If we’re really going to go after a sustainable way of purchasing denim and wearing denim, it’s to buy used product.”
In recycling, Outerknown’s New Denim Project takes pre-consumer denim scraps and turns them into new styles. And back in 2017, a Levi’s x Outerknown project became an early partner for Lenzing’s then-new circular TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ technology.
Before Outerknown, Megan spent more than a decade in product development and sourcing, during which she witnessed some of the negative aspects of the apparel industry.
“Although we’re creating so much beauty, there’s so much heartbreak that comes along with it in terms of those that are being impacted in a negative way,” Megan explained. “With that, my mission quickly switched to impact.”
Listen to the full episode here to discover how Outerknown is tackling circularity and how fashion can go beyond greenwashing.