Who to Watch Wednesday—EARTHLY: For The Planet; Honors Thesis Turned Fashion Brand

Navigating post-grad is no easy feat; all those who have recently graduated are faced with the job hunt, moving new places, and, ultimately, laying the groundwork for the next few years of their lives. But, with so much extra time on our hands, what’s better than to build on an idea that started during undergrad, and turn it into a brand. 

That’s exactly what Jordan Pietrafitta did; she turned her senior honors thesis at Penn State into a sustainable fashion brand, appropriately called EARTHLY: For The Planet.

“I wanted to create a brand that was accessible for, and inclusive of, people of all races, ages, sizes, genders, abilities, sexualities, and socioeconomic statuses, without retouching any photos (AerieREAL-esque) and being as sustainable for the planet as possible,” says Jordan on her development of EARTHLY: For The Planet.

“I initially created a fake brand and campaign for my project, but after graduation, I decided that I really wanted to try and make EARTHLY a real thing,” says Jordan. “EARTHLY: For The Planet has become a business that allows me to express my creativity and my love for people, the planet, and fashion. I want EARTHLY to be a brand that not only sells cute clothing but actually cares about its customers and the environment.”

Since graduating, Jordan has been working on all aspects related to the brand; ranging from social media, to website development, and even to potential clothing designs, it’s been a whirlwind to get everything up and running. Jordan has been creating all of the content for the website and social media herself, so she has been constantly booked with socially distanced photoshoots that have allowed her to meet, and work with, some incredible people. That way, they can further spread the word about EARTHLY and, essentially, build the brand. 

A majority of the work related to EARTHLY was spearheaded in June when Jordan created its Instagram account. The first line of clothing was released in July, and over the last couple of months, she was able to develop a second line to release on the website for September 1. “I want EARTHLY to be fully size inclusive, so I’ve been gradually increasing the size range for women and men with each launch, but I also want to make sure that I don’t overproduce, so I’ve been trying to create things that I think people will love and buy,” says Jordan. “I’ve been working with different models for each launch to be as inclusive as possible; representation is extremely important, and I want people to feel that they’re being represented through EARTHLY.”

All of the clothing and materials (pillowcases, bedsheets, napkins, etc) for EARTHLY: For The Planet are pre-owned/pre-worn. So far, the first two collections have been mostly made from items in Jordan’s own closet, things she found around the house, clothing from her aunt and boyfriend, and clothing from a few friends who went through their closets. “My goal is to avoid thrifting to find items to upcycle and to only use things that people already own,” says Jordan. “I haven’t worked out all of the details yet, but my ultimate goal is to have customers donate their clothing directly to EARTHLY, either to have it made into something new and sent back to them or to have it transformed and sold to someone else, while getting a discount code in the process.”

Jordan also mentions how people have reached out to her about donating some of their own items. “I’m really excited to actually launch this aspect of the brand officially because I think people will be super excited about it and they’ll be able to participate even more in EARTHLY’s process of saving the planet.”

One element that has shown some early success is that of online orders. “The first round of orders was more of a learning experience so I could figure out what I wanted to do with shipping, but it’s gotten so much easier,” says Jordan. “I use ecomailers made out of recycled materials, which can be recycled as well, and only use recycled materials when packing the bags too. I use fabric safe ink on tags made out of t-shirts for each item, and for jewelry and scrunchie holders, which I’m super excited about. I’m always working towards improving aspects of these processes, though, to find the most sustainable options.”

Since launching, there have been 50+ items featured on the website, and nearly 20 items were included in the Instagram sale. “Everyone I talk to about EARTHLY seems to love the idea, so I’m really just trying to expand my audience and reach more people,” says Jordan. “For only having two item launches so far, I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made and I can’t wait for what’s to come.” 

One of the main short-term goals is to reach 1000 followers on Instagram by December 31. From a product standpoint, Jordan says she wants to have clothing from sizes XXS to 6XL for everyone within the next year or so. Along with that comes the donation portion. Jordan says that she wants to continue to make donations from each sale to different charities and organizations. “So far, I’ve only made one donation, but once all of the profits from the website sales come in, I’m going to make another,” says Jordan. 

For more long-term goals, Jordan says that she would love to expand the brand to have actual employees and turn it into a full-time job. With the help of a few collaboration projects in the works for the future, there’s no doubt that they will be successful and fun, and allow the brand to develop into something really special. “I truly just want EARTHLY to have a long-term impact,” says Jordan. “I’m sure business owners say things like this all the time, but I truly deeply feel that EARTHLY has such a huge potential and could really change the world, and I just want to make that happen.”

In just a few months, there’s no denying that EARTHLY: For The Planet has had noticeable success; it’s grown from an idea and an Instagram account, to a full-fledged website and online shopping platform. “I never want EARTHLY to be an isolating brand; I want it to be diverse and inclusive so that everyone can feel comfortable and welcome shopping the brand,” says Jordan. “I’m just genuinely excited to see where things go from here. I’m really appreciative of the support I’ve received so far and really hope that once I can reach more people, they love EARTHLY: For The Planet as much as I do.”

Connect and keep up to date with EARTHLY: For The Planet online:

Check out their website https://www.earthlyfortheplanet.com/ for the latest unique recycled pieces

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthlyfortheplanet/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/earthlyfortheplanet

EARTHLY: For The Planet strives to close the clothing loop at every step in our production process, with the ultimate goal of reducing the amount of clothing waste in landfills. We take the clothing you don't want to make it into something beautiful (and recycled). All of our packaging materials are made out of recycled materials as well, so you can recycle and reuse them instead of tossing them out.