In 2016, Wayne Borromeo, an avid climber and adventure guide, noticed a problem in the outdoor sportswear market: nearly all of the major clothing retailers targeted male consumers. Borromeo, then 25, saw that the trend contributed to the country’s yawning “nature gap”, which he understood well through leading hiking, backpacking and rock climbing expeditions to outdoor meccas like the Yosemite and Zion national parks. So in a broom closet in his San Fernando valley home, along with his friend Kimberley Esliza, Borromeo created Wondery, one of the only outdoor apparel brands dedicated exclusively to women, particularly women of color.
“A lot of my core memories and emotions stem from the outdoors,” Borromeo said, noting that one of his fondest experiences was taking his dog, Luca, for a swim in the Kern River. He recalled the vast, serene mountainscapes that surrounded them and rendered him motionless. “I want other people to experience that too.”
