As a budding outdoorsman growing up in northern Virginia, Kurt Tobias never dreamed of founding a clothing brand one day. While fishing and fashion might not seem to mesh, Tobias and his team at Choona have proved that technical wear for the avid sportsman can be more than just khakis and cargos. The company’s lightweight, stylish, and functional clothing has already become a favorite among sportfishing enthusiasts, hikers, and beach bums alike along the white-sand Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida. In this episode of VIE Speaks: Conversations with Heart and Soul, Tobias shares his heart-centered journey from working in engineering to moving to Destin, Florida, and founding Choona. This fateful decision allowed him to fill a missing niche: representing the Panhandle lifestyle with outdoor-centric men’s clothing. This epiphany, in conjunction with Tobias’s great love for all things outdoors, led to the birth of a brand. His mission focused on creating activewear products that he would like to wear and protecting the planet as much as possible in the process. With a purpose and following that extends well beyond the Panhandle, Choona has partnered with nonprofit Give30A; with each garment purchased, malnourished children in Leon, Nicaragua, will be given five free meals, extending consumers’ impact. We invite you to tune into this episode to receive entrepreneurial guidance and firsthand wisdom from Tobias on what it means to fill a gap in the industry in a sustainable, ethical, and pragmatic way, all while keeping heart and soul at the forefront.

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CONNECT WITH KURT:
Website: choonaclothing.com
Instagram: @choonaclothing @kurtledove

A special thank you to Rose & Company for sponsoring today’s episode. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact kelly@viemagazine.com and hailey@viemagazine.com.