From swimming to city breaks, these sustainable shorts can do it all
The latest from L’Estrange doesn’t come up short in the style or sustainability departments, cut from a quick-drying, super-stretchy recycled fabric…
Words: Jonathan Wells
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Here in Britain, we’re short on many things. Sunshine, for one. Tropical temperatures, for another. Sustainable fashion, for a well-stitched, eco-friendly third. But one thing we’re not short on, ironically, is shorts.
Our wardrobes are stacked high with patterned shorts, performance shorts and swim shorts. There are different designs for different purposes. But, with sunny days few and far between, there’s no real reason for self-discerning Brits to own this many pairs of shorts. And yet still we do. However, we’ve recently discovered a way to cut down on our shorts selection — and consolidate many pairs into one multi-functional, hybrid garment. Enter L’Estrange; and the low impact, adaptable ‘Anywear Short 2.0’.
Since starting-up in 2013, L’Estrange has maintained a firm focus on the concept of ‘de-growth’. It’s a stylish stand taken against waste; one that persuades people to actually buy fewer clothes — but buy better. That’s why, instead of stockpiling suitcase-upon-suitcase of fast-fashion shorts, this adaptable, all-round design offers a quick-drying, elegant alternative that works just as well on land as it does in the water.
Trimly-tailored and designed to deliver in every stylish situation, the British brand’s new shorts were developed for effortless everyday use. As flexible in their construction as they are in daily application, the versatile design is an elegant evolution of last year’s ‘Anywear Short’ — with the label picking the best bits of the original design and refining it for 2022.
Created using waste materials — fabrics repurposed from 92% recycled nylon synthesised with 8% durable, reliable elastane — the design is both energy-saving and non-polluting; meaning you not only cut down on the number of clothes you buy, but also the size of your carbon footprint.
There’s also an option lined with a technical webbing; a netting woven exclusively from recycled marine and land plastics. In contrast to most swimwear — which tends to be made using petroleum-based synthetic materials — the netting of L’Estrange’s pioneering shorts is created using ‘SEQUAL’ yarn, a post-consumer recycled polyester fibre that is as quick-drying as it is resilient.
They’re perfect for the modern man, and available in either navy or black. Mid-rise and mid-length, the brand set out to eliminate every other pair of shorts from your wardrobe, be these your trusty trunks or the sort of smarter shorts you’d wear to a summer garden party. And, thanks to a combination of high-performance fabrics, hybrid design and ‘power stretch’ for extra comfort, they’ve succeeded.
And it’s not just shorts. The label encourages customers to simplify every corner of their wardrobes, using its ‘modular clothing system’, which consists of only eight eco-friendly pieces — including ‘The Tailored Tee’, ‘The All Day Shirt’ and ‘The 24 Blazer’. But the sustainable slant of the brand doesn’t begin and end with slimming down your wardrobe. Another key tenet of L’Estrange’s efficient, elegant brand ethos is sourcing the more environmentally safe, organic and renewable materials from which to craft its cost-effective clothing.
“We used to call our first iteration of these shorts the ‘Anywear Swim Shorts’,” says William Green, co-founder of L’Estrange. “But, the truth is, there’s so much more to them than that. We’ve realised that swimwear is actually redundant — it’s another item in your wardrobe that you wear a few times a year, and it’s usually made from synthetic materials that will end up in landfill or incinerated.
“When it comes to building something that will help people own less,” he adds, “we need high performance and multi-functionality, and that’s exactly what our short is — they’re just as agile on land as they are in the water – and perfectly comfortable at home too.”
So, if you too have a collection of underused, unsustainable shorts in your summerwear wardrobe, perhaps it’s time to embrace the concept of ‘de-growth’ and consolidate those garments. Because not only are L’Estrange’s shorts a brilliantly versatile style for your summer wardrobe, they’ll also up your eco-credentials. And, although we may still be short on warm weather and sunshine this summer, at least you won’t be short on style…
Want more from the sustainable British brand? This simple, sustainable blazer is here to save your summer…
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