Inside the Rise of Hemp in Outdoor Apparel

What if I told you there was a wonder fabric that is antimicrobial, breathable, moisture-wicking, UV resistant, and three times stronger than cotton. It's not Merino wool. And it doesn't come from an alpaca. And it can be grown sustainably. I’m talking about...drumroll please...hemp.

Hemp is not just for hippies anymore. It’s a material with proven performance and sustainability chops that’s deserving of a place in your everyday and outdoor wardrobe. Though eco-conscious outdoor brands like Prana, KUHL, and Astral have recently leaned into hemp for everything from tank tops to boots, Patagonia has been using hemp since 1997, particularly in its workwear line, thanks to its renowned toughness.

Robert Jungmann, founder of hemp apparel OG Jungmaven and a founding member of the Hemp Industries Association, was first turned on to the textile as a student at Central Washington University in the early 1990s, around the same time he was developing a short lived but influential climbing brand Manastash. “A professor mentioned that growing industrial hemp could help stop—or at least slow down—deforestation,” Jungmann tells me. “As I watched trees in Washington State come down all around me, I decided then and there that hemp would be in my future.”

Beyond sustainability, Jungmann also saw potential in hemp as a performance fabric, integrating it heavily into the Manastash line of climbing apparel. “As I hiked, biked, climbed, and camped in it, it soon became my go-to,” Jungmann continues. “It allows superior air circulation and its wicking properties absorb and release moisture, keeping you dry and chafe-free. Plus, hemp is naturally antimicrobial, reducing bacteria growth and prolonging the life of your clothing.”

Its performance as a crop is equally noteworthy. Dr. Tasha Lewis, a professor of fashion and retail studies at Ohio State affiliated with the Sustainability Institute, explained that hemp is considered a regenerative crop. “It can grow with very little water and without the use of pesticides, it draws CO2 into the soil, and it can filter soil contaminants,” said Lewis.

Jungmann’s work with the HIA eventually helped lay the groundwork for a 2018 legislative change that removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, aiding its growth and allowing more brands to weave it into their lineups. Yet the ruling didn’t create a hemp apparel explosion right away. Jungmann explained that processing hemp can be a costly and complex undertaking, and the infrastructure for doing so had to be built from the ground up. Not to mention the necessary overhauling of hemp's image for consumers. Now, six years later, some of that work is coming to fruition as hemp increasingly becomes a part of outdoor performance apparel.

These days hemp is showing up as a technical outdoor fabric, as in Ciele Athletics new NTRTShirt. Meagan Smith, Ciele’s Production and Sourcing Manager, noted that the shirt is an attempt to move away from petroleum-derived synthetics and the abundance of microplastics in the environment. “Can a technical tee use natural fibers and still be performance driven? We think so,” said Smith. “Hemp has a lot of the same properties as polyester, like wicking and durability, but is biodegradable.”

It is worth noting that most brands blend hemp with other materials because the toughness that is a primary draw of the material doesn’t always feel great on the skin. “It is a coarse fiber which can make it less soft compared to other fibers,” said Smith. And as with linen (another coarse fiber), hemp can come out of the wash somewhat rumpled, though, like linen, it also softens over time.

The NTRTshirt is composed of a 30% hemp and 70% organic cotton blend, allowing for a combination of durability and breathability that make it an ideal performer in high temps. Fjallraven and Taylor Stitch have also incorporated hemp into t-shirts featuring the same 30% hemp and 70% organic cotton ratio, and they have become some of my go-to tees for summer hikes and bike rides. Roark has incorporated 9% hemp into its board shorts along with recycled polyester to boost durability and sustainability.

“I think there's a promising future for hemp in performance apparel and people are looking for climate-friendly alternatives without compromising on functionality,” said Jungmann. “With advancements expected in the processing of hemp, I am hopeful more brands turn to hemp for their performance fabric needs.” It might not come from a magical animal, but it is a fabric that deserves your attention nonetheless.