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Olderbrother

@olderbrotherus

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Playful Spirits, Natural Classics

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Spring Summer 2026 Store Installation

This season, artist James Herman was invited to develop a speculative clay processing machine through his own practice, expanding upon Olderbrother’s ongoing exploration of earth pigments.

Built from a makeshift aluminum framework fitted with plumbing, pumps, solar panels, a settling tank, and a traditional gold sluice, the fully operational machine processes foraged earth through washing, gravity separation, and filtration. Material enters through a cast aluminum hopper before moving through the sluice, where larger aggregate is removed and fine clay remains suspended in water. The clay then settles before being dispersed onto an evaporation tarp, where it dries for collection.

Although separate from Olderbrother’s production process, the machine follows the same principles used to prepare our clay pigments. Herman introduces sound and low frequency electromagnetic resonance as speculative extensions of the system, imagining a machine where practical engineering gives way to playful experimentation.

In collaboration with James Herman
Video by Rob Fraebel
Photos by Michael Irwin by @olderbrotherus

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3 months ago

Spring Summer 2026 - Residual Clay

California clay pigments refined through time, labor and immersion.

Online now.

Video by @rob.fraebel by @olderbrotherus

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3 months ago

Summer Collection - “Residual Clay”

We continue into the summer with our exploration of clay pigments foraged from natural and man-made excavations of the California landscape.

Earth from previous seasons remains in circulation alongside new clay deposits: in this slow and primordial process nothing is discarded.

Batches of clay and earthen pigments are dried, screened, suspended, and refined. Continuous clay baths develop into an infinite tree of possibilities for dyeing, preserving and transforming garments through an immersion process that lasts for up to 72 hours.

Time and labor develop into the colors of the earth in this collection. When the baths are complete the residual clay is returned to where it came from.

Online now. by @olderbrotherus

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4 months ago

New Collection - “Hand-Me-Downs”

Our next iteration of “Hand-Me-Downs” from this collection and process, reconsidered and up-cycled from fabric remnants and defects. Going further into the indigo process, hand applied, half dipped, and irregular all new singular items.

Available online now. by @olderbrotherus

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7 months ago

“The Vat” - Store Installation

The Vat is a winter installation that brings the elemental parts of our indigo operation indoors. A simple working frame built efficiently, with the vat at center. Rope lines run overhead for repeated hanging and drying. Materials are left visible: redwood with worn surfaces.

Salvaged California redwood, corrugated metal roofing, knotted rope, fabric panels, air, and light.

In collaboration with Max Schulz
Shot by Julien Sage

Olderbrother Store
566 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Open 11AM – 6PM Daily by @olderbrotherus

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9 months ago

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a year ago

“The Vat” Autumn/Winter 2025
Releasing tomorrow by @olderbrotherus

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a year ago

“Low Tide” - Store Installation

Salvaged California redwood free of conventional hardware, waxed cotton ripstop, knotted rope, air, and light.

The Low Tide installation references coastal seaweed drying rafts, functional structures built efficiently. Suspended and unobstructed, it allows air and sunlight to pass through freely. Panels of waxed cotton form translucent walls. Garments hang from rope-tied crab net racks above. Materials are left visible: redwood with split ends, softened corners, and worn surfaces.

In collaboration with Max Schulz
Shot by Michael Irwin

Olderbrother Store
566 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Open 11AM – 6PM Daily by @olderbrotherus

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a year ago

Sargassum Harvest x Nature Spirit Herbs

For SS25 we joined @naturespiritherbs to harvest Sargassum muticum from a protected cove on the Northern California coast.

Using low-impact methods, we collected 400 Ibs in a single pass, always leaving the holdfast.

The seaweed was air-dried on open racks at their Oregon homestead to preserve its mineral content and dye potential.

Read the full journal on our website. by @olderbrotherus

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a year ago

Olderbrother SS25 “Low Tide”

A study in seaweed as material.

Sargassum was harvested by hand at low tide along the Crescent Bay and Southern Oregon coast on the Summer Solstice.
The harvest was completed in a single day.

Sargassum is classified as an invasive and abundantly available algae along the Northern California coast. It is frequently removed as part of coastal management practices.

In partnership with Nature Spirit Herbs, a family-run wild harvester and seaweed producer based in Oregon. The collected sargassum was processed into powder and used to create the natural dyes for this collection.

This process continues an established method: selecting seasonally specific, widely available, and typically unmanaged materials.
Olderbrother collections operate within this system - engaging directly with material cycles and working with what is present.

Available online now. by @olderbrotherus

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a year ago

“Low Tide” - Summer 2025
Releasing next week by @olderbrotherus

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a year ago

“Hand-Me-Downs” Winter 2025

This season’s last release features select pieces from this collection and process, reconsidered and up-cycled from fabric remnants and defects. From charred brown denim-tinted color to a patchwork puff coat.

A bit late, and challenging as well, after the collection’s burn scar concept became our city’s reality.

Online now. by @olderbrotherus

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2 years ago