You can purchase this limited edition Orvis and Quail Forever collaborative Covey Call Tee HERE.
By Chad Love
T-shirts are perhaps the most ubiquitous billboards on the planet. Everyone has a closet full of them (if you’re neat and organized, unlike me) or a jumbled drawer full of them (if you’re disheveled and unorganized, like me), and while many of them may be of the “plain white T” variety, I’d be willing to bet that a significant percentage of those t-shirts in your closet or drawer are festooned with things — art or words — that act as fashion statements, lifestyle statements, social or cultural statements, political statements, or personality statements.
T-shirts are, when you think about it, re-usable bumper stickers for our bodies that offer up to the world a snapshot of who we are, what we find interesting, or how we think.
"OK, Chad,” I hear you saying, “You’re getting way too deep and metaphysical about an item of clothing here. It’s just a t-shirt."
True, and guilty as charged: Those who know me well know I think, dwell, and ponder way too much.
But you know what? Sometimes, a t-shirt is more than just a t-shirt. And this is one of those times.
When I first heard the news that our organization, Quail Forever, was doing a collaboration with Orvis on a QF-exclusive t-shirt design, I was, quite frankly, over the moon.
Why? Because Orvis is one of my absolute favorite outdoor brands. My wingshooting gear closet is full of their products because they work. I am also an enthusiastic (if hilariously inept) fly angler, and much of my gear in that space has the Orvis name on it as well.
However, it’s not just the quality of their gear that makes this collaboration a natural fit. Orvis has a well-known commitment to conservation and giving back that gives the collaboration a real sense of authenticity. Simply put, the Orvis conservation ethos meshes seamlessly with the organizational mission ethos of QF.
Of course that’s all well and good, you may ask, but what of the t-shirt itself? Why should I buy it? In journalism parlance, I may have buried the lead a little here, because the t-shirt itself is pretty freaking awesome. Those of you who know the sporting art world probably know Jay Dowd (AKA @upland_lowlife on Instagram). His unique take on sporting art is a breath of fresh air in a world that, quite frankly, sometimes needs it.
I mean, just look at it! It’s gorgeous! If you want to rep your lifestyle and your brand (and who doesn’t?) then you need this t-shirt. It’s that simple. It’s the right artist, the right image, and the right organizations. If you’re a quail hunter or an upland fanatic, it just screams “this is who I am.” As “re-usable bumper stickers” go, this one hits all the right buttons.
But that’s not even the best part of this t-shirt, and why it’s more than just a t-shirt. When you buy it, you are not only making an incredibly cool fashion statement, you’re also advancing the QF habitat mission because Orvis is donating the proceeds of these t-shirt sales directly back to the organization. Purchase the t-shirt, and in a very real and literal sense you are helping purchase the future of what we all love.
Here’s the kicker, though: this is a limited-edition release. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. If you dilly-dally or hesitate you’re gonna miss out, and then you’ll suffer the humiliation of wearing something way more ordinary to your next pint night.
Get 'em here...I'm already in for one. Are you?
Chad Love is editor of Quail Forever Journal.