Sustainable and Fashionable Workwear By Australian Brand Ranger Outdoor
INTERVIEW BY IMO
You’ll likely find me and Al dressed in workwear 90% of our lives! So you can imagine how stoked we were a few years ago when Ranger Outdoor brought out a collection of gear that is practical, comfortable, fashionable & sustainable.
We are BIG into supporting local and the fact that Ranger was born on a neighbouring farm in Bellbrae here on the Surf Coast is a big tick from us!
To give you an idea of the quality, the shorts Al’s wearing in these pics are from the beginning of 2020 - he swaps between these and another pair… still no tears….
I love Jess’ story developing Ranger, she’s found a gap in the market and has responded to it SO well. Ranger ticks all of our boxes - local, practical, fashionable, sustainable. We’re sharing Jess’ story because, one - she’s a legend AND two, it’s a brand we absolutely believe in.
Q&A
WITH JESS Cooper
BELlBRAE . VIC
We’re SO excited to see the Ranger journey unfold - I think it’s going to be a big one …. We can just imagine Ranger Outdoor becoming a household, classic Aussie brand.
Here’s an interview with Jess Cooper, the founder of Ranger Outdoor.
What got you interested in workwear?
In 2019 my friend Bryce, long-term builder and now my business partner mentioned to me there was a movement in workwear. Tradies are wanting to look good on the worksite and be able to wear their work clothes out and about town. I always said I would only start a business of products that were an essential and not a fashion trend. All you have to do is take a look around and realise every second person is a tradie or outdoor worker, and there seemed to be more people taking on careers in these professions. This is when I realised there was definitely an opportunity to bring something fresh to the workwear market!
“I always said I would only start a business of products that were an essential and not a fashion trend.” - JEss
How would you describe your style & where do you find inspiration?
Ranger adopts a unique style where we take elements from authentic country and workwear clothing brands and bring a modern and clean styling approach. Our branding and logo aims to create a classic and authentic look and offer something completely new and fresh to the workwear industry. Typically the traditional farming brands offer a bright primary colour palette, so as a point of difference we wanted to bring coastal inspiration and offer more earthy and natural tones. This goes hand in hand with our sustainability efforts of using organic cotton and minimising our environmental footprint by reducing our plastic and paper usage and not having swing tags or packaging with our products. Our inspiration comes from the land we work on every day. The colours, textures and durability are all a reflection of what we see and feel during a days work in the outdoors.
“Our inspiration comes from the land we work on every day. The colours, textures and durability are all a reflection of what we see and feel during a days work in the outdoors.” - Jess
Can you give us insight into your journey of creating Ranger?
In 2019 I resigned from my career at Rip Curl. I worked for the company for 14 years, beginning in the retail store in Torquay when I was 17 years old. I was lucky enough to navigate my way through the company learning about all the departments that worked together to create such a successful company. After working for Rip Curl Australia for 11 years, I found myself moving to France to work for Rip Curl Europe which was an incredible experience to work with such diverse cultures and learn about a completely different market. After riding the Rip Curl wave, I felt it was time for me to try something new, so I moved back to my home of Bellbrae and took some time to reset and figure out what was the next adventure for me. I was back to my roots helping my dad on the farm, riding horses, surfing, and spending time in the outdoors. It felt amazing after working in an office for such a long time. Within a few months I identified a hole in the market for a sustainable workwear / farmwear brand, and that's when Ranger was created. It really was a natural progression from being back in the outdoors myself.
“Within a few months I identified a hole in the market for a sustainable workwear / farmwear brand, and that's when Ranger was created.” - Jess
You've lived globally and worked for a global surf brand but keep coming back to the surf coast - what about down here draws you home over and over again?
I grew up on a small farm in Bellbrae which is ten minutes inland from the coast. I was so lucky to have the opportunity of travelling the world with my job and live in Europe for three years, but every single time I came home it gave me an instant feeling of comfort and relaxation. I couldn't have asked for a better up bringing. Myself and my two sisters spent our time outdoors getting dirty, building cubbies, riding horses and going to the beach. I was the youngest of three girls so I ended up being the tomboy who was given all the worst jobs but I loved it. I started surfing in my early teens and was quickly addicted to the sport. We have some of the greatest waves in the world on the surf coast and the most beautiful coastlines. Being able to live on a small farm and have the ocean 10 minutes away is really a dream, what else could you ask for!?
Al & Imo wearing Ranger Outdoor - Imo wears Clay & Al wears Fern
We love that you use real people (like us!!) in your campaign shoots - what's the best thing that's come out of doing it this way?
Our brand is for people just like us, people who work and live in the outdoors. We wanted to use everyday people in our campaigns so our customers could relate. There are so many people out there doing amazing things, building their own career paths and searching for more fulfilment in their jobs, and we want to showcase these people to inspire others to follow their dreams and realise that there is always an alternative pathway in their careers and lives.
“We want to showcase these people to inspire others to follow their dreams and realise that there is always an alternative pathway in their careers and lives.” - Jess
What does a day typical day look like for you?
My day starts off with my dad bringing me in a cup of tea in bed 7am. At the moment I am helping my dad out on the farm with the horses from 7-9am, unless the surf is going to be good I sneak out and tell him I'll help out later! I work 9-5 on Ranger, packing and posting orders and any other tasks that need to be done that day. I try to do my 30 minutes of exercise after work whether it's a gym class, surf or cliff walk in Jan Juc. Oh and most days I fit in a quick play with my nieces and nephew, that's always the best medicine! Most nights I enjoy a great home cooked meal from my Mum (another perk of living at home), sometimes do a bit more work at night or switch off with a bit of Netflix.
Your workwear is made from organic cotton, can you tell us more about the sustainability practices in your business?
I strongly believe any new brands launching these days need to be implementing sustainable practices to minimise their impact on the environment. I'm not going to lie, I've never been an ambassador to save the planet, but I care about the land I walk and work on everyday and I want my children and their children to be lucky enough to enjoy what we have. The clothing industry is completely saturated to say the least, and I think it’s ignorant for anyone to launch a new brand that doesn't adopt sustainable practices if possible for them. It is up to us to offer sustainable options where possible in various product categories. Our products are constructed from quality cotton grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides - GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified. Organic cotton uses a lot less water, and has less carbon emissions due to lesser fuel and energy consumption. The crops are not treated with pesticides, insecticides and Genetically Modified Organisms which is also a lot less harmful to the environment and farmers. To further reduce our impact, our products do not have any swing tags or packaging in an effort to reduce the unnecessary paper and plastic. Our products are also shipped in biodegradable post bags
“I strongly believe any new brands launching these days need to be implementing sustainable practices to minimise their impact on the environment.” - Jess
our top 5 practical tips for running a small business?
Considering my business has only been live for one week, I'm, probably not the best person to take tips from haha!
Build a business plan. It may sound like an obvious one, but it’s easy to skip this step. It doesn't matter how basic or detailed it is, it gives you something to refer back to and to re-visit your original mission and targets.
Start small and aim for organic growth (unless you have a lot of capital to burn through!). Don't blow all your cash at the start and ensure you have forecasted as accurately and realistically as possible.
Be organised and keep a record of all documents, emails, receipts, everything! Create a manual of all logins, passwords, administration details. We have so many programs, online portals, payment systems etc these days it can be easy to forget information which can be extremely frustrating and time wasting.
Be proactive, be on the front foot. Plan your week and stay ahead of the curve. You don't want to waste days troubleshooting and problem solving. You want to avoid problems and hold ups as much as possible.
Be positive and optimistic. There is always a solution. There is always good days and bad days, but the results of hard work will always make it all worth it!
“Be positive and optimistic. There is always a solution. There is always good days and bad days, but the results of hard work will always make it all worth it!” - JESS
Advice for others wanting to pursue their passion?
There is always possibility for change. Don't spend your days being unhappy or hating what you're doing. Take risks, put your ego behind you and shovel dirt or pour beers to earn cash while you create your new career path.
“Take risks, put your ego behind you and shovel dirt or pour beers to earn cash while you create your new career path.” - JESS
Lastly how do you slow down?
I spend a lot of time on the farm helping out, horse riding, going surfing, walking my dog and spend a lot of time with my nieces and nephews. I have recently started meditation sessions at the Drop Kar Buddhist centre in Paraparap which is great and such a beautiful place to visit.
RANGER OUTDOOR
Ranger was born when its two founders, Bryce, a builder of 15 years & Jess, an ex surf industry employee of 13 years were drafting cattle at Jess' family farm in Bellbrae. They were discussing sustainability in clothing and how it just didn't exist in farming or workwear. Hence, Ranger was formed, the first of its kind workwear and farm-wear clothing company. Its key values centred around comfort, durability, sustainability and affordability.
Market research was all about getting their hands dirty with their target market. Jess picked up the tools with Bryce and spent 6 months developing Ranger over smoko on the worksite with their mates.
Ranger is a brand for people who value sustainable workwear at an affordable price. It is a product for 'The Outdoor People', tradies, farmers, gardeners, horse riders, bee keepers and everyone who loves the outdoors!
CHECK ranger outdoor HERE
Photography by Ed Sloane