Algae, once only an ocean-dwelling organism, is making its way onto the mainland in the form of a new Miami-based clothing line. This locally inspired brand is about to set sail in South Florida with a line of artist-designed pieces for summertime.
Founder Johnny Laderer says Algae was started with the intent to provide Miami-based artists with a new creative platform and showcase the city's raw talent and natural beauty.
"Algae is a fundamental building block of ocean life. We all sort of revolve around the ocean and beach, so we chose one of its more unsung heroes. We think it's simple and beautiful. This is also the driving force behind our aesthetic inspiration," Laderer says.
The team is bringing together artists, musicians, designers, water sliders/divers, writers, and other "makers" for their projects.
"We help the artist by sourcing fabric or materials, and then finding a way to manufacture it accordingly," Laderer says. The fabric, fit, cut, and sewing, dying and printing are all determined by the artist, and all items are made in Miami.
This summer they'll be releasing their first four pieces: two artist editions and two Algae originals.
Artist Justin H. Long is creating a Cousteau-inspired boat neck tee, and artist Douglas "HOX" Hoekzema has designed a pair of hand-painted swim trunks.
Their winter line will feature Sleeper, Coral Morphologic and Kubiat Nnamdie.
Laderer says the brand has been getting an amazing community response so far. "We have an ever-growing team of brilliant and creative people helping us," he adds.
The pieces will be available on the Algae website (soon-to-be-completed) and at various pop-ups around the city. In the meantime, you can find the brand on Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.
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