Case study · Apparel
Premium apparel for the discerning outdoorsman.
An apparel brand I founded and designed, built on the opposite premise from the rest of the outdoor industry: made in the USA, 100% natural fibers, and meant to last for years.
The problem
Outdoor gear built to be replaced.
Outdoor apparel runs on two engines that push people to keep buying: cheap synthetics that wear out fast, and trends that change every season. Most of it is oil-based, sheds microplastics, and fails in exactly the conditions it's sold for. One ember from a campfire puts a hole in a $200 synthetic pant.
The durable alternative is heritage wax cotton and wool, which tends to look either old-timey or tactical, and few people want to wear it to the office.
The approach
Start from silhouettes that already lasted.
HYNTR is named for the hinterlands, the untrodden path, with the Jera rune as its mark for living by the cycles of the earth. I set strict design rules and designed every piece myself. My method was to start each one from a proven American or military silhouette with decades of staying power and redesign it for 4x4 touring and everyday wear.
The capsule
Three core pieces, one point of view.
Hyntrlander Overshirt
$249A rework of the wool board shirt, a garment that started in Pendleton, Oregon, where my family is from, and ran from 60s surf culture through 90s grunge. Virgin merino body, waxed-cotton overlays at the yoke and forearms, tagua-nut buttons, hidden collar snaps, and concealed chest pockets sized for a phone and passport.
Umland Touring Pants
$279Built on the 1938 Field Service Dress, with cargo pockets you can reach while seated in a vehicle, an integral gaiter, and knee-pad pockets.
Stormbreaker Field Jacket
$449An update of the M-65, a silhouette traced to the Boer War and worn by everyone from Hemingway to Tom Ford. Light waxed cotton, a rear cargo pocket that converts to a satchel, and a removable wool-lined waxed hood.
Where it stands
Paused at the cutting table.
I took the full capsule, including beanies, to finished prototypes, with a product roadmap, production partners in place, and the wool and canvas in stock, ready to cut. Then COVID hit and my father was diagnosed with cancer, and the project went on the back burner. It's dormant while I finish my MBA.
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