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Emma May in her Victoria, British Columbia, workshop

Allmansright

Two deeply held values drove husband-and-wife duo Livio Melo and Jennifer Jacobsson to make ultralight gear. The first, protecting the environment, was personal for Melo, who grew up seeing the lands and waters around his childhood home in the Dominican Republic become choked with trash. The second is the Swedish concept of �������𳾲��Բ���ä�ٳ�, which enshrines the public’s right to roam the country’s natural spaces. To reduce waste, every pack and bag is made to order in the couple’s Bronx studio. “My ideal future is one where we will own only a few objects that we really truly love, and keep them and cherish them for a long time,” Melo says. ���.��.

Jennifer Jacobsson and Livio Melo with their son near their Bronx studio

Matt Parker at the Album Surf gallery and shop in San Clemente, California

Eighth Generation

Before 2015, plenty of businesses were selling so-called Native-inspired wool blankets, but few were actually made by Indigenous people. Enter Eighth Generation, which is owned by the Snoqualmie tribe and licenses designs for its home goods from Indigenous artists. “Real American art is Native American Art,” says Colleen Echohawk, ’s CEO. The company’s name is derived from a traditional idea: that people should always factor in how any significant decision will affect the next seven generations. Echohawk says customers are often surprised to see such a breadth of variety in the company’s designs, since Indigenous-appropriated art inherently lacks originality, and that one of the best ways to support historically oppressed communities is to purchase art directly from them. “Every home in America should have art that is designed by Native people,” says Echohawk. —W.��.

Colleen Echohawk at the Eighth Generation store in Seattle’s First Avenue

Seirus Innovation

Mike Carey has been creating custom outdoor gear since 1979, when he invented a set of ski-boot protectors called Cat Tracks. Forty-odd years later, these slip-on soles are still a mainstay of Carey’s brand, , which now also sells base layers, hats, gloves, and accessories with a range of features and technologies. As a Black man, Carey says his long career is a rarity in an industry historically dominated by white people. He credits his success to prioritizing diversity on his team—not just when it comes to race or gender, but also in terms of interests and expertise. “Diversity is what nature is,” Carey says. “Especially when you’re developing products, if you only have people who think like you, you’re only going to do this real narrow thing. The only thing we ask everyone to have in common is the belief that we can create something that hasn’t been done before.” ���.��.

Mike Carey in the Seirus Innovation warehouse outside San Diego, California

Thousand

Gloria Hwang founded in 2015, after a friend died in a bicycle accident. The helmet company’s name represents Hwang’s goal of saving 1,000 lives, the approximate number of cyclists killed on U.S. roads each year. “I wanted riders to have a helmet that provided safety while also complementing style,” Hwang says. The vintage-inspired lids start at $99 in adult sizes and incorporate both modern technology, like a MIPS anti-rotation system, and upscale details like vegan-leather accents and acrylic visors. Magnetic lights add visibility, while features like a channel for a bike lock and magnetic strap fasteners eliminate common barriers to helmet use. Judging by Hwang’s original goal, Thousand is a success. In 2023, the company—which sends new, free lids to cyclists who get theirs damaged in accidents—replaced 1,000 helmets that had done their crucial jobs. —W.��.

Jon Julio at the Them Skates store in Santa Ana, California