Robin Hoodies for nature
Apparel company directing half of its profits to buying land for rewilding
The founders of Robin Hoodies are modifying the “rob from the rich, give to the poor” concept.
Fifty per cent of profits from their apparel sales (starting with hoodies, of course) will be used to buy land and guarantee its protection as a wild space, in a practice known as rewilding.
Justin Comeau, 27, cofounder of Robin Hoodies, says its mission is to allow land to welcome back nature, creating safe places for insects, birds and wildflowers and then watching to see what develops.
“The idea is really a product of the sad fact that we are losing biodiversity everywhere,” he says, adding that other benefits to letting land rewild is that it also draws down carbon; particularly wetlands.
Comeau says the new company, which is based in Meteghan, Digby County, is a collaboration between him and his business partner/ mother, Sheila Henderson.
While he came up with the idea of selling hoodies and the name, he says his mother has been interested in rewilding for a while and has been an avid environmentalist since before he was born.
“She’s the greenest person I know. She went to see David Suzuki in Halifax in 1989 and it changed her,” he says.
When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report came out two years ago, Henderson “brought it (her actions) up another level or three.”
She went vegan, stopped flying, ditched all plastic, started an environmental group at the school where she teaches and stopped using her dryer and dishwasher.
“I can’t even name all the ways she is green — I’m still trying to keep up,” says
Comeau, who graduated from Université Sainte-Anne with a business degree in 2015 and then began comanaging his father's fish plant, BCD Fisheries in Little Brook.
Last year, he launched an all-natural, one-ingredient dog treat product — Jack’s Snacks — named after his late German Shepherd. It’s available in Yarmouth at PetroCanada.
The other member of the team is Tristan MacAlpine, who will be assisting with social media.
Comeau says they are targeting a younger audience since “they are the ones who will find out what the future holds and have the biggest stake in making sure it’s a good future.”
He adds that being ecoconscious can’t be defined by an age. It’s a mindset and more and more people are adopting it.
The company is so focused on pursuing green initiatives it’s even including a length of twine with each order, so you can air-dry your hoodie.
“Air drying your clothes is one of the best ways to lower your energy use, and doing it inside in the winter will add a little moisture to dry air,” says Comeau.
Customers are also requested to return their worn hoodies to the company for 20 per cent off the next order and free shipping.
“We don’t care if they’re stained or torn — we want them back. We don’t want them ending up in the landfill.”
The company’s goal is to add more items and new designs soon.
As the business has just launched, no land purchases have been made yet, but real estate sites are searched daily. The owners won’t make a decision on what to buy until they’re in a position to purchase.
Acquisitions will be based on location, environmental considerations and price.
“We aren’t looking for the same thing as developers or potential home builders. Nature needs space and wetlands and areas that lend themselves to certain types of plants and animals,” says Comeau. “We want people to understand what we are losing and how to bring it back, even in their own backyards. Every generation has seen less and less wildlife — we want to reverse that trend. We know it’s a really tall order, but we’re going to try.”