When Trav Mueller and Pat MacDonald decided to stop working in the power industry, they knew nothing about apparel.
But they knew they wanted to start their own company that would solve a problem in peoples' lives. And after talking about how they couldn't find clothing to keep them cool, the two decided to launch Humid Outside, an apparel brand built specifically for humid weather.
This idea spawned around May 2019, and after prototyping, the two friends launched their store in July 2020.
“[We thought] we’ll treat this like we’re building a power plant, but really we’re just building a shirt,” Mueller said.
They spent months doing research and development, testing different blends of fabrics and fibers to find what worked, he said. The result is a blend of fibers from eucalyptus trees, cotton and spandex that provides breathability, holds its shape, wicks moisture and dissipates it quickly, all made in America.
“All the things you would normally get from a performance fabric, we have packed into this," Mueller said. "But you get comfort at the same time. We’ll take this from on the boat, to in the yacht club, to date night; it doesn’t matter. It’s a fabric you can wear for all of that.”
The company sells long-sleeve fishing shirts and short sleeve shirts for men and women, along with some accessories.
They don’t aspire to create a large catalog of products, Mueller said, and instead is focused on a few simple items that "that really work." However, the company will be adding a polo shirt — a frequent customer request — in about a month.
Mueller and MacDonald are currently the only two employees. But they are about to start their first big scaling effort and plan to hire more employees soon.
Humid Outside is bootstrapped, and Mueller and MacDonald said they want to keep it that way as long as they can.
“If we started bringing in investors, speed might be an issue, or quality, or just the way we’ve always done things,” MacDonald said. “We don’t want to put that at risk.”
The company has shipped products to roughly 27 states, with the wide geographic interest being somewhat of a surprise, MacDonald said.
“We had in our minds the hottest places: Florida, Texas, Gulf Coast, the East Coast” he said, adding it's also seen popularity in colder, drier states. “You still have the same problem to solve, you still have humidity, but it’s cold. And so if you’re sweating, you’re cold. This prevents that.”
MacDonald and Mueller both have plenty of experience with cold weather themselves — they hail from Michigan and North Dakota, respectively. But the duo believe Tampa is the best place for their business, saying the city is the perfect place due to the climate, culture and an abundance of people who love being on the water.
By 2022, Mueller and MacDonald hope to have a warehouse, consistent sales throughout the country and potentially international options.
“There’s not a single company in the world that makes humid weather clothing," Mueller said. "There’s hot weather, cold weather, but what about dense climates?”
One of the goals of the company is to become a household name and a trusted Tampa brand, MacDonald said. He believes that’s attainable because Humid Outside fills a gap in the apparel market and customer reviews have been very positive.
“It’s about general comfort,” MacDonald said. “Genuine, true, comfort. It’s not a marketing gimmick; it truly works.”
