I guess I should introduce myself for the first blog post. I’m Chris Haver. Besides operating Emersion, I’m a photographer. I mostly photograph architecture and interiors in my business but I enjoy getting outdoors and doing landscape photography when I can. I’m also a husband, and my wife and I have two kids. I’m from San Diego, where I now reside, but have also lived in Montana, Maryland and Florida, where I mostly grew up. I always thought it would be cool to start a t-shirt company. About 20 years ago I almost did it with my best friend from high school, who is an amazing artist. We were going to put his artwork on shirts and I was going to handle the business side of things. But, we never followed through. Through the years I have thought about it from time to time and finally last year I decided to make a go of it. As a photographer I have a fair amount of landscape or nature images so I started creating designs that incorporated my photography into the shirt designs. I threw them up on Etsy and made a few sales but I knew I wanted to do more. I wanted to create a brand that stood for something. I also knew breaking into the apparel game is no joke. It's a crowded space, and I'm still trying to figure it all out. I learn every day.
In all of the places I’ve lived, some of my best memories were when I was outdoors, whether it was fishing, snorkeling, boating, hunting, camping, 4-wheeling, playing baseball, or whatever. Growing up, my parents were big on sending my siblings and me outside to play. We didn’t always appreciate it, especially in the hot, sticky Florida summers—but looking back, I now know that it was good for us. There’s just something about being in nature and it just doesn’t seem as prioritized today, given our obsession with digital devices and screens. And, as a dad myself, I want to pass on that love for the outdoors to my own kids. That’s why Emersion isn’t just about selling outdoors/nature inspired apparel. One of my chief missions is to promote the importance of getting out into our natural environment, especially for kids. I won’t go into statistics or research right now, but it is hugely important for the psychological and emotional development of kids to spend time in nature. (I’m working on partnering with non-profit organizations who share this mission.)
If I can offer up some sweet, outdoors inspired gear AND get a few people into the natural world, then I consider myself pretty damn lucky. It has been, and will continue to be, a fun ride and I’m stoked to have you along for it!
In all of the places I’ve lived, some of my best memories were when I was outdoors, whether it was fishing, snorkeling, boating, hunting, camping, 4-wheeling, playing baseball, or whatever. Growing up, my parents were big on sending my siblings and me outside to play. We didn’t always appreciate it, especially in the hot, sticky Florida summers—but looking back, I now know that it was good for us. There’s just something about being in nature and it just doesn’t seem as prioritized today, given our obsession with digital devices and screens. And, as a dad myself, I want to pass on that love for the outdoors to my own kids. That’s why Emersion isn’t just about selling outdoors/nature inspired apparel. One of my chief missions is to promote the importance of getting out into our natural environment, especially for kids. I won’t go into statistics or research right now, but it is hugely important for the psychological and emotional development of kids to spend time in nature. (I’m working on partnering with non-profit organizations who share this mission.)
If I can offer up some sweet, outdoors inspired gear AND get a few people into the natural world, then I consider myself pretty damn lucky. It has been, and will continue to be, a fun ride and I’m stoked to have you along for it!
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