EVERYBODY.WORLD Takes on “Less is More” Style
An LA-based brand with a unique approach to an industry of excess
LA-based EVERYBODY.WORLD is doing something not many fashion brands are willing or able to do: simplifying and reducing their wares to the basics. That by no means results in lower quality goods or basic garb nobody wants to wear—rather it’s the makings for a pared-back but still stylish collection of apparel. To boot, everything is made sustainably and ethically. We spoke with founders Iris Alonzo and Carolina Crespo about their unique approach to style in an industry seemingly built on excess.
Tell us about the concept for EVERYBODY.WORLD, and its inception?
EVERYBODY.WORLD is a brand that’s designed by every day (extraordinary) people. We make the products they want the most in life and pay them 10% of every sale. We also offer a year-round line of basics, and invented the Trash Tee which is the first T-shirt made from 100% recycled cotton.
The concept came about when we looked at our skill sets (manufacturing, creative direction and hustling) and said, “We know how to make stuff—we should just ask our friends to design some things, put them online and give them a cut of the sales.” When we started penciling that out, we realized it could be a good business model, and we could build a really diverse brand around it. We also started getting a lot of calls from former clients asking where they should get perfect T-shirts again. We really thought about how we would do things if we were to get into the basics game and the focus on sustainability and ethical manufacturing was at the core.
What is the pared-back facet of the company, your process or philosophy that you think most appeals to customers?
Our philosophy summed up is “Workers, Ecology, Ideas.”
Workers: We will not be involved with making something that exploits workers. We would be nowhere without these skilled, talented, wonderful, warm humans and treat them as such.
Ecology: The planet can’t speak up for itself and again, we’d be nowhere without her generosity. We look out for the environment in every decision we make and are committed to expanding on what that means as we grow.
Ideas: Why can’t an 82-year-old grandmother [such as Delores Kerr] have a fabulous, genre-crossing concept? Why does it have to be a trained designer with a singular vision designing a collection? It doesn’t! Great ideas come from everywhere. We are in constant search of them and respect their value.
Can you explain the Trash Tee, please.
We collect wasted fiber from yarn factories in the US (there are millions of pounds of cotton wasted every week) and rework them into a new yarn. We then knit, cut, sew and dye everything in Los Angeles. The Trash Tee comes in three distinct cuts: Classic, Boxy, Tailored.
It was a long and complicated research and development process and literally everyone we talked to about it said it wouldn’t work. We proved them wrong and think we have one of the best T-shirts out there. We hope customers get something they enjoy wearing for years and years, and can feel is made with quality, care and love.
When designing for Everybody World (and collaborating), what’s the main mission you always keep in mind?
First and foremost, does this product need to exist? Should we go through all the work required to put it on the planet? Does it fit into our [aforementioned] philosophy? Can we make this product efficiently and affordably?
We certainly err on the side of simplicity… It’s about efficiency meeting aesthetic for us
Tell us what you think/feel about the “less is more” philosophy when it comes to fashion—whether that’s style or materials and process?
Design-wise, we certainly err on the side of simplicity. We like to develop great fabrics (like our Trash jersey) and use them all over the collection (like in Delores’ two-piece design). It’s about efficiency meeting aesthetic for us. That said, from a style point of view, we believe that “anything goes.” There are no rules to what makes a design good or bad.
Images courtesy of EVERYBODY.WORLD
