French startup presents its first pair of ‘wood shorts’

After launching eco-responsible T-shirts and sweatshirts in 2019, the French startup has now created its first pairs of shorts made from wood.

Shorts made from wood?

While the idea may bring to mind a rigid pair of Bermudas sprouting twigs and leaves — hardly suitable for outdoor activities like cycling, walking and climbing — the So Ride Wear “wood shorts” are, on the contrary, designed to be versatile and highly comfortable, the brand explains.

So what’s the secret?

Ethical sportswear

While there’s much talk of ethical fashion, what about sports gear? In a bid to provide ethical alternatives to lovers of outdoor pursuits, Fabienne Petetin — who won French Tech Incubation support in 2021 — decided to found So Ride Wear.

The brand stands out for its mission to offer only ethical and responsible clothing, made using bio-sourced and upcycled materials, like organic cotton, and — for the vast part — manufactured in Chambéry in Southeastern France.

Also made in the Rhône-Alpes region, the brand’s “wood shorts” have been developed using eco-responsible materials: 98% Lenzing Tencel wood fiber fabric.

A material selected for its lightness and comfort — and 2% elastane, free from products harmful to the body and the environment, the brand states. For the belt and the pocket lining, the brand has opted for upcycled polyester from textile industry offcuts.

As well as the ecological dimension, this wood fiber fabric offers high resistance, the brand explains in a news release, while also maintaining its softness and color for a long time.

What’s more, the brand continues, the breathable and thermo-active shorts have a cut that’s designed to fit with the wearer’s movements.

In fact, according to the news release, they have been tested and approved by climbers at the WattaBloc indoor climbing center in Chambéry, who appreciated the shorts’ stretch quality with every movement.

Total transparency

For each clothing item in its e-store, from “wood shorts” to T-shirts, So Ride Wear strives for total transparency on the origin of materials, its production facilities, and the companies with which the brand works and their social policies.

This information can be found in the “Matières et Entretien” tab on each product page (currently only available in French).

In four sizes and three colourways, the “wood shorts” are available to buy online for €89 (approx. $108) in men’s and women’s styles. Note that the brand is currently working on a configuration tool for creating bespoke clothing items when “standard” sizes aren’t suitable.