In 2016, Parisian photographers Liza Bodt and Alexandre Zindy embarked on an epic road trip across Western North America.
Their project, Traces of Wilderness, led the pair to some of the continent’s wildest, most remote corners to capture wildlife footage for a photo series and upcoming web documentary.
Over the course of a year, Liza and Alex traced a route from the Gulf of Alaska to the Gulf of California and back again across the Midwest. Through changing seasons and varied terrain, there was one constant to keep them company—their Laundromat sweaters and accessories.
We spoke to Liza and Alex about their journey and why their Laundromat knitwear made for the perfect companion.
“Our road trip started in Edmonton, Canada, where we bought a thirty-year old campervan. We had planned our itinerary according to general weather and seasons: go south all the way to Mexico with winter approaching, and then go back up to Canada in the springtime. Little did we know that when travelling from the coast to the mountains the weather can change so drastically in a matter of a few hours!
We ended up using our Laundromat sweaters and other accessories much sooner and for longer than originally planned: almost every day from October until May.
As nature photographers, it’s important to feel comfortable and warm in order to stay focused and open to what is around us. Landscape photography often happens at dawn and dusk, when the light is the most beautiful. But that’s also when it’s the coldest. For wildlife photography, we often needed to stay motionless for long time periods... wool was the perfect fiber for us out there.”
On their journey, Alex stayed warm in Laundromat’s Oxford Sweater in bark, while Liza wore a Laila Sweater and Montana Beanie in pine.
In 2017, Alexandre went on to receive several awards for his photography of Western North America, including overall winner of Travel Photographer of the Year (New Talent category).
Follow their travels on Instagram.
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