As the saying goes, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.’  And this coastal lifestyle brand needn’t worry about said bad gear. Be it a menacing tropical storm rolling through the Gulf or a brutal heatwave of unrelenting humidity, whether out on open water or docked at the marina, Reef + Ledge apparel prepares boaters for all of nature’s gnarly elements. “Investing in the best technical gear can make the difference between a great day and a wasted afternoon,” says Rex Raymond, co-founder with wife Merry Beth Raymond. First launching online in 2018, Reef + Ledge soon after opened a space in the Historic Downtown Village. “After we launched, we quickly outgrew our online fulfillment facility,” says Merry Beth. “Our local customer base also wanted a place to physically experience our collection, so we consolidated everything into a single space.” 

Continuing in their pursuit to create high quality, hyper-comfortable apparel for the local fishing community and beyond, everything is produced entirely in-house—from the graphic design and photography, to video production, tech packs and apparel mockups. A fleet of R+L artists draws up original modern-trop designs before printing them with an eco-friendly water-based screen printer. The designs and materials are then sent to the company’s domestic cut and sew facilities, located right here in the U.S., to create its hoodies, tanks, tees and CoolShield face masks. “Everything we make is meticulously crafted in limited runs and small batches, so we can keep the focus where it belongs—on quality,” says Merry Beth. “Very few startup apparel companies manufacture their own clothing, and even fewer can do it here in the USA. We take a lot of pride in that.” 

R+L’s flagship product, the men’s ‘Reeflex Tech’ performance fishing shirt, exemplifies this care for quality. “It’s like the TESLA of fishing shirts,” the Raymonds say. “They sell out almost as fast as we can make them.” The Reeflex Tech is made with chemical-free, UPF 50+ imported Italian material, which is then dye sublimated with environmentally friendly inks, hand-cut, then sewn with a special active seam technology the brand pays a licensing fee per shirt to use—ensuring 30% more strength and 70% more stretch than competitors. Seeing as the fabric is also anti-snag and naturally antimicrobial, fishermen needn’t worry about a precious thread pulled from the sleeve due to a thrashing king tarpon, nor the rank odor many performance fishing shirts tend to retain after continuous saltwater soaking and sun drying. Especially significant in Florida, the ultra-soft, lightweight and breathable fabric has extreme moisture-wicking properties, to ensure anglers stay cool, dry and protected from the sun—whether it’s beating down onto the patio of Old Salty Dog or bouncing onto the deck of Zombies Can’t Swim (whatever the boat’s name may be). “It’s really about feeling comfortable and looking great, on and off the water,” says Merry Beth.

And with lots more on the horizon for Reef + Ledge, the seafaring couple share exciting news of partnering with former professional fisherman, now a renowned fishing guide and teacher, Captain C.A. Richardson. Starting this month, he will be the face of the R+L brand, which will also become the official apparel sponsor of his award-winning show Flats Class on Waypoint TV, which consists of great fishing action, legendary guests and valuable insight into the world of the most popular saltwater fish. Reef + Ledge also recently partnered with TASC Performance out of New Orleans to co-brand with their entire line of bamboo-made apparel. “We will start with their Carrollton and NOLA lines, and release new products quarterly,” they say. And if that wasn’t enough to get hooked, the Raymonds just announced a licensing deal with an artist known as SlackerTide, for a whole new branded collection of performance and casual wear. “He will be designing 17 new graphic and pattern designs for our 2020 apparel collections,” says Rex. So cast a line and enjoy the shine.