Rock Climber + Photographer / @urbanclimbr
L. Renee Blount
Climbing in Denim
MUJI collaborates with Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ program to make sustainable shopping simple for L. Renee.
When a pair of jeans finally gives out, she recycles them in-store and walks out with something new to break in.
Recycle with MUJIExploring the natural world inspires a sense of continued wonder in me.
L Renee Blount is a professional climber, adventurer, and photographer based in San Francisco. She climbs coastal rock walls, chases epic mountain light, and makes a practice of spotlighting people the outdoor world hasn’t always made room for. “I’m just capturing the joy of the moment,” she says. “Just illuminating it.”
Denim is L’s signature, and she wears it more than just about anything else in her day-to-day life. She likes to look fly, and to feel like herself. She trains at the climbing gym in denim, and she was even featured on the cover of Outside magazine in it. “Denim is one of my favorite things to wear, because with climbing you want a denser fabric. It’s heavier and holds up to scrapes against the wall.” L finds denim to be an unexpected performance fabric that keeps her cool, comfy, and protected.
L likes a loose, baggier fit that gives her room to move. And she appreciates that authentic denim is as versatile as it is tough, wearing it straight from the gym to wherever the day goes next. “I got some jeans, I’m ready to go, and after this, I can go shoot without changing very much.”
If I can’t give it a good home, I try not to take it in.
When you spend your days in extraordinary places, sustainability gets personal. L has seen microplastics on beaches she loves, and she wants to do something about it. “Everybody deserves access to beautiful places,” she says. “And knowing that makes me think about how I’m affecting the environment.”
Her approach to sustainability is rooted in intentionality. She believes in carrying less and giving things a good home. When a pair of jeans finally gives out—torn while dancing, climbing, or adventuring—she recycles them through Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ program at MUJI. It’s a brand she’s loved since she first lived in Japan: clean, considered, enduring. Now she makes a special stop at the MUJI store in NYC every time she’s in the neighborhood.
MUJI is the rare brand that reflects both how she looks and how she thinks. Their collaboration with the Blue Jeans Go Green™ program makes it simple – worn denim goes back, new natural cotton comes in, and nothing goes to waste.
