Water is both a playground and Earth’s life force. It is sustenance for the spirit as much as it is for the body, which is why it’s so essential that we work together to solve the water crises affecting the planet. Dockers® is striving to help improve the many sides of this crisis through its Water<Less® process and its three-year partnership with Jon Rose and his organization, Waves for Water (W4W). In honor of World Water Day on March 22, 2021, the brand is launching Dockers® x Jon Rose and taking the entire month of March to celebrate not only water’s essential nature, but also the countless thrills, excitement, and joy that water provides for all of us.
For Rose, a former professional surfer from California, water has always been a huge part of his life. And that’s why he works so hard to preserve it – work that tends to be demanding and complicated. Hence he prefers a wardrobe that’s simple and uncomplicated, whether he’s meeting Heads of State at the U.N., working in the field bringing clean water to under-served communities, or just hanging out at home. Rose likes his clothes to be low-key, comfortable, and authentically true to his easygoing vibe. To that end, Dockers® has created a collection featuring its Dockers® Icon chino, a Trucker jacket, and a range of tees and shirts that highlight Rose’s authentic, uncomplicated style.
“Each piece in this collection is utilitarian, durable, versatile, and inspired by my own experiences,” says Rose. “We designed this around what I feel to be most authentic to who I am. Overall, the collection is a fitting representation of the staple pieces I wear to make any situation I find myself in flow a bit smoother. Essentially, this is my uniform.”
Of course, while his style is laid back, his work addressing the global water crisis is anything but. Launched in 2009, Waves for Water is an organization that works tirelessly all across the world supplying portable water filtration systems to communities without access to clean water, digging and renovating bore-hole wells, and constructing rainwater harvesting and storing systems. To date, Waves For Water has given over 3 million people access to clean water in over 44 countries.
“The Dockers® vision is rooted in being a go-to casualwear brand that’s known for sustainable business practices and strong company values,” says Santiago Cucci, the brand’s Global Head. “Our partnership with Jon is a great example of the ways we will continue to explore how to collaborate more consciously for the planet. Dockers® commitment to the global water crisis is ongoing, and we celebrate World Water Day because we recognize both the value of and our impact on water.”
As part of the World Water Day festivities, Dockers® is celebrating not only the work that Rose does, but also the ongoing, three-year partnership with Rose and Waves for Water. For 2021, that partnership includes Waves for Water projects in Chile, Mexico, and Bangladesh, as well as a Waves for Water Courier Program in Tahiti, where a group of European pro surfers will carry water filters with them to implement in areas of need along their travels. It’s all part of an ambitious program between Dockers® and W4W that kicked off this past January with a trip to Liberia, where 55 broken water wells in and around Monrovia were restored, resulting in an estimated 110,000 getting their main water source back.
Finally, to honor World Water Day, Dockers® also created a short film, Love Water, and tapped into its global Dockers® community for content that highlights the many ways that water can bring joy, excitement, and connection to nature. Jon Rose, Kepa Acero, Maud Lecar and Joan Duru will each be featured on the Dockers® Instagram sharing why they love water, and how it impacts their lives. For over a decade, Dockers® Water<Less® techniques have saved billions of liters of water; in 2020 alone, the brand saved 24 million liters of water and recycled 42 million more. Dockers® celebrates this by acknowledging why – ultimately, Dockers® aims to use less water so that we can all love water more. Dockers® stays committed to water conservation because of the massive impact that water has on our lives. And hopefully, the collective efforts will serve as inspiration for all of us to use less water and keep it clean for generations to come.
The Dockers® x Jon Rose Collection ($50-$90) launches on World Water Day, March 22, 2021 and will be available for purchase on Dockers.com.
About Jon Rose:
As a professional surfer, Jon Rose traveled the world in pursuit of perfect waves. His adventures led him to some of the most breathtaking and remote locations in the world. After a 13 year career, looking for his next move, Jon was inspired by his father Jack, who had recently set up a non-profit in Africa, aimed to help people catch and filter rainwater. Some of the best waves Jon had found throughout his surfing career were in developing countries with no access to clean water. He wondered why great solutions that already existed, such as portable water filters, bore-hole wells, and rainwater harvesting systems, weren’t being more commonly implemented in the regions he and his friends had traveled through. Why couldn’t surfers and travelers continue doing the things they love, but also help along the way? It turns out they could. After extensive research, Jon discovered that the technology to create potable water, through already well-established technologies, not only existed, but also was cost-effective and readily available.
In 2009, Jon left for Bali on what was to be his first Wave For Water journey, armed with ten new filters he bought with his own money. During a layover in Padang (Sumatra), on the way, a 7.6 earthquake hit, completely devastating the area. Surviving the earthquake without a scratch, Jon worked tirelessly to distribute the filters where they were most needed. He did not know it yet, but this would be the true birth of Waves For Water (W4W).
W4W is a humanitarian aid organization that provides access to clean water for communities that have chronic clean water issues or in communities devastated by disaster. Jon’s objective is to identify problems associated with clean water in a community, then quickly connect an appropriate solution—such as portable water filters, rainwater harvesting systems, and/or bore-hole wells—in a sustainable way.
Jon describes his work as “Guerrilla Humanitarianism,” which refers to taking a no-nonsense, stripped-down, yet strategic and tactical, approach towards problem-solving. He believes that, in most cases, matters can be taken into one’s own hands, bringing viable solutions directly to the problem–under the radar and around bureaucratic red tape, when necessary.
“One in nine people still do not have access to clean water and that is ridiculous,” says Jon. “We strongly believe that as a group, as a movement, we can change the statistics and solve this problem, in our lifetime.”
About the Dockers® brand:
The Dockers® brand has been the authority in khaki pants for more than 30 years. First introduced in 1986 in San Francisco, California, this American classic has always been at the heart of the casual movement, providing men with quality products for every occasion. Our thoughtful innovations and meaningful details have always served a purpose, not a trend. Today, the Dockers® brand continues to be America’s favorite khaki and offers a wide range of apparel and accessories with no compromises in quality -always superior comfort and versatile style. Dockers® Water<Less®—a process that saves up to 73% of the typical amount of water used during the dyeing and finishing processes—helps reduce the brand’s environmental footprint. The Dockers® brand is a division of Levi Strauss & Co. and available worldwide in 60 countries, on six continents. For more information about the Dockers® brand, its products, and stores, please visit www.dockers.com.
