Everybody's World
Iris and Carolina, founders of Everybody World, shape how we think about consumption, particularly in fashion. Their mantra of making things without exploiting people or the planet should resonate with everyone, and doing it in such a cool and authentic way obviously comes naturally to them. During our conversation they hinted about a new project in the pipeline, so I’m super intrigued to discover more!
Iris I know you’re a fifth-generation Angeleno so tell me briefly about your family and growing up in LA?
IA My great great grandparents were homesteaders in the Angeles Forest, in a place called Lopez Canyon. It’s truly the “middle of nowhere” but also a 30 minute drive from downtown LA. There were literally no other homes there –no neighborhood kids or anything really – so I was always reading or doing art projects or escaping home life on a horse. My dad’s family is Mexican and lived in South Central LA, about 2 miles from where our HQ is now.
What was the scene like in terms of music and fashion during your teenage years? What were you into at the time?
CC I was a pretty rebellious teenager growing up in the 90s. I used to sneak out of my house a lot and wore a lot of baggy jeans, crop tops, heavy eyeliner and a lot of attitude.
I liked to go to what was called “kickbacks” which were basically house parties and we would listen to Lowrider oldies.
IA I went through many, many phases, but always identified as “alternative”. I made a lot of my own clothes and would mostly shop in thrift and army surplus stores, and sometimes at Forever 21 in the Panorama City Mall (when no one had heard of it!)
I used to hang out in coffee shops, like the Cobalt Cafe and The Smell (when it was in the Valley), and watch bands on a tiny stage.
Then when my older friends started driving I got really into raves. My clothing and hair also got more experimental around that time. We used to get Punky Colors hair dye, and save up to buy Freshjive and enormous jeans and would wear with baby tees and platform shoes or shell-toe Adidas.
“I liked to go to what was called ‘kickbacks’ which were basically house parties and we would listen to lowrider oldies.”
You both have extensive experience in apparel and worked for long periods at American Apparel so tell me how you initially got into these roles and some key experiences you had over the years?
CC I found my way to American Apparel through graphic design, which I was studying at the time. I met Dov and he saw I was a super hard worker and appreciated that about me, so he gave me a lot of opportunities to grow and try new things. I was a young mom at the time and working hard to make sure I could take care of my daughter, but also show her how to follow her passion.
During the time I was at American Apparel we went from just 100 sewers and grew the business to nearly 10,000 global employees, producing around 1 million garments per week. That type of phenomenal growth is almost unheard of in the industry and I learned a lot about every part of the business.
IA Coincidentally, I ended up working for Freshjive around Y2K. The owner, Rick Klotz, was good friends with Dov of American Apparel and introduced us. Initially I was kind of Dov’s assistant, shadowing him, but then as the company started developing the vision for retail expansion, I set off around the world looking for up-and-coming neighborhoods, signing leases, hiring staff, designing stores and garments. I was 24 years old. It was an amazing opportunity to explore so many new cities and countries like that, and also to work in this Willy Wonka dream factory. Eventually I became Creative Director.
And when did you decide it was time to branch out on your own?
CC Iris and I were at American Apparel for a really long time, 15 years for me and 11 for her. We helped grow the business to what it was but company politics started to shift and we found ourselves on the chopping block with a lot of other long-timers, including the founder. We felt that we had more to bring into the world and decided to join forces to find a way to continue innovating, but this time with a focus on sustainability and addressing waste issues in our industry.
When did you first meet?
IA Carolina and I first met at American Apparel in 2004, but we didn’t get to properly know each other until 2014 when shit really went down at AA. During the takeover, we felt we couldn’t trust anyone anymore so, we formed an alliance. That’s when we discovered that we were actually a lot alike.
“We used to get punky colors hair dye, and save up to buy freshjive and enormous jeans and would wear with baby tees and platform shoes or shell-toe Adidas.”
Can you tell me how you initially got started with Everybody World and what were the underlying business principles?
IA We sum it up to “Workers, Ecology, Ideas.” In other words, we want to make useful things without exploiting people or the planet, and put the utmost value in creativity and ideas.
Your business model is very sustainable and ethical and I guess a major attraction for consumers and clients now. But how do you feel generally about the current state of the fashion industry which has clearly been very slow in adopting these principles?
IA It’s pretty grim. There’s just so so so much crap being made and consumed with not much sign of slowing down and it’s simply crazy to think we can continue like this. There is a lot more interest now than ever before in better options, but it’s still just a drop in the bucket. We need the biggest players – the Gap’s of the world – to radically reinvent themselves. Otherwise, we see these brands as obsolete and their practices as a conscious assault on people and our shared planet.
Tell me about the idea behind your Contributor Collection? It looks amazing!
IA We seek out extraordinary people, all non-designers with unique life stories, and ask them the same question, “What is the one thing missing from your wardrobe?” We figure if these stylish folks need this item, others may too, which gives purpose to putting it on the planet. Then we make it in our amazing factories (Workers) with thoughtful materials (Ecology) and give the contributor 10% of each sale for life (Ideas).
“We seek out extraordinary people, all non-designers with unique life stories, and ask them the same question, what is the one thing missing from your wardrobe.”
You’ve also produced some great products with numerous clients so maybe just highlight a few of your favorites?
CC Online Ceramics, Lorde, André 3000, Shantell Martin for The Whitney Museum, Liver Ideas, Extra Vitamins, Rivian...
The list goes on and on. We are forever grateful to our clients.
Any music currently on repeat in the factory?
CC We’ve been listening to a lot of 90’s house-y stuff. Feeling nostalgic!
Set U Free – Planet Soul
You’re Not Alone – Olive
You Got the Love – Candi Staton, The Source
Now U Got Me Hooked – Against All Logic
Heartbeat – Taana Gardner
Deep Inside – Hardrive
Otherwise, we put “My Shazam Tracks” on shuffle, which is a real-time mixtape of the sounds we’re into. We are @everybodyworld on Spotify in case anyone else wants to listen!
Top 5 tips in LA right now?
CC
– Soot Bull Jeep (Korean BBQ)
– Kinokuniya Bookstore in Little Tokyo
– Sister Wife Vintage in Eagle Rock
– Any Dodger Game
– Santa Barbara weekend getaways
IA
– WiSpa
– Northgate Market
– The Desert Garden at The Huntington
– The Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park (free concerts all summer)
– KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic new hosts Anthony Valadez and Novena Carmel are great.
Future plans….?
CC Iris and I have a vision to grow the business, but that will require getting more streamlined with a lot of key processes so we are ready to scale. My goal is to be able to answer the question “how are we truly working smarter instead of harder”? It’s an ongoing process. Every day we learn and evolve. There’s a lot of exciting things ahead, but we can’t forget the science that has to be in place to deliver the art; that’s the part of the business that I have always been really passionate about.
IA We want to grow, both for ourselves and to benefit the local factories we work with. We want to be ready for when the dinosaur brands inevitably become irrelevant and go extinct. And we’re working on a new business idea! Can’t say much yet, but we’re branching out of apparel :~D
Everybody's World
Iris and Carolina, founders of Everybody World, shape how we think about consumption, particularly in fashion. Their mantra of making things without exploiting people or the planet should resonate with everyone, and doing it in such a cool and authentic way obviously comes naturally to them. During our conversation they hinted about a new project in the pipeline, so I’m super intrigued to discover more!
Iris I know you’re a fifth-generation Angeleno so tell me briefly about your family and growing up in LA?
IA My great great grandparents were homesteaders in the Angeles Forest, in a place called Lopez Canyon. It’s truly the “middle of nowhere” but also a 30 minute drive from downtown LA. There were literally no other homes there –no neighborhood kids or anything really – so I was always reading or doing art projects or escaping home life on a horse. My dad’s family is Mexican and lived in South Central LA, about 2 miles from where our HQ is now.
What was the scene like in terms of music and fashion during your teenage years? What were you into at the time?
CC I was a pretty rebellious teenager growing up in the 90s. I used to sneak out of my house a lot and wore a lot of baggy jeans, crop tops, heavy eyeliner and a lot of attitude.
I liked to go to what was called “kickbacks” which were basically house parties and we would listen to Lowrider oldies.
IA I went through many, many phases, but always identified as “alternative”. I made a lot of my own clothes and would mostly shop in thrift and army surplus stores, and sometimes at Forever 21 in the Panorama City Mall (when no one had heard of it!)
I used to hang out in coffee shops, like the Cobalt Cafe and The Smell (when it was in the Valley), and watch bands on a tiny stage.
Then when my older friends started driving I got really into raves. My clothing and hair also got more experimental around that time. We used to get Punky Colors hair dye, and save up to buy Freshjive and enormous jeans and would wear with baby tees and platform shoes or shell-toe Adidas.
“I liked to go to what was called ‘kickbacks’ which were basically house parties and we would listen to lowrider oldies.”
You both have extensive experience in apparel and worked for long periods at American Apparel so tell me how you initially got into these roles and some key experiences you had over the years?
CC I found my way to American Apparel through graphic design, which I was studying at the time. I met Dov and he saw I was a super hard worker and appreciated that about me, so he gave me a lot of opportunities to grow and try new things. I was a young mom at the time and working hard to make sure I could take care of my daughter, but also show her how to follow her passion.
During the time I was at American Apparel we went from just 100 sewers and grew the business to nearly 10,000 global employees, producing around 1 million garments per week. That type of phenomenal growth is almost unheard of in the industry and I learned a lot about every part of the business.
IA Coincidentally, I ended up working for Freshjive around Y2K. The owner, Rick Klotz, was good friends with Dov of American Apparel and introduced us. Initially I was kind of Dov’s assistant, shadowing him, but then as the company started developing the vision for retail expansion, I set off around the world looking for up-and-coming neighborhoods, signing leases, hiring staff, designing stores and garments. I was 24 years old. It was an amazing opportunity to explore so many new cities and countries like that, and also to work in this Willy Wonka dream factory. Eventually I became Creative Director.
And when did you decide it was time to branch out on your own?
CC Iris and I were at American Apparel for a really long time, 15 years for me and 11 for her. We helped grow the business to what it was but company politics started to shift and we found ourselves on the chopping block with a lot of other long-timers, including the founder. We felt that we had more to bring into the world and decided to join forces to find a way to continue innovating, but this time with a focus on sustainability and addressing waste issues in our industry.
When did you first meet?
IA Carolina and I first met at American Apparel in 2004, but we didn’t get to properly know each other until 2014 when shit really went down at AA. During the takeover, we felt we couldn’t trust anyone anymore so, we formed an alliance. That’s when we discovered that we were actually a lot alike.
“We used to get punky colors hair dye, and save up to buy freshjive and enormous jeans and would wear with baby tees and platform shoes or shell-toe Adidas.”
Can you tell me how you initially got started with Everybody World and what were the underlying business principles?
IA We sum it up to “Workers, Ecology, Ideas.” In other words, we want to make useful things without exploiting people or the planet, and put the utmost value in creativity and ideas.
Your business model is very sustainable and ethical and I guess a major attraction for consumers and clients now. But how do you feel generally about the current state of the fashion industry which has clearly been very slow in adopting these principles?
IA It’s pretty grim. There’s just so so so much crap being made and consumed with not much sign of slowing down and it’s simply crazy to think we can continue like this. There is a lot more interest now than ever before in better options, but it’s still just a drop in the bucket. We need the biggest players – the Gap’s of the world – to radically reinvent themselves. Otherwise, we see these brands as obsolete and their practices as a conscious assault on people and our shared planet.
Tell me about the idea behind your Contributor Collection? It looks amazing!
IA We seek out extraordinary people, all non-designers with unique life stories, and ask them the same question, “What is the one thing missing from your wardrobe?” We figure if these stylish folks need this item, others may too, which gives purpose to putting it on the planet. Then we make it in our amazing factories (Workers) with thoughtful materials (Ecology) and give the contributor 10% of each sale for life (Ideas).
“We seek out extraordinary people, all non-designers with unique life stories, and ask them the same question, what is the one thing missing from your wardrobe.”
You’ve also produced some great products with numerous clients so maybe just highlight a few of your favorites?
CC Online Ceramics, Lorde, André 3000, Shantell Martin for The Whitney Museum, Liver Ideas, Extra Vitamins, Rivian...
The list goes on and on. We are forever grateful to our clients.
Any music currently on repeat in the factory?
CC We’ve been listening to a lot of 90’s house-y stuff. Feeling nostalgic!
Set U Free – Planet Soul
You’re Not Alone – Olive
You Got the Love – Candi Staton, The Source
Now U Got Me Hooked – Against All Logic
Heartbeat – Taana Gardner
Deep Inside – Hardrive
Otherwise, we put “My Shazam Tracks” on shuffle, which is a real-time mixtape of the sounds we’re into. We are @everybodyworld on Spotify in case anyone else wants to listen!
Top 5 tips in LA right now?
CC
– Soot Bull Jeep (Korean BBQ)
– Kinokuniya Bookstore in Little Tokyo
– Sister Wife Vintage in Eagle Rock
– Any Dodger Game
– Santa Barbara weekend getaways
IA
– WiSpa
– Northgate Market
– The Desert Garden at The Huntington
– The Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park (free concerts all summer)
– KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic new hosts Anthony Valadez and Novena Carmel are great.
Future plans….?
CC Iris and I have a vision to grow the business, but that will require getting more streamlined with a lot of key processes so we are ready to scale. My goal is to be able to answer the question “how are we truly working smarter instead of harder”? It’s an ongoing process. Every day we learn and evolve. There’s a lot of exciting things ahead, but we can’t forget the science that has to be in place to deliver the art; that’s the part of the business that I have always been really passionate about.
IA We want to grow, both for ourselves and to benefit the local factories we work with. We want to be ready for when the dinosaur brands inevitably become irrelevant and go extinct. And we’re working on a new business idea! Can’t say much yet, but we’re branching out of apparel :~D
ALL CULTURE IS A CONVERSATION LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA © MR. WREN 2025
ALL CULTURE IS A CONVERSATION – LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
© MR. WREN 2025