The one pair of pants you should wear this summer
Earth\Studies' lightweight cotton-nylon trousers wear like a windbreaker for your legs.
A nod to one of our favorite brands
In fashion, as in life, brand identities tend to ebb and flow.
Maybe a label spends a season chasing trends or drops a collaboration that doesn’t land. It happens. But the product itself shouldn’t have to suffer because of it.
One brand that’s managed to stay consistent is Earth\Studies. Based in Portland, Oregon, the label began in 2017 when founder Rob Darmour started it as a hiking club. In 2018, it evolved into a clothing brand called it Vanishes before rebranding to Earth\Studies in 2021.
Through every iteration, the mission has stayed the same: use natural deadstock fabrics and recycled materials to make thoughtfully designed outdoor apparel, with most of the collections produced in India.
One thing that’s never gotten lost in the shuffle is that Earth\Studies makes really good shit, whether you’re deep in the backcountry or just making a grocery run.
The brand has no shortage of standout pieces, from its wool bouclé and cotton patchwork fleece complete with a big-ass forager bag, to its three-pocket asymmetric field pants.
The designs get weird in all the right ways. I’ve been lucky enough to own some of those, but the Earth\Studies piece I haven’t stopped wearing this summer is the MP-111PA P_Article Pleated Trouser.
First and foremost, I’m a pants guy. Sure, the past few weeks have felt like Satan breathing down your neck, so I’ve reluctantly been living in shorts to avoid a potential heatstroke. But once the temperature dips below 90 degrees, these go right back into rotation.
Earth\Studies pants already lean relaxed with wide leg openings, but these are the Big Boy Baggies. They’re cut from a lightweight cotton-nylon blend with deep double pleats, two front pockets, and two zippered back pockets.
They’re roomy without looking sloppy.
I usually wear a 30 or 31, depending on whether I’m bloated from a pastry, but I sized up to a 32 just to be safe.
Thankfully, they feature a built-in webbing belt with an aircraft-grade aluminum hook closure, so dialing in the fit is not a problem. I wish every pair of pants worked like this.
My ideal fit is a roomy top block with plenty of volume through the leg, and these absolutely nail it. The inseam on a size 32 is a cropped 26¼ inches (it varies by size), so despite all the width, they never puddle or look messy.
The cotton-nylon fabric wears almost like a windbreaker for your legs—light, breezy, and comfortable when the humidity turns up a notch. I’ve washed them once, hung them to dry, and they still fit and feel exactly like they did out of the box.
My only gripe? Earth\Studies needs to make more colors. There is a linen version that’s looking more tempting with every degree the thermometer climbs.
For now, I’ve mostly been wearing them with a plain tee and a pair of Vibram-soled flip-flops. They’re the most breathable pants I own that don’t unzip into shorts, and at this rate, I’ll probably keep wearing them well into October.
Earth\Studies MP-111PA P_Article Pleated Trouser, $290