Abe Burmeister just wanted a better pair of pants, but the quest has taken him and Outlier co-founder Tyler Clemens on a long strange road through the depths of the fashion industry. They now release a new product every week, constantly developing new ideas and trying them out on eager fans. The company has a strong ethical fashion ethos, and a fascinating product development process, which Abe details in this interview.

“There is a core functionality to almost everything that we do. That resonates with people and gives them a reason to come back and buy more. We’re interested in a deep level of quality, so it’s not just ‘oh, that looks cool.’ How does it function? What do the fibers do? Where do they come from? How are people treated all along the supply chain?  These are questions we can’t always answer completely. When you start digging into fashion supply chains, it gets really deep and far back.” – Abe Burmeister, Outlier.nyc

Outlier.nyc References:

• Abe’s Reddit AMA from 2013