History of the Evolution of Fishing Shirts

Over the past 5-10 years, there has been incredible innovational improvements to performance fishing shirts. Fishing shirts have gone from cotton, vented, and early generation dri-fit type shirts to highly advanced and technical shirts. This innovation has overall be very good for the angler, as comfort and performance are at all time highs.

However, most of the high performance fishing shirts today feature synthetic materials and technology. Overall, has this innovation resulted in progress for the angler, the environment, and the fisheries we love?

Here at Navillus, we think that there can be a healthy medium: fishing shirts that have high performance attributes without the synthetic materials and potential harm to the environment. That’s why all of our products are made from 95% bamboo, a natural source with natural performance attributes that perform in-line with synthetic shirts.

There are many established brands in the industry that have continued to dominate the men’s fishing shirt market. They have made continuously small improvements for anglers throughout the years. These brands are trusted and have the resources to get their products in the hands of millions of consumers.

With so many brands and fishing shirt options out there today, sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between products. One obvious way is by the branding and graphics layered throughout the shirt. But what about how the shirt was made and with what materials. Normally, consumers make a determination on which fabric to purchase based on feel.

Although feel is important, there are many considerations to make when purchasing a performance fishing shirt.

We want to clarify some of the confusion and misinformation regarding fishing shirts. It may not be as complicated as you think. 

Fishing Shirt Fabric Overview

There are many options for fishing clothing today: polyester, cotton, nylon, spandex, bamboo, and more. Each fabric has some benefits, however, most of the shirts today are made from synthetic materials. Although these types of fabric have high performance attributes, they also can have detrimental effects on the environment.

Did you know that the textile industry contributes to more environmental degradation than any other industry?

As innovation has advanced, so has the production of apparel. Unfortunately, the rise of synthetic fabrics has led to industrial water pollution as the chemicals that are used in the creation of these materials can be impossible to break down, which means the water used in production is forever polluted.

Common fabrics used to produce short and long sleeve fishing shirts like polyester and nylon are hazardous to the environment as they are non-biodegradable and unsustainable.

Although the innovation in performance attributes have greatly benefited angler, the use of these synthetic fabrics is potentially leading to worsening conditions for our environment.

Okay, enough with the bad news!

Sustainable Clothing Options

Here’s the good news: there are alternatives to synthetic fabrics.

Most notably, bamboo.

Bamboo fabrics are natural and are produced from the fibers of a bamboo plant. The bamboo plant is the fastest growing plant in the world and is non-destructive to the environment, making bamboo fabric more sustainable than synthetic fabrics.

Bamboo cultivation does not require chemical fertilizer and the plant avoids soil erosion (and actually enhances soil fertility). This super plant can help slow down the detrimental effect of apparel on our environment.

But not only is bamboo clothing sustainable, it has numerous naturally occurring performance attributes.

As the fishing apparel industry continues to innovate, we believe that bamboo will soon be a focus of the innovation. Navillus Apparel is striving to be at the forefront of this shift towards sustainable fabrics like bamboo.

Benefits of Bamboo Fishing Shirts

Why do we think that bamboo will drive the innovation going forward?

We already hit on the sustainability benefits of bamboo, but bamboo fishing clothing provides many more benefits.

The performance attributes of bamboo apparel are impressive.

1. Highly Sustainable: we already hit on this!
2. Ultra-Comfortable: seriously, bamboo has the softest feel of any fabric on the market.
3. Moisture Wicking: breathable and won’t hold sweat as long as traditional fabrics
4. Odor Resistant: naturally odor resistant fabric. No more stink!
5. Sun Protective: need a sun shirt? Bamboo provides sun protection keeps you covered from the sun’s harmful rays
6. Breathable: keeps you cool in the heat and warm in the cold
7. Hypoallergenic: have allergies? Nothing to worry about here!

You can read more about the benefits of bamboo here. 

It’s Time to Make the Move to Sustainable Fishing Clothing!

The fishing apparel industry will continue to see innovation that will drive progress forward for anglers and our environment. Here at Navillus, we think bamboo will drive that progress. Bamboo may become the staple for fishing shirts in a short time period, so jump on the bamboo train early!