The Oddli Castle: How a Growing Company is Building Ethical Fashion Practices
Written & Creative Directed by Koli Croy
Photography by Daisy Mcdonald
Modeled by Autumn Adams, Laurene Workman & Koli Croy
Castle Creation by Koli Croy, Daisy McDonald & Madi Brady
A brand that promotes sustainability, creativity, and ethics within the world of design may seem harder to find nowadays than it once was. With so many brands pushing fast fashion practices or showing a lack of transparency regarding the production of their clothes, most consumers are at a loss with where to purchase clothing that is honest. However, some brands, such as Oddli, are providing its shoppers with a breath of fresh air within the fashion industry.
Oddli first started in 2021, after founders Jensen Neff and Ellie Chen, who were seniors at Stanford University at the time, saw the need to address the issue of fabric waste in the clothing industry.
In recent years, the Environmental Protection Agency has measured that textile waste has increased over 811% since 1960 with around 17 million tons of textiles occupying landfills. By contrast, only 2.5 million tons are actually being recycled. Most times, newly purchased clothing items are only worn around seven times before it is discarded, donated, or thrown away.
Neff and Chen wanted to make a change and focus on the large amount of deadstock that is unused by fashion companies. Deadstock fabric is leftover fabric from other companies that cannot be used for its intended purpose and deemed unusable. When fabric reaches this stage, it can either go to warehouses where it sits for future designers, is burned, or ends up in landfills.
When Chen posted a TikTok in 2022 giving a tour of one of the largest deadstock fabric warehouses, it caught the attention of thousands. Chen and Neff quickly realized how many people were interested in the waste of the fashion industry and how it could be used to build an entire brand.
Oddli first started with applique work on baby tees and tank tops. Their colorful toned gingham patterns were the perfect addition to a garment, and they also provided the option to have your name sewn on the t-shirt. This customization option seemed to expand their customer base — a shirt like this was perfect for anyone who could never find their name on a keychain at a gas station. Within 30 seconds of their first release, they completely sold all of their inventory.
Since that day, Oddli has only increased their sales, as well as their brand image. Oddli’s Instagram presence is vibrant, playful, and literal. They take a different approach with their photoshoots by focusing on the more lively side of fashion. A photoshoot for their Oddli boxer depicted three models in a boxing ring in the middle of a field. The shoot shows the clothing as moveable and airy, depicting the garments in a more lively way. Oddli also has diverse sizing, ranging from XXS-XXL sizes. On Instagram, the brand posts all body types to show how their clothing fits, and they regularly repost people who show off their own Oddli clothing. This helps to show a connection with their customers, but it also shows the different garments they have and the multiple ways people style them.
Oddli’s collaborations have also sparked more interest in the brand. They have collaborated with companies like Urban Outfitters and Sophie's Kitchen, and musicians like Role Model. All of these releases helped Oddli gain more traction with outside audiences and allowed them to grow their customer base.
While these are all notable collaborations, Oddli’s biggest feat happened just recently. They opened a two-day pop-up store in New York City. The storefront was decorated with circus-themed designs and a castle for a fitting room, mimicking the brand’s playful energy. Around the time of the pop-up they released a new swimsuit line, as well as jewelry.
As Oddli expands, the founders remain dedicated to staying transparent about their business practices with their audience. Chen regularly posts price and fabric breakdowns on her TikTok explaining the process to customers. Chen is no stranger to these videos and remains honest throughout, even telling viewers how she also agrees that pricing can be a struggle because they understand that $40 for a pair of shorts may be too pricey for the average person. Yet, these breakdowns create an honest relationship between producer and consumer, increasing sales for Oddli. Neff and Chen have realized that by showing consumers what their brand does and how they run it, more people will want to purchase from them. They want to be truthful about their mission while staying connected to their core value: ethically sourced and produced fashion.
While Oddli uses deadstock fabric, a drawback is it leaves varying yardage left of certain colors and patterns, so once a fabric is gone, it cannot be used anymore. Oddli still uses deadstock for their patchwork items, but have started to incorporate recycled and organic fabrics in their clothing as well. Since this change, Oddli has moved away from using the word sustainable to describe their brand, with Chen even saying, “...sustainability to me implies you're reaching for a standard that doesn’t really exist in the fashion industry. Because every single decision has an A and it has a B.”
Though Oddli is still a young company, its trajectory seems hopeful. As they expand their business with postcards, jewelry, silk scarfs, and socks, they continue to grow their customer base by showing a varying amount of product. These new drops keep consumers intrigued and interested about what they will do next and how they will build their castle.
