swimmy
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Because if there is one thing this town needed…
A new Bozeman-based fly-fishing apparel company launched this week, aiming to bring innovative and high-end apparel for anglers.
The online retailer Skwala launched on Tuesday joining the ranks of other outdoor gear and apparel brands in Bozeman like Sitka, Stone Glacier and the fishing equipment and gear brand Simms.
At the startup’s office space on Story Mill Road, CEO and founder Kevin Sloan said the idea to start Skwala began about two years ago.
Sloan — who previously worked with brands Sitka, Patagonia and Orvis — had been toying with the idea of designing his own fly-fishing apparel brand for several years.
As an avid fly-fisher himself — he used to guide when he was younger and living in central Pennsylvania and later in Colorado — Sloan said innovation for fishing gear and apparel has remained relatively unchanged.
Unlike backcountry gear, or hunting gear, which constantly see updates in order to be as lightweight and efficient as possible, fishing gear has stalled over the past few decades.
“We looked at the market and what we saw was everyone was kind of emulating each other. There wasn’t a lot of differentiation,” Sloan said.
He means to change that.
The company launched Tuesday, with a line of apparel ranging from waders and jackets to breathable shirts and hoodies.
Prices for the items ranged from $799 for a pair of waders to $89 for a hoody.
“There was definitely an opportunity to do something really, really interesting and unique here,” Sloan said.
Most of the products in the line took over two years to design and development. Everything was done thoughtfully with actual anglers in mind, Sloan said.
Everything, down to the zippers used on the jackets and waders, was tested and refined, he said.
The product and brand mirror its namesake — a small insect. Well, sort of.
The skwala hatch is one of the most important pre-runoff hatches in Montana and provides some of the first fishing of the season.
But Sloan said it’s hard to time and chase the hatch.
“It’s almost like a mythical thing,” Sloan said “Not many people know it exists.”
When choosing the name Sloan liked how unique it sounded — not many outside of the fly-fishing world are aware of the skwala — but it also emulated the idea that only dedicated anglers would be in the know.
“As much as anything it was about this idea that we want to build the gear for like, the hardcore people that are really in the know and the skwala hatch kind of falls into that,” he said.
Skwala is an online retailer. There are no retail stores in Bozeman carrying its products.
However, Skwala is available in a few select fly shops across the Intermountain West including the Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig, Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop in Missoula, WorldCast Anglers in Victor, Idaho, and Charlie’s Fly Shop in Arvada, Colorado.
For now, Sloan has no plans to expand into more existing retail shops. With his new company he said he wants to grow thoughtfully and deliberately.
“We want to make sure we do a good job with anyone who is connected with it, whether that’s consumers or one of our dealers,” Sloan said.
A new Bozeman-based fly-fishing apparel company launched this week, aiming to bring innovative and high-end apparel for anglers.
The online retailer Skwala launched on Tuesday joining the ranks of other outdoor gear and apparel brands in Bozeman like Sitka, Stone Glacier and the fishing equipment and gear brand Simms.
At the startup’s office space on Story Mill Road, CEO and founder Kevin Sloan said the idea to start Skwala began about two years ago.
Sloan — who previously worked with brands Sitka, Patagonia and Orvis — had been toying with the idea of designing his own fly-fishing apparel brand for several years.
As an avid fly-fisher himself — he used to guide when he was younger and living in central Pennsylvania and later in Colorado — Sloan said innovation for fishing gear and apparel has remained relatively unchanged.
Unlike backcountry gear, or hunting gear, which constantly see updates in order to be as lightweight and efficient as possible, fishing gear has stalled over the past few decades.
“We looked at the market and what we saw was everyone was kind of emulating each other. There wasn’t a lot of differentiation,” Sloan said.
He means to change that.
The company launched Tuesday, with a line of apparel ranging from waders and jackets to breathable shirts and hoodies.
Prices for the items ranged from $799 for a pair of waders to $89 for a hoody.
“There was definitely an opportunity to do something really, really interesting and unique here,” Sloan said.
Most of the products in the line took over two years to design and development. Everything was done thoughtfully with actual anglers in mind, Sloan said.
Everything, down to the zippers used on the jackets and waders, was tested and refined, he said.
The product and brand mirror its namesake — a small insect. Well, sort of.
The skwala hatch is one of the most important pre-runoff hatches in Montana and provides some of the first fishing of the season.
But Sloan said it’s hard to time and chase the hatch.
“It’s almost like a mythical thing,” Sloan said “Not many people know it exists.”
When choosing the name Sloan liked how unique it sounded — not many outside of the fly-fishing world are aware of the skwala — but it also emulated the idea that only dedicated anglers would be in the know.
“As much as anything it was about this idea that we want to build the gear for like, the hardcore people that are really in the know and the skwala hatch kind of falls into that,” he said.
Skwala is an online retailer. There are no retail stores in Bozeman carrying its products.
However, Skwala is available in a few select fly shops across the Intermountain West including the Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig, Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop in Missoula, WorldCast Anglers in Victor, Idaho, and Charlie’s Fly Shop in Arvada, Colorado.
For now, Sloan has no plans to expand into more existing retail shops. With his new company he said he wants to grow thoughtfully and deliberately.
“We want to make sure we do a good job with anyone who is connected with it, whether that’s consumers or one of our dealers,” Sloan said.
