FASHION
Forward Fashion plays an important part in our creative expression, but clothing that also sustains our planet’s resources is becoming increasingly essential
Oddli’s unique flair shines through in this eclectic photoshoot modeling the brand’s patchwork shorts
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n average, it takes 1800 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans. The fashion industry contributes to our earth’s dried up water sources and pollutes our rivers and streams—all the while, 85% of all textiles get thrown into the dump each year. While fashion to the average person is a way to unleash creativity and communicate a narrative to others about our identity, to many designers, having a minimal environmental impact is becoming equally as important. Oddli is an LA-based company whose mission is to create beautiful clothing items that are CCO of sustainably manufactured. With the formation of Oddli in 2020, Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Jensen Neff was able to combine her love for fashion with her passion for renewable living. While at Stanford University, she met Ellie Chen and
the two soon bonded over their shared interest in sustainable fashion. What started as the two women’s senior capstone project quickly became a real company, and Oddli was born. “Our [love for sustainability] came from growing up in the natural world and believing in it so much,” Neff said. When researching the gaps in the fashion industry and brainstorming the type of clothing she wanted to make, Neff was drawn to deadstock. This material is the excess fabric typically thrown away if a clothing company Jensen Neff, does not use it. Oddli Clothing “[We had the] challenge of, how can we take this 14 million pounds of material that has been thrown away every day, and get over the roadblock of it’s non-uniformity,” Neff said. Partners Neff and Chen were able to
“Our [love for sustainability] came from just growing up in the natural world and believing in it so much.”
Text by EMMA JOING and RACHAEL VONDERHAAR Design by EMMA JOING • Photos courtesy of JENSEN NEFF and ANUSHKA SARKAR
overcome this challenge by deciding that their first clothing line would be patchwork apparel that was made from patches of different fabrics. This way, no deadstock would go to waste and each clothing item would be completely unique. Neff also found throughout the development of Oddli that sustainability was not as straightforward of a process as simply using recycled materials. She discovered that there is a lack of regulation in the clothing industry, leading to issues such as seamstresses being paid below minimum wage. “Because the industry is so under regulated, it has had to be me and [Chen] creating the regulation ourselves, even if it costs us more,” Neff said. “The industry doesn’t demand it and people are just getting away with unethical stuff.” But it is this commitment to sustainability in every step of Oddli’s development that has led to the company’s success. Neff emphasizes that Oddli will continue to grow and bring even more to the world of sustainable fashion in the future.
