For field and water
For Daniel Dorough, inspiration comes from being in the field. He loves being outdoors, hunting and taking photographs.
Growing up on a farm, his dad introduced him to quail hunting. Years later, a duck hunting trip would provide him with the idea to give him another outlet for his passion: T-shirts.
With people born of field and water like himself in mind, Dorough created Covey and Paddle. Covey, meaning a small group, represents the niche of hunters, fishers and outdoor-loving people, and paddle equally illustrates an outdoor theme. In 2011, its first shirts entered The Pants Store.
Today, you can find T-shirts there that depict all aspects of bird hunting and fishing, sometimes partnered with witty phrases that illustrate “clean and honest outdoors.”
The shirts are now sold in about 150 retail locations from Texas to North Carolina, and Dorough, who previously owned the Lake and Lodge store off U.S. 280, said they are still growing.
“We want to reach a lot of people,” Dorough said. “We try to stick to the classic stuff, where the other companies are more geared toward college.”
Dorough or his friend Michael Shuleva design all of the shirts, and all of their graphics or photos are original. Much of it is inspired by Dorough’s time living in Vail and Aspen Park in Colorado. Covey and Paddle uses not just images of trout but also varieties such as Bluefish, for people who are well versed in fly-fishing.
Covey and Paddle also has a few hat samples in the works, and Dorough said they are about to launch a line of Polo shirts he designed to have a price point closer to $50 mark than $75-90.
Next up, he hopes to start getting into designing field wear.
Conservation also creates some of Dorough’s plan to “grow slow” for Covey and Paddle. Last year, the company joined with the Federal Duck Stamp through the US Department of the Interior, which has helped them gain exposure. The Federal Duck Stamp is a stamp that’s required to hunt waterfowl such as ducks. It also raises money for conservation and the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.
Quail and Pheasant Forever, national conservation organizations dedicated to protecting quail and pheasantshas have also paired with Covey and Paddle after Dorough gave them T-shirts to help raise money.
Dorough said the best advice he ever received from his father was “love what you do,” and that’s what his business allows him to do. He loves hunting and fishing, he is his own boss and he gets to design T-shirts of the things he loves.
“You just have to get out of the warehouse,” Dorough said. “The true inspiration comes from being outdoors.”
For more information, visit coveyandpaddle.com.