The last adventure of millionaire David Mayer de Rothschild
The explorer, environmentalist, adventurer and British philanthropist David Mayer de Rothschild is a man of symbolic deeds: at 30 he was the youngest Briton to cross the white desert of Antarctica; he sailed 8 thousand miles from San Francisco to Sidney in a boat made of 12,500 plastic bottles through the world's largest landfill, a floating garbage spot (mostly plastic) called the great eastern patch with an extension that duplicates that of the United States. He also traveled by motorcycle through the mountains in Mongolia, or paddled by the Brazilian Xingu River to raise awareness of the devastating environmental destruction of Belo Monte.
At the end of 2015, this modern Magellan, 39, sailed on a new adventure, this time, immersing himself in the fashion and lifestyle industry, with a brand whose intention is to be sustainable, The Lost Explorer. A new challenge for this former rider, graduate in natural medicine, the youngest of the three children of the American Victoria Lou Schott (daughter of real estate developer Lewis M. Schott) and of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, member of the British branch of one of the most famous and influential bankers in the world (his second name, Mayer, pays tribute to the founder of the financial empire, Mayer Amschel Rothschild), a line curiously linked to investments in fossil fuels for decades, as well as other businesses that are not environmentally responsible: real estate, mining, etc.
Rothschild considers his firm, rather than as a consumer vehicle, as a platform for creativity and for the exchange of knowledge. And it develops without great economic or advertising boasting, with a minimal team, and a very slow philosophy: "We launch the brand to make exceptional products and tell stories that make people fall in love with nature," he recounts from Venice Beach, where is its headquarters: "It is a symbol of the desires of our community, of the lives that we all want to live, and of the things that matter to us all. With each product we design, and in each action we take, we take into account the community, as fellow explorers do, "he explains.
At the moment, it has launched a small line of unisex fashion basics, although with a marked male air (organic hemp shirts, jackets and pants that mix this with organic cotton), some made in the USA. As well as a small collection of accessories (travel bags, backpacks, handbags and pins allusive to the environment and your travels of globetrotters). In addition to a natural cosmetic line to face the winter rigors with seven references (between facial, body and capillaries), two types of teas, and a mezcal fruit of the collaboration with the Smoke project of mezcal master Don Fortino Ramos Florean, distiller of first generation, self-taught, that has produced mezcal for more than two decades, cultivating it, harvesting it, and distilling it in the limits of San Pablo Huixtepec, Oaxaca, in the district of Zimatlán, located about 1,500 meters above sea level in the Central Valley (Mexico).
"It takes a long time to become a brand, it's something that is built over time," reflects Rothschild, looking back: "Companies also need to be communities again; we have to share common values, interests, and goals with our audience. We need to see ourselves, not as consumers, but as fellow citizens, "he says.
Katie McLaurin, the director of his tiny creative team, describes the main obstacles they face in developing the brand: "It is not easy to produce ethical and environmentally friendly products with a system immersed in the old world system!" She exclaims. : "However, we keep trying, regardless of the context, we are one year closer to 2025, date in which we believe that The Lost Explorer will take off, it takes 10 years to build a brand! Our objectives and challenges, from the next years, is to remain curious, humble, and open to future challenges, we must continue to build our voice in this noisy world, "she says passionately.
Passion that is also reflected in the brand's site, with a magazine that socio-environmentally aware and transmits the values of the project. "I've always seen nature as my mentor," says Rothschild: "So I'm just following this principle, as I've always done, every time I feel the pressure of being a human being living in this world, I try to remember this and focus on living more in tune with it, and push to achieve a planetary lifestyle 2.0, "he says, referring to a more responsible way of life to inhabit the globe. "A job that never ends," he concludes.