Dewerstone S/S 2022 Mens Surf Apparel Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Men’s Surf Apparel S/S 2022 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Dewerstone
Interviewee: Rory Atton, Founder

In the aftermath of the pandemic, what are the early results of SS21?
Results are no longer just financial. We should be measured by the good we do, how we take responsibility for our impact and what we’re doing to fight the climate crisis.
In the UK we’ve certainly benefitted from the UK staycation and the return to a life that feels more normal. However we are well aware that whilst we are enjoying ice creams on the beach and rediscovering the UK’s tourist hotspots, many places in the World are still heavily affected by the pandemic and that as a business that exists to do good, our success here, needs to help those elsewhere.
We thought a big result for SS21 would be opening our new store in the Gili Islands, Indonesia. Sadly plans for the store there remain on hold as Indonesia continues to battle Covid-19. With the strict Government lockdowns and the lack of tourism that makes up 80% of their GDP, thousands of families have had no income for many many months and are facing very hard times.
When our Gili Islands store manager Nizar reached out to us to see what we could do for the families that rely on the Gili Islands tourism for work, we had to do something to help. We pulled together our resources and asked our customers to buy t-shirts for two weeks, for those two weeks, every penny of every t-shirt sold went to feeding families in Indonesia.
Together we provided food parcels for over 4000 people in the Gili Islands and the communities on Lombok that rely on the Gili Islands for work. Using our store there as a hub Nizar and his friends bought, organized and distributed rice, eggs, cooking oil and noodles to those in need.
We continue to work on providing food parcels to those most in need and hope that one day soon tourism and the livelihoods of the Indonesian people will return.

What is the business mantra for SS22: keep calm and carryover, or, flat-out innovation?
It’s about keeping the pressure on, recognising that results are no longer just financial and that it is through collaboration, not competition, that we will make a positive impact on the planet and the people that inhabit it.
How many people we could have fed if every surf brand that has profiteered out of Indonesian waves joined us and gave 100% of two weeks worth of t-shirt sales to create food parcels..?
One of our core values is to ‘Influence other businesses and how they operate’. We will continue to work with other brands, retailers and businesses to help protect the environment we love.

What are your collection stories for SS22?
The environment around us, the places we love to explore and exist to protect. From the sweeping landscapes of our home, Dartmoor National Park, to the swells and breaks of our local Devon beaches, to our Gili Islands base in Indonesia and our love for the ocean there.
If you love it, do something to protect it.

Nature, heritage self-reference, street vibe… What prints & colors will drive the summer 22 collection?
Natures never short on giving us inspiration and we’ll never be short on paying it back.
We’ve glowing oranges and sunset fades, sunrise moody blues and dewy greens, matched with jungle leaves and and coral patterns. Through to more traditional heritage colours that represent the National Park, and the colours that are found along the trails and paths that stem from our HQ.

Which fabrics and (durable) materials are you relying on for SS22?
Our t-shirts and long sleeves are 100% organic cotton, it’s all we’ve ever used for our t-shirts, since day one. It’s better for the environment, it’s better for the people that grow it and it’s a better, more durable and more comfortable end product for the person that wears it.

Our hoodies and sweatshirts are a blend of organic cotton and recycled polyester. Keeping our love for organic cotton, whilst driving demand and value for recycled product, helping to reduce the volume of plastic that finds it’s way into the oceans and the environments we love.

Beyond the sustainability efforts in the production chain, are you implementing special projects regarding environment and trade ethos?
Our Midnight Jungle & Sunrise Jungle Life Shorts plant 50 trees in Central America for every set we make. It’s our way of talking about deforestation, highlighting that it’s as important to protect as it is to plant and using the marketing efforts of those shorts to pursue an agenda that talks about deforestation in places it wouldn’t normally appear.
We continue our collaborations with non-profit organisations, where we make products to help make change, both through raising awareness, using our platform as a force for good and providing financial support. SS22 will see new t-shirts with both Save Our Rivers and Gili Eco Trust.
We continue our membership with 1% for the Planet, maintain our Climate Neutral certification and look to plant even more trees than in previous years (every product we make plants a tree).

Key Products:

Swell Hoody – Slate Grey (85% Organic Cotton & 15% Recycled Polyester) – One for watching the waves stack up and the sets roll in. Whether it’s closer to home on our Devon beaches, or off the Southern tip of Gili Trawangan, a stone’s throw from our island store, the ocean plays a significant part in the environment we exist to protect.

Dewerstone S/S 2022 Swell Hoody

Harbour Longsleeve – Black (100% Organic Cotton) – Streetwear styles meet authentic river influences. With the River Dart so close to our Dartmoor National Park HQ and Princetown store, we’re fortunate to be graced with classic whitewater kayaking on our doorstep.

Vista T Shirt – Teal (100% Organic Cotton) – Rolling landscapes, beautiful skylines and endless sunsets are one of the many things we love about the outdoors.

Dewerstone S/S 2022 Vista T Shirt – Teal