Back to Nature

Merchandise pairing licensed properties and brands with entities overseeing public parks, or the advocacy groups supporting them, has for many years represented one way to raise money and awareness for these public spaces. Whether involving national park systems or local park organizations in the U.S. or other countries, examples have come to light on a regular, albeit still relatively intermittent, basis. 

The frequency seems to be rising, at least slightly, since the pandemic, with a variety of factors likely at play. During and after the Covid lockdowns, use of the national parks and other park environments have spiked and remained elevated, as consumers first sought out safe activities to fill their time and then continued to enjoy being off their devices and in the great outdoors. The U.S. national parks have also become on-trend in the fashion world, not just through official collaborations but also through independent ventures that may or may not direct some funds to the parks or other environmental causes. Finally, sustainability-minded consumers may find supporting the national parks and other conservation organizations appealing. This is especially true in the U.S. as government funding is at risk. 

Collaborations with parks organizations take a variety of forms and involve a range of players: 

• The Parks Project became an official partner of the national park system in the U.S. in 2018, with a mission to restore environmental damage through volunteer work and fundraising. As part of the latter effort, it releases merchandise including t-shirts, shorts, water bottles, caps, hoodies, socks, ponchos, and jackets, as well as blankets and camp chairs, often with outside partners. Current collaborators include Dr. Seuss and The Lorax, on behalf of Glacier National Park, in a deal announced in October 2024; the Red Hot Chili Peppers, for an initiative benefitting Yosemite National Park, tied to the band’s Californication album, introduced in July 2024; and Peanuts, for a general campaign that launched in December 2023. The Parks Project’s first such pairings were with National Geographic and REI, both in 2018. 

• In April 2024, Carhartt debuted a limited-edition collection of t-shirts and ballcaps to support its alliance, ongoing since 2021, with the National Park Foundation and its Communities and Workforce Initiative. The four t-shirts, designed for men, women, and children, and four unisex canvas cap designs featured original graphics depicting Denali, Saguaro, Sequoia, and Yellowstone national parks, all within a large Carhartt C logo. 

• New York City Football Club and clothing brand Only NY paired with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) in 2023 for a vintage 1980s/1990s-style apparel collection celebrating the popularity of soccer across the city’s parks and public spaces. The capsule included short-sleeved t-shirts, hoodies, rugby shirts, buckle-strap hats, and a Nalgene water bottle. The designs were influenced by a variety of sources: tourist merchandise, collegiate t-shirts, cartoon public service announcements, and park signage. Both NYCFC and Only NY had collaborated with NYC Parks previously, but separately. 

• Saskatchewan-based Saskamper Apparel launched a custom clothing collection with Saskatchewan Provincial Parks in 2023. Pieces included hoodies (known as bunny hugs in Saskatchewan) and t-shirts. Designs featured the organization’s logo, which incorporates drawings of lakes, forests, and the like, in colors of grey, black, white, navy, and green. 

• Nike paired with NYC Parks back in 2019 for a limited-edition collection of Air Force 1 Low sneakers, as part of a broader relationship with the City of New York. The shoe was accompanied by a 12-piece apparel collection including long-sleeved t-shirts and sweats. 

Not all park-themed collaborative merchandise has an official connection to a park, park system, or related advocacy organization, of course, although some or all of the profits may be directed to one of the groups. Lone Star Brewing paired in 2023 with Texas artist Emily Eisenhart, who has partnered with companies such as Madewell and Yeti, for a limited-edition collection featuring a custom image. All of the proceeds were donated to Texas Parks & Wildlife, a group whose mission is to conserve wildlife at 88 state parks and other lands. The collection included t-shirts, hats, water bottles with sticker packs, and poster prints. 

Recent federal funding cuts to the national parks in the U.S. have included losses of an estimated 2,400 to 2,500 personnel. While the parks, which have been making significant infrastructure improvements in recent years, have been directed to keep all amenities open, the lean staffs are expected to affect the visitor experience during the busy spring and summer seasons, potentially leading to situations such as restroom and visitor center closures, lack of maintenance and infrequent trash collection, closures of trails, less security and slower rescues in remote areas, and the like. All of this as robust visitor numbers are expected to continue. 

The current situation has even led to an apparel collection. Raygun, a Midwestern retail chain and t-shirt maker that has collaborated with the likes of Life magazine and Busch Light, paired with Brian Gibbs, a National Park ranger from Iowa who was let go in the upheaval and went viral with his story, earlier this year. The two t-shirts in the collection featured quotes from the online post Gibbs wrote after his layoff, with some of the proceeds going to support him and his family.