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For all the constant buzz around European luxury and Japanese innovation, there’s little question that America remains the defining and dominant voice in retailing. This isn’t just a byproduct of an exceptionalism mindset; From Levi’s to L.L.Bean, a cohort of historic heritage brands have contributed more than a century’s worth of unparalleled design and manufacturing – along with the prerequisite blood, sweat and tears – ultimately cementing American sporting gear, workwear and outdoor apparel as the gold standard for apparel.
Vermont-based Orvis is among the oldest of these bastions; celebrated for their unwavering, down-to-earth outdoor ethos and elite performance offerings for adventurous pursuits like fly fishing and shooting, the family-owned company has remained a constant source of gear and garb for the discerning outdoorsman and quality-obsessed enthusiast alike for over 160 years.
Given their salt-of-the-earth leanings, Orvis’ stock tends to go unsung, despite producing some of our favorite rugged garments, especially as fall (read: peak outdoor season) approaches. To that end, we’ve created a handy Orvis brand guide for your reference. Familiar yourself with the brand’s history, innovations and offerings below.
Orvis: A Brief History
Started in 1856 in Manchester, Vermont by its namesake founder Charles F. Orvis, the Orvis Company began as a fly-fishing equipment retailer, and has since ballooned into a massive retailer and appareler for all things outdoors. (Orvis currently employs approximately 1,500 US employees.) While the brand remains steadfast in its dedication to servicing its original fly-fishing and wingshooting markets, they’ve greatly expanded in the century and a half since, delivering quality gear and apparel for outdoors and homes, including a strong presence in sportswear and dog-related products.
Beyond a storied history as an American retailer, Orvis is set apart by its dedication to service and conservationism; the brand maintains a 100% guarantee of satisfaction and local presence in its home state of Vermont, while also donating 5% of pre-tax profits every year. With a customer matching program, Orvis has raised and donated more than $20 million to protecting nature over the past 25 years.
A Heritage of Innovation
Orvis may have over a century and a half of classic designs under their belt — enduring styles like the Barn Coat and ultra-thick rugby shirts remain perennials in the modern man’s wardrobe — but the brand hasn’t stopped looking towards the future of craftsmanship and quality outdoor clothing. Implementing a variety of stretch, eco-friendly or otherwise functional technologies into their designs, Orvis remains on the cutting edge of performance gear. You can familiarize yourself with a few of their recent key innovations below.
- DriCast — Essential Americana activewear, DriCast is one of Orvis’ latest innovations and an update on the cult-favorite DriRelease. The brand claims that the material is lighter, dries faster and fully protects against the sun, with UPF 50+ sun protection that blocks 98% of UVA & UVB rays, whether you’re wet or dry.
- Tech Chambray — Sustainable by nature and protective by design, Orvis’ Tech Chambray introduces a new take on the OG outdoor fabric. Made from recycled plastic bottles and oyster shells reclaimed from the restaurant industry (five to seven plastic bottles are recycled for each shirt), the rugged line leans on classic workwear trappings like triple-stitched critical seams and new features — built-in OutSmart Fresh odor control and a UPF 40 rating — for the ideal working fabric, whether you’re maneuvering haybales or your Macbook Pro.
- Jackson Quick-Dry — Designed as part of Orvis’ commitment to performance outdoor gear, the UPF 50+ rated Jackson Quick-Dry implemented in many of the brand’s warm-weather bottoms and fly-fishing gear utilize moisture-wicking fibers that pull liquid away from the skin and allows for heat to escape and any captured moisture to quick evaporate, all while moving with you thanks to a versatile (and eco-friendly) four-way stretch. Anglers and sunseekers, this one is for you.
Below we’ve highlighted some of Orvis’ best-selling styles, along with a selection of Barbour products stocked at the outdoor retailer, for you to peruse and purchase. Remember: this is an investment. Each article of gear and garb comes pre-build with 160 years of history, and ready to make some memories of your own. Shop our Orvis brand guide below.
Orvis Brand Guide: Shop the Best-Sellers
Orvis’ take on the flannel is…well, perfect. Pure, brushed cotton with a faux-suede neckband trim, two-button cuffs and all the farmhand charm you could ask for.
The 5-pocket pant might be a near-universal style, but these are far from your average chinos. Built from a rugged 7.8-oz. cotton twill and reinforced at the pockets to ensure years of wear, these stretchy, straight-fit trousers have a cost-per-wear ratio that borders on criminal.
As far as classics go, it doesn’t get more OG than Orvis’ Classic Barn Coat. Reinforced by a rugged 7.8-oz. cotton canvas, lined with yarn-dyed flannel and garment washed for a worn-in feel from day one, it’s the fall jacket.
Designed with the outdoorsman in mind, the DriCast Hoodie sports incredible coverage, serious UPF 50+ protection and ultra-fast drying times, all in a packable lightweight package.
Workwear and performance materials collide in Orvis’ Tech Chambray Work Shirt, the ultimate do-it-all top for everything and anything. It’s roomy, rugged and bound to win you compliments galore.
Shop Barbour at Orvis
While their own collection of in-house apparel and gear stands up to the tests of weather and times, Orvis has long been one of the biggest American retailers of British workwear brand Barbour’s iconic waxed jackets and accessories, a rarity for a stateside institution. From the classic lined Bedale to lightweight lineup additions in the form of the Ashby to select weatherized add-ons and dog gear, Orvis remains your best chance at find ordering (and sometimes saving a buck on) Barbour domestically.
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