Upcountry Maui paniolo (cowboy) Noah Foti started out by riding sheep when he was a kid and worked his way up to bulls. Now he's 28, with a degree in business marketing from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is finishing his rookie year on the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association's Badlands pro circuit. Using his winnings from Hawaii and Mainland bull riding competitions, Noah started his clothing and accessories brand, Rowdy Outdoors, named for his first horse. "I helped birth Rowdy when I was seven. We sold him five or six times, but he always found his way back to me," Noah says, flashing a photo of him as a boy with an amber foal nuzzling his hand. "We didn't have a lot of money back then, but we had a lot of horses."
Rowdy Outdoors is a mix of Noah's personal creations and custom pieces fashioned by his extended family of Upcountry-based crafters. Noah and his fellow hunters harvest beautiful but invasive and highly destructive axis deer. The hides are tanned by Maui Taxidermy and then head to Lisa Pestana, Noah's aunt, who turns them into the purses, handbags, rifle slings and wallets that turn so many heads. Noah's uncle, Patrick deVault, forges Damascus steel hunting knives and crafts sheaths from axis deer leather. Noah sells their creations online and returns the profits to his community of artists. From his office in an old rodeo announcer's booth in Haiku, Noah handles much of the marketing, e-commerce and web design so the crafters can focus on their art.
Noah has designed his own modern hunting apparel in custom camo patterns designed to disappear into Hawaii country brush. He tests his new Kukui two-piece, water-resistant, vented hunting suit himself on hunting trips, bringing along books on business and design to read in case the deer have taken the day off. He's currently designing backpacks, women's hunting and casual attire. "It's all about showing the world the high-quality outdoor gear Hawaii can produce from the land and from our hands," Noah says.
Rowdy Outdoors is just a year old, but it's getting noticed. "My rodeo friends Jestyn Woodward and Kaipo Soledade wear my patch on their vests. Torrey Meister, a pro surfer, has the Rowdy logo on his surfboards. I'm thankful that the people I look up to are so supportive." For now, Rowdy Outdoors gear is available at the Foam Company in Kahului, the Emporium in Makawao and online.
RowdyOutdoors.com
