Our Story

It wasn’t a wrong turn exactly but more of a detour that led us to start AETHER in 2009.

We were movie producers who had become disillusioned with the direction the industry was going, and yet we knew we had more miles in us, as business partners, entrepreneurs, and friends. We decided to make an unlikely left turn, from moviemaking to the making of clothing, blissfully unaware of the obstacles we would encounter along a road we didn’t even know how to access in the beginning.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that we decided adventure would serve as AETHER’s North Star. We wanted to create a collection of pieces that catered to the life we want to live, one full of exploration and spontaneous journeys—one where routine is cast aside in favor of the unknown.

We’re thrilled to have you along for the ride.

–Palmer West & Jonah Smith, co-founders, AETHER

It’s a story that could have ended before it began. But it didn’t. More than a decade later, we are still restless.

For the Restless

We make things that will last. To be worn not worshipped. Beyond a moment, beyond a season. We value longevity because we value a life well-lived.

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “wow! what a ride!”

- Hunter S. Thompson

Wrong turns make better stories.

You think adventure is dangerous? Try routine.

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully you leave something good behind.”

- Anthony Bourdain

Design first, adventure second, design third.