meet brett tucker, nativ owner

~ it started with a suit and tie ~

like matt, brett tucker wandered into the t-shirt business. brett started his post-college career wearing a suit and tie every day. from an advertising agency and an insurance agency, to commercial real estate and ultimately owning his own residential real estate business, brett gained valuable business experience, honed his sales skills, learned financial management and felt the entrepreneurial tug that eventually brought him to co-ownership of nativ.

you wouldn’t recognize brett from his suit-and-tie days when you meet him today. back in the day, brett was the stereotypical picture of young business man: working endless hours, stressed, and making a steadily-growing income. but he was plagued by the feeling that he was missing something, that there was something different and better out there for him. brett would talk to matt and see the joy from creating a product he believed in. though brett was not a risk taker, the timing seemed perfect when he and matt talked about brett joining nativ. it was 2010 and today brett is free spirit, happy in his daily endeavors with nativ.

matt abbott and brett tucker laughing

~ living nativ ~

when brett started working at nativ, it was just matt and brett printing t-shirts in a corner of another company’s warehouse with less-than-perfect equipment. it was hot, hard work and he loved every minute of it. still today he says those days were some of the most fun. they took off to go fishing, camping and kayaking when the days were pretty, and slung paint on screenprints all the rest of the days. soon they were running the business out of brett’s home basement before growing into a warehouse space of their own.

~ on the personal side ~

brett lives in little rock with his wife kacie and dogs whiskey, river and ernie. one of his favorite things to do in life is to sit in the back yard with his wife and friends, huddled around a fire. brett and his wife love to travel, listen to live music, go fishing, and volunteer for the causes close their hearts.

brett tucker and his wife kacie with a fish they caught

meet brett tucker, nativ owner

~ it started with a suit and tie ~

like matt, brett tucker wandered into the t-shirt business. brett started his post-college career wearing a suit and tie every day. from an advertising agency and an insurance agency, to commercial real estate and ultimately owning his own residential real estate business, brett gained valuable business experience, honed his sales skills, learned financial management and felt the entrepreneurial tug that eventually brought him to co-ownership of nativ.

you wouldn’t recognize brett from his suit-and-tie days when you meet him today. back in the day, brett was the stereotypical picture of young business man: working endless hours, stressed, and making a steadily-growing income. but he was plagued by the feeling that he was missing something, that there was something different and better out there for him. brett would talk to matt and see the joy from creating a product he believed in. though brett was not a risk taker, the timing seemed perfect when he and matt talked about brett joining nativ. it was 2010 and today brett is free spirit, happy in his daily endeavors with nativ.

matt abbott and brett tucker laughing

~ living nativ ~

when brett started working at nativ, it was just matt and brett printing t-shirts in a corner of another company’s warehouse with less-than-perfect equipment. it was hot, hard work and he loved every minute of it. still today he says those days were some of the most fun. they took off to go fishing, camping and kayaking when the days were pretty, and slung paint on screenprints all the rest of the days. soon they were running the business out of brett’s home basement before growing into a warehouse space of their own.

~ on the personal side ~

brett lives in little rock with his wife kacie and dogs whiskey, river and ernie. one of his favorite things to do in life is to sit in the back yard with his wife and friends, huddled around a fire. brett and his wife love to travel, listen to live music, go fishing, and volunteer for the causes close their hearts.

brett tucker and his wife kacie with a fish they caught

meet matt abbott, nativ founder/owner

~ biological beginnings ~

matt abbott wandered his way into the apparel business. in fact, we call him the original wanderer around the office. after obtaining his undergraduate degree in biology from the university of arkansas, matt, an avid lover of being in and studying the natural environment, enrolled in a master’s program for freshwater ecology. two years into the program, matt was ready to do something else though he wasn’t quite sure what that “something else” was yet.

~ the road trip that started it all ~

matt has always been called to the adventure of unknown places and simple living. this call was answered when he decided to quit his job, sell most everything he owned, pack the rest in his subaru, and set out on the journey that would become the inspiration for the nativ brand. his travels took him from his nativ arkansas north to acadia, then slowly zigzagged west through the aderondaks, black hills, badlands, tetons, sawtooths, and cascades until he reached the shores of the pacific. the long road home found extended stays in oregon, california, colorado, utah, arizona and new mexico with plenty of stops along the way — never using interstates, only back roads, and sleeping under the stars in a tent each night. each morning he would pull out the map and decide where to wander that day. this taste of true freedom with no particular destination was the inspiration for the "wander far" nativ philosophy. upon arriving back

throughout matt’s journey, he was inspired by real people and real places and gained a true appreciation for what our world had to offer. he also learned that living nativ doesn’t just mean where you’re from; it’s where you are. it’s experiencing a transformation as these places become a part of who you are.

~ wandering into entrepreneurialism ~

in 2007, near the end of his road trip, he got a call from a friend asking if he wanted to start a restaurant in little rock. why not? matt thought. so he returned to little rock and learned what it took to create and build a business.

while matt was working and operating the restaurant, he was also designing and hand screen-printing t-shirts out of the garage apartment where he was living. his designs centered around his home state of arkansas and reflected the love and pride that he had for home, despite his frequent travels around the country. his first batch of shirts totaled four and he gave them all away easily, with requests for more. during his free time, matt sold his shirts out of his subaru outback at street fairs, farmers markets, and music festivals.

~ nativ begins ~

when the t-shirt business started growing, matt realized it was time to make a decision: focus on the restaurant or focus on the t-shirts. he chose t-shirts and set out to grow the company at his own pace, not taking on any investors or bank loans. in 2010, matt’s longtime friend brett tucker came on as a co-owner and the two have steadily grown the business since then, each year moving to a larger location to accommodate the growth.

~ on the personal side ~

matt lives in little rock with his wife betsy, daughter amelia, son bo and dog waylon.

meet matt abbott, nativ founder/owner

~ biological beginnings ~

matt abbott wandered his way into the apparel business. in fact, we call him the original wanderer around the office. after obtaining his undergraduate degree in biology from the university of arkansas, matt, an avid lover of being in and studying the natural environment, enrolled in a master’s program for freshwater ecology. two years into the program, matt was ready to do something else though he wasn’t quite sure what that “something else” was yet.

~ the road trip that started it all ~

matt has always been called to the adventure of unknown places and simple living. this call was answered when he decided to quit his job, sell most everything he owned, pack the rest in his subaru, and set out on the journey that would become the inspiration for the nativ brand. his travels took him from his nativ arkansas north to acadia, then slowly zigzagged west through the aderondaks, black hills, badlands, tetons, sawtooths, and cascades until he reached the shores of the pacific. the long road home found extended stays in oregon, california, colorado, utah, arizona and new mexico with plenty of stops along the way — never using interstates, only back roads, and sleeping under the stars in a tent each night. each morning he would pull out the map and decide where to wander that day. this taste of true freedom with no particular destination was the inspiration for the "wander far" nativ philosophy. upon arriving back

throughout matt’s journey, he was inspired by real people and real places and gained a true appreciation for what our world had to offer. he also learned that living nativ doesn’t just mean where you’re from; it’s where you are. it’s experiencing a transformation as these places become a part of who you are.

~ wandering into entrepreneurialism ~

in 2007, near the end of his road trip, he got a call from a friend asking if he wanted to start a restaurant in little rock. why not? matt thought. so he returned to little rock and learned what it took to create and build a business.

while matt was working and operating the restaurant, he was also designing and hand screen-printing t-shirts out of the garage apartment where he was living. his designs centered around his home state of arkansas and reflected the love and pride that he had for home, despite his frequent travels around the country. his first batch of shirts totaled four and he gave them all away easily, with requests for more. during his free time, matt sold his shirts out of his subaru outback at street fairs, farmers markets, and music festivals.

~ nativ begins ~

when the t-shirt business started growing, matt realized it was time to make a decision: focus on the restaurant or focus on the t-shirts. he chose t-shirts and set out to grow the company at his own pace, not taking on any investors or bank loans. in 2010, matt’s longtime friend brett tucker came on as a co-owner and the two have steadily grown the business since then, each year moving to a larger location to accommodate the growth.

~ on the personal side ~

matt lives in little rock with his wife betsy, daughter amelia, son bo and dog waylon.

get to know jeremy tryon, nativ featured photographer

jeremy tryon (@dvineblu on instagram) is an arkansas-based wanderer with a camera always in his hand. jeremy is spending the summer in alaska, working and adventuring, and taking nativ along with him.

what is your hometown?

conway, arkansas

What kind of sports/outdoor activities do you do?

kayaking, hiking, camping, rock climbing, photography

jeremy tryon skipping rocks in alaska

what does “living nativ” mean to you?

living nativ means being at peace and being one with nature and your surroundings. it's about your love for nature and culture. living nativ is truly being alive.

what quote/song lyric inspires you?

"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear."

how would your friends describe you?

calm, present, reliable, fair, creative, outgoing, receptive, passionate

what inspires you?

exploration and nature

alaska mountain range by jeremy tryon

why are you in alaska? how did this trip come together?

i am working at a resort outside of denali national park. i used my degree in hospitality to get me up here so i could explore.

who are you traveling with and how do you all know each other?

i came alone, but i have made many friends up here.

what is the plan? is there a plan?

i will be in alaska until the end of september, then I'll be heading to thailand for a month.

what is on your packing list?

hiking bag, sleeping bag, and of course, my camera.

what are the things you definitely want to do on this trip?

i plan to do lots of hiking, glacier landing, white water rafting, and just general exploring.

alaka landscape by jeremy tryon

get to know jeremy tryon, nativ featured photographer

jeremy tryon (@dvineblu on instagram) is an arkansas-based wanderer with a camera always in his hand. jeremy is spending the summer in alaska, working and adventuring, and taking nativ along with him.