Sun Dog is a sustainability-focused outdoor lifestyle concept brand that I created for my senior project at Colorado State University in 2024. The line takes inspiration from my father, Larry Scott, who is a man with an endless itch for adventure and breathtaking scenery. Over the summers of 1986 and 1987, my Dad and his closest friends sailed from Paris, to Svalbard Island, and to Nova Scotia, with many stops along the way. While sailing through the Atlantic Ocean on a small sailboat, The Solitaire, and with no previous boating experience, he managed to capture the risky adventure on his film camera. 

I found my father’s spontaneity and fearlessness to be admirable, so I dedicated Sun Dog to his remarkable spirit and photography. My Dad’s photography is featured throughout Sun Dog’s branding and utilized as prints on the Magdalena Windbreaker and on the Nomad Bicycle Shirt and Shorts.

A noteworthy garment from the line is the Magdalena Windbreaker, which features an image of the famous Magdalena Fjord of Svalbard Island with The Solitaire in the foreground. Not only is the print on the windbreaker notable, but the pattern of the garment has its own story as well: during the epic sailboat adventure, my Dad wore a bright red Gore-Tex windbreaker by Eastern Mountain Sports. My Dad kept the windbreaker after all these years and passed it along to me. I could feel the spirit from all those years ago as it rested wrinkled and falling apart in my hands. I found the hand-mended and distressed windbreaker to be intriguing and knew I had to re-manifest its glory in the Sun Dog line. Thus, the pattern of the Magdalena Windbreaker was closely inspired by the original red one my Dad wore on his epic adventure. 

My Dad’s red windbreaker inspired the rest of the Sun Dog line, for its haptic elements, unique seam lines, and undeniable functionality caught my eye. I also felt inspired by the haptic trends of quilting and jacquard ribbon in recent outdoor apparel collections, so I included these elements in my designs as well. The uncommon hood and bodice patterns of the red windbreaker brought my attention to the lack of uncommon and functional seamlines in modern outdoor apparel, so I aimed to highlight these details in the line as well. 

The sourcing of materials for Sun Dog was acquired through connecting with local outdoor apparel brands and utilizing their deadstock fabrics. Sustainability has always been a personal focus of mine so I aimed to include only materials that would have been considered waste in this project. I also utilized CLO3D to pattern several garments in this collection.

The collection was featured in Colorado State University’s 2024 fashion show, Astral Threads and was recognized as “most marketable.”