Nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the up-and-coming outdoor brand, Burgeon Outdoor, puts a new spin on mountain clothing. Based in Lincoln, New Hampshire, the Burgeon studio not only sells their regionally-inspired outdoor apparel, but they make it there too.

Burgeon founder, Rudy Glocker, speaks passionately about a business model that designs and produces quality mountain wear and a brand that creates a better tomorrow for their mountain community.

“We invest in the people, environment, and economy of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We are sewing the fabric of this community,” Glocker says.

They opened their doors to the public in November of 2019, only to close them temporarily four months later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burgeon chose to shut down clothing production to make reusable face masks. They produced over 10,000 masks during that time, which were donated to various community organizations.

Glocker emphasizes that “we take our role in the community very seriously, and we are a company that vows to be as sustainable as possible. We just put our own spin on it.”

As they shifted back to making outdoor apparel, Burgeon only grew in popularity, production, and progress. While making their products in-house is already a huge step in terms of sustainability, they’re aware that as a small business, they may not have the impact to drive the outdoor industry. They can, however, develop a hyper-local presence to encompass every angle of sustainability.

If you walk through the Burgeon retail store, you’ll see the production team in action. This creates a unique retail experience, where you not only learn where the materials are from, but you can see the products in production, as well as meet the people who are making them.

While their clothing items rotate in stock and availability, one of their most popular items is the Highlander Hoodie. This is a popular item because of its performance in the mountains and the material traceability. No matter the product, there is an outstanding level of transparency with the consumer about where and how the clothing is made.

The Highlander Hoodie fabric can be traced back to Tennessee, where it is then sent to Fall River, Massachusetts, to be cut. Finally, that fabric makes the short trip to Lincoln, New Hampshire, to be sewn. Their popular Flume base layer follows a similar path, but the material originates in California. This level of transparency isn’t one that the consumer is likely used to seeing, but it is changing the precedent of how we view and experience shopping and retail.

Any outdoor enthusiast will tell you how their clothing performs in the mountains can make or break their expedition. That’s why the performance of the Burgeon Outdoor apparel adds another level to their spin on sustainability. Their Flume base layer was recently named “Best Overall Hiking Shirt” by Field & Stream. While it is essential to be investing in the community and the environment when producing clothing, if they aren’t tuning out the highest quality mountain clothing, they haven’t created a sustainable business model.

Still, in terms of durable and functional clothing designed for mountain sports, they can also turn out relatively affordable clothing by taking innovative steps to acquire their fabric and running a clothing repair business out of the same space.

Glocker explains that to make the Burgeon designs, they end up ordering a lot of deadstock. What this means is that they buy a lot of their fabric “secondhand.” This is still first quality fabric, but is considered waste in the textile industry because a company canceled an order or the color wasn’t just right. So, instead of that fabric being tossed, Burgeon can buy it and turn it into a desirable and usable clothing item. Their current batch of Highland hoodies uses deadstock.

There is a continuous evolution within their product design, community involvement, customer experience, and employee happiness and it all has to do with being sustainable every step of the way. Burgeon produces an experiential shopping experience that brings forth a new definition of sustainability in textiles.

“We’ve created an incredibly sustainable and dynamic product, but we’ve also created a sustainable and dynamic culture,” Glocker says. “Sustainability goes beyond where and how we make the products and dives deeper into how we invest in our employees and the community we serve.”

Burgeon Outdoor clothing is a brand with a supply chain that you can see and a warm community culture supported by everyone that walks through their doors.

Shop Burgeon Outdoor

Highlander Hoodie | $84.95

Available in multiple colors, this soft and cozy hoodie will keep you warm on the trails and look good in town as well. Made of a luxurious microfleece fabric, this hoodie will ensconce you in comfort and warmth. The material has a distinctive and stylish waffle pattern to give the product additional depth as well as color contrast. For fit, we recommend you go up one size if you like a looser fitting garment. 

Shop the Highlander hoodie on Burgeonoutdoor.com.

Flume 1/4 Zip Baselayer | $99.95

Named the overall best hiking shirt by Field & Stream, the Flume is a blend of Tencel (made from trees!) and spandex. Tencel is naturally wicking, naturally odor resistant, thermo-regulating, and crazy comfortable. The ¼ zip adds a bit of style for your après hike or ski activities, ensuring comfort on the mountain and style wherever you go. Available in multiple colors for both women and men.

Shop the Flume Baselayer on Burgeonoutdoor.com.

Learn more about their products and processes on the Burgeon Outdoor website.

5% of every Burgeon purchase supports their environmental and community efforts, supporting trail maintenance and local non-profits.