Why Out Island?

Out Island was born from the collision of two problems that we felt needed better solutions. The first problem was that the Out Islands were devastated by Hurricane Dorian and COVID19.
While we thought about what we could do to help rebuild the Out Islands and protect their natural beauty for future generations, we discovered a second problem. It all started when we kept seeing our friends and neighbors in South Florida wearing lifestyle brands representing far away places. Places like Martha’s Vineyard (Vineyard Vines®), the Carolina coast (Southern Tide®), or California (Johnnie-O®).

When we asked them why they chose to wear say, Vineyard Vines®, most didn’t feel a particular sense of connection. Many of the people we spoke to answered in a defensive manner, saying they also wore other lifestyle brands.
But when we asked them why they have a Miami Dolphins or Miami Heat jersey in their closet, they knew why. Like you, they grew up with the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat. Everyone in South Florida has an emotional connection to those teams because those are our teams and our brands since they represent all of South Florida.
After asking our friends and neighbors these questions, often we had conversations about what we all do for fun. Most of them said they enjoy boating, fishing, and exploring the Out Islands. You could see the twinkle in their eyes as they talked about the time they speared their first hogfish, or the first time they jumped into a blue hole.

That’s when we had a life changing epiphany. Ask yourself this: why do so many South Floridians wear Vineyard Vines® one day, Southern Tide® the next day, and Johnnie-O® later that same week? Our guess is this lack of brand loyalty is due to no emotional connection to those brands because to us, those brands are Long Distance Brands.

What’s Wrong with Long Distance Brands?

Wearing Long Distance Brands is a lot like being in a long distance relationship. Those relationships usually fail because if you are thousands of miles away from someone, you can’t feel truly connected to them.
It’s the same when you wear Long Distance Brands from far away places. If you’re from South Florida, it’s very difficult to feel truly connected to those lifestyle brands because they don’t represent your lifestyle. And as a result you’ll start being “promiscuous” and look for emotional fulfillment from other lifestyle brands. But that’s the problem, you won’t find that fulfillment because the majority of the lifestyle brands in your closet are Long Distance Brands.
As it stands, our community is fiercely loyal to the Miami Dolphins and Miami Heat brands we grew up with on one side, yet promiscuous with the Long Distance Brands we wear on the other.

That’s why a new category of lifestyle brands is needed. After all, wouldn’t you be proud to wear a lifestyle brand that authentically honors the backyard you grew up in, just like you’re proud to wear the jerseys of the teams you grew up with?
Of course you would! We all would! That’s why we’ve invented a new category of lifestyle brands called Local Lifestyle Brands.

Introducing Out Island, South Florida’s Local Lifestyle Brand

By providing an authentic connection to your local lifestyle, we believe Out Island will fill that previous emotional void caused by wearing Long Distance Brands. As a result, our community will have a brand they can proudly commit to, leaving the days of “brand promiscuity” behind.
Originally our mission was to solve two problems: that the Out Islands needed to be rebuilt and that our friends and family were feeling emotionally disconnected and promiscuous with Long Distance Brands. Out Island’s mission-native origin solves both problems by bringing us all together to help the Out Islands.
The thing is, we don’t want to stop at helping rebuild the Out Islands. We want to preserve their natural beauty for future generations too. To do that, Out Island will look to eliminate waste and minimize pollution wherever possible.

Why Minimizing Waste & Pollution Matters

But why should we even care about waste and pollution? Because over time, those things can cause just as much devastation to delicate ecosystems like the Out Islands as COVID19 or Hurricane Dorian did, if they get out of control.
Forbes reports that the apparel industry is the second largest polluter next to the fossil fuels industry. Not surprisingly, the Long Distance Brand business model is responsible for some of that excess pollution because they manufacture their merchandise overseas and then ship it back and forth across the ocean to save a buck or two.
Shipping products globally by air and sea literally releases tons of pollution into the atmosphere and our oceans. By manufacturing locally, we will create local jobs and minimize pollution that harms our our beautiful corner of the world.
Another way Out Island will prevent waste is by using an advance order Membership model. You see, every year the apparel industry creates tons of waste, and worst case scenario, it gets dumped or even burned to “protect the brand.” This type of waste and pollution creates a huge carbon footprint and Out Island wants no part of that.
To protect against this, Out Island will purchase inventory on a quarterly basis based on the number of Family Members in the Out Island Family. Using this Membership model will guarantee that we only manufacture the exact amount of inventory we need. But we won’t stop there. Out Island will donate a portion of proceeds towards rebuilding and protecting the Out Islands, forever.

Become an Out Island Family Member Today

Up until now, we’ve been forced to export our emotions to brands with no connection to our community, lifestyle or neighborhoods. But not anymore! Join us in strengthening our community bond and caring for the Out Island lifestyle we grew up with by becoming an Out Island Family member today. Who knows, maybe decades from now your grandkids will thank you for strengthening our community and protecting the Out Islands.

Vineyard Vines®, Southern Tide®, and Johnnie-O® are registered trademarks of Vineyard Vines LLC, Southern Tide LLC, and Johnnie-O Inc. Out Island is not affiliated with, or sponsored by any of them.