The story begins in 2021 when we were working as colleagues at a fashion start-up. The year itself wasn't particularly kind to anyone, and we, too, were struggling to find meaning in our own lives. Due to the pandemic, we spent a lot of time together at work – just the two of us – and found comfort in spontaneous afterworks.

One day, the idea just appeared: 'Should we start our own business?' We both prefer spending time outdoors than over work. With our expertise in sustainable clothing and accessories, it only makes sense to pursue something that aligns with our passion. The ideas just started flowing, and we both realized we hadn't yet found the perfect outdoor pants – ones produced sustainably, supportive of our body types, and suitable for our dual lifestyle of urban and outdoor living.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Finnish name 'SAMOOJA' means 'Ranger,' and the verb it originates from (samoilla) translates to 'to wander.' We felt it's the perfect name for our brand.

When working in the clothing industry, you start realizing how messed up the system really is. To scale your business, you'll either have to minimize your production costs, potentially resulting in underpaid workers and inhumane working conditions.Alternatively, you can opt for mass production with bulk orders to reduce costs, or you can set high prices for customers, where the production costs become less significant. Unfortunately, high prices don't always guarantee well-made products.

For customers, it's often challenging to know the truth, as most brands don't disclose any information about their production.

Right from the beginning, we chose to prioritize production in Finland, even though the production costs are higher than in the Baltics or Asia. We emphasize production sustainability, fair pricing, low logistic CO2 emissions, and high-quality tailoring, all of which align with Finnish producers. We primarily operate through pre-orders because this system allows us to accurately anticipate demand levels before production. As a result, we only produce the amount of clothing we're genuinely going to sell.

When we received our first prototypes, we embarked on a journey to explore the versatility of Solo Pants. We tested them in various weather conditions—taking outdoor walks and light hikes in the summer heat, enduring autumn rains, and braving winter cold. We tried bouldering both indoors and outdoors, wearing the pants every week throughout the year. Additionally, we washed the pants at 30/40 degrees after each activity to assess color retention. (Please note that we don't recommend washing your gear after every activity if it's not actually dirty or sweaty. Instead, you can give them a little air on the balcony or terrace.)

The outcome? The fabric is a bit thicker, so we wouldn't recommend it for really hot days. However, for chilly Finnish summers, it works well. Autumn is perfect, and even in the winter, you can wear them by adding a pair of merino tights underneath. After washing in 30/40 degrees for over a year, the green or black color didn't fade almost at all. However, the buttons and buckles, which are plywood and colored black, lost a bit of color and start showing the woody color underneath, which is actually pretty cool, at least for us.

We also cycled, went fishing, wore the pants to a regular office job, tried some skateboarding, and also engaged in Marianna's favorite pastime—going into the forest to pick mushrooms. The only scenario where we discovered the model isn't the most perfect fit is rope climbing, as the harness requires quite tight pants. But everyone has their own preferences of course!