The Story Behind the Brand: Marsh Wear

In 2010, a young fishing guide stood in a Folly Beach attic folding T-shirts, tying on hangtags with twine and boxing up orders by hand. He had no investors, no warehouse and no team. What he did have was a clear picture of the clothes he wished existed: sun-protective, streamlined and a little more laid-back than anything on the rack at the tackle shop where he worked.

That guide was Logan Roberts, and the brand he started is Marsh Wear. Today it is sold in more than 400 retailers across the country, has its own storefront on Charleston's King Street, and has a loyal following among anglers, duck hunters, surfers and music fans. This is the story of how it happened, who is behind it, and why the brand still feels like it came straight out of the pluff mud.

Marsh Wear at a Glance

• Brand: Marsh Wear (Marsh Wear Clothing)
• Founded: 2010, in Charleston, South Carolina
• Founder: Logan Roberts, a College of Charleston graduate and fourth-generation Charleston waterman
• Headquarters: Charleston, SC
• Parent company: AFTCO, a family-owned fishing apparel company based in Southern California
• Known for: Saltwater fishing apparel, tech shirts, Volley shorts, vintage-style camo, hoodies and hats
• First retail store: 306 King Street, Charleston, SC opened in 2025

Rooted in the Lowcountry

Everything about Marsh Wear starts with place. The brand calls the South Carolina Lowcountry home, and it is quick to point out the spelling: one word, Lowcountry, not "Low Country." The region is traditionally described as the land, marshes and tidal waterways stretching between the Savannah and Ashley Rivers, though Southerners will happily argue about the exact boundaries all day.

The brand's own story page describes the lessons the area teaches: falling tides, sticky pluff mud and long mornings on the water have a way of showing you that you only get out what you put in. Those ideas shape how Marsh Wear designs clothing for people who spend their free time wading flats, chasing redfish, sitting in a duck blind or paddling out at dawn.

The Founder: Logan Roberts

Logan Roberts did not need to research the outdoors. He grew up in it. As a fourth-generation Charleston waterman, he spent his childhood fishing with his grandfather in Charleston Harbor and the Folly River, while his dad's passion for surfing kept the family close to the beach. That mix of rod-and-reel heritage and Folly Beach surf culture became the DNA of the brand.

Roberts went on to graduate from the College of Charleston and, according to the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, was working as a fly fishing guide when the idea for Marsh Wear took shape. His résumé of those years reads like a Lowcountry sampler: running inshore charters, working offshore as a first mate and manning the counter at Haddrell's Point Tackle in Mount Pleasant.

It was behind that counter that he noticed a gap. The technical fishing apparel of the day was bulky and pocket-heavy, and it was designed for an older customer. Roberts has described himself as a young surfer who loved to fish, and he wanted sun protection that was streamlined and closer-fitting with fewer pockets. Nobody was making it, so he decided to.

The Early Days: An Attic and a Family Effort

Marsh Wear's earliest days were a family affair. According to the brand, Roberts's grandfather hand-tied the hangtags, his grandmother folded and ironed the product, his mom kept the books, and a revolving cast of friends filled in the rest. Roberts handled everything else himself, from product and web design to photography and sales. In his own words, there simply were not enough hours in the day.

Growth came slowly and, as he describes it, very organically. A handful of local shops took a chance on a brand nobody had heard of: Haddrell's Point Tackle, Sewee Outpost and Southern Drawl Outfitters in Hilton Head. Their support put Marsh Wear in front of the right crowd, and as local sales picked up, Roberts began to believe the brand could travel beyond Charleston.

One of his favorite early stories involves that first retail order. He bought nice wood hangers and steamed every piece so it would arrive without a wrinkle, then proudly handed the delivery over to a Haddrell's employee, who promptly pulled everything off the hangers, folded it into a pile and boxed it for the stockroom. Roberts has said he nearly fainted. Lesson learned.

Another early milestone: spotting a pro angler wearing a Marsh Wear hat on the fishing show Silver Kings. For Roberts, that was the moment he thought he might actually be able to do this full-time.

Growing Up Without Growing Out

Scaling a clothing brand is hard, and Roberts has been candid about the pain points. Growing without outside investors meant inventory was a constant roller coaster, swinging from worrying about unsold stock to scrambling to reorder after a few purchase orders. Staffing was another challenge. With such a pinpoint vision for what the brand should be, bringing in new people meant making sure everyone believed in the same identity.

A major turning point came around 2017, when Marsh Wear partnered with AFTCO (American Fishing Tackle Company). AFTCO is a family-owned offshore fishing brand that has been in business since 1958 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California. The arrangement lets the California team handle important back-end work such as logistics, while the brand's creative direction stays in Charleston. 

By 2025, the company reported more than 400 retailers nationwide, a nine-person full-time team in Charleston, and year-over-year growth of roughly 40 percent in 2024, with about 50 percent projected for 2025. Roberts also described a deliberate shift in sourcing over the prior three years, reducing how much of the line is produced in China to roughly 15 percent.

Roberts has said the model is "independents first." The brand avoids constant discounting and email pop-up gimmicks, and positions itself as a family business that wants to make life easier for the independent shops that built it.

The Look: Heritage Hunt, Fish and Surf

Marsh Wear sits at a fun crossroads. On one side is the heritage hunt-and-fish aesthetic Roberts fell in love with in old photographs of people having a great time outdoors. On the other is Folly Beach surf culture. Together they produce gear that works just as well on a skiff as it does at a brewery.

• Performance fishing shirts and shorts. The brand is best known for its tech shirts and its bestselling Volley shorts, built with sun-protective, quick-drying, stain-resistant stretch fabrics.
• The Mallard Camo. The brand credits this vintage-inspired pattern with starting it all. It was built from a blend of classic camouflages from earlier generations and remains a staple.
• Fall sportswear and headwear. Roberts has named these two categories as areas where the brand especially excels, from fleece and hoodies to the hats you see on boats and in blinds.
• Women's and youth collections. The women's line launched in 2023 and, by 2025, accounted for around 17 percent of the brand's shipments. Marsh Wear also makes youth apparel.

The customer base is wonderfully mixed. Roberts has talked about everyone from teenage skateboarders who love the vintage camo to 65-year-old men who wear the fishing shirts for sun protection, and a bird-dog trainer is as likely to be a fan as a high-school surfer. People seem to be drawn to the heritage feel.

Giving Back to the Water

The marsh gave Marsh Wear its start, and the brand puts energy back into protecting it. Two annual events anchor that effort:

• Holy City Tarpon Tournament. Held each July, it benefits Captains for Clean Water.
• Lady Red Rendezvous. Held each September, it benefits Charleston Waterkeeper.

Marsh Wear also became a Bronze Partner of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust in early 2024, supporting flats fisheries conservation. Roberts has also noted that the brand's growing presence in the music scene has been a fun way to bring its community together.

Collaborations and Heading West

As the brand has grown, it has teamed up with like-minded companies. Past collaborations include a line of performance stretch belts with Arcade Belts, inspired by chasing fish on western waters and Lowcountry tides, and a limited 11-piece apparel collection with Mercury Racing released in December 2025, mixing the racing brand's archival designs with Marsh Wear's coastal style.

Marsh Wear has also been expanding westward into California surf towns. Roberts has framed it less as entering a new market and more as packing up the old wagon and heading west, and he says the brand has no plans to water down its Southeastern roots. Ambassador Timmy Reyes, who lives out of his truck on Baja surf missions and has worked on fishing boats, is one of the faces helping tell that story.

A Full-Circle Moment: The King Street Store

In summer 2025, as the brand marked its 15th anniversary, Marsh Wear opened its first brick-and-mortar store at 306 King Street in downtown Charleston, between George and Society Streets. For a company born in an attic, it was a literal full-circle moment. The shop's decor nods to Roberts's family history, with a split cane rod from his great-great-grandfather, a vintage Yamaha Big Wheel in the front window, and a white-tailed buck mounted beneath his father's surfboard. It is a tidy summary of the brand's split personality: part cast and carve, part wave and woods.

Where to Shop Marsh Wear

You can find Marsh Wear in store and online at Quest Outdoors. The brand is also available at the King Street store in Charleston, and through hundreds of independent retailers listed in the brand's dealer locator.

Looking to build out the rest of your kit? Browse our men's shirts, men's shorts, hats and sweatshirts.

Marsh Wear FAQ

 

More Stories Behind the Brand

Love a good origin story? Read more from our brand series:

• The Story Behind the Brand: Cotopaxi – the llama-loving B Corp fighting global poverty with colorful gear.
• The Story Behind the Brand: Sherpa Adventure Gear – Himalayan heritage that funds school days for children in Nepal.
• The Story Behind the Brand: Fishpond – the fly fishing gear brand built for life on the water.

Browse the full series on our Story Behind the Brand page.

Sources

• Our Story – Marsh Wear Clothing
• Behind the Brand: Marsh Wear – Flylords Mag
• The Buzz: Marsh Wear opens its first brick-and-mortar store on King Street – Charleston Magazine
• Hooked on the Lowcountry – Charleston Magazine
• Five Questions: Marsh Wear Founder Logan Roberts – SESO
• Marsh Wear Clothing Becomes Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Bronze Partner
• Mercury Racing and Marsh Wear Launch Exclusive Apparel Collection – PDB Magazine