Brothers-in-law who organized successful wilderness cleanups in their native Arizona, then created an apparel company to fund it
It started with trash. Sean Huntington and his brother-in-law, Cameron Jarman, avid hikers and outdoorsmen, couldn’t help but notice that the beloved trails in their native Arizona were littered with trash. So they decided to do something about it.
The two organized cleanups and, to date, they’ve removed over 162,000 pounds of trash from local wilderness areas, according to Huntington. “In the very beginning, we were just two brothers-in-law who enjoyed adventuring and hiking in Arizona,” he says. “During our hikes we saw the need for the outdoor community in Arizona to rally together and help clean up the wild places we loved.”
The cleanups became so popular that the brothers-in-law recognized the need to create a way to fund them. They started by selling a T-shirt and stickers, but before long, decided to combine Cameron’s design skills and Sean’s photography and marketing abilities to launch Keep Nature Wild (KNW), an apparel company that offers T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and accessories with conservationist messaging, which donates a portion of profits to host and fund wilderness cleanups.
In February, in honor of the 100th birthday of the Grand Canyon, Keep Nature Wild is throwing a big cleanup party, and creating a limited edition capsule collection called the 1919 Collection. Inspired by the colors of the Canyon at sunrise and sunset, the sale of the orange, red and yellow tees, sweater and caps will help fund cleanups around the country.
The kickoff, the Annual Arizona Birthday Cleanup in Phoenix on February 16th, will loop in hundreds of volunteers and local businesses to help with the event. Sean and Cameron are now working with new sustainable and organic fabrics and creating a line based on reusable materials. “We realize the fashion industry is a leading cause of waste and pollution and we’re up to the challenge to combat that,” Huntington says.
“Our mission in its simplest form is to build community by picking up trash outside,” he continues. “We believe that the outdoors is for all, and that gaining an appreciation for nature is the best way to protect and preserve it for future generations. We don’t want to be a mission-based brand that just writes checks and doesn’t put in the work. We want to lead by example and inspire others to join us in our effort to keep nature wild!” keepnaturewild.com
