Kyle and Keith Rossin
Florida is home to an estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove forests, but each year that number diminishes. These habitats are home to thousands of marine species and are often destroyed by human activities. Twins Kyle and Keith Rossin are working to change that.
In 2015, they created Mang, a fishing clothing and accessory company. They started with a shirt and hat. Six years later, Mang sells men’s, women’s and children’s shirts, as well as bandanas, bracelets, buckets, stickers and patches, masks and even prints for your walls. For every item purchased, they plant one mangrove.
Kyle came up with the idea while staring at a stand of mangroves on Florida’s West Coast. He graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers with a degree in Environmental Science. Keith creates the designs with their Aunt Sheri.
The brothers have planted 11,748 mangroves thus far. In April, they formed a partnership with Brevard Zoo to restore the Indian River Lagoon and launched a new “Restore our Shores” collection.
In July, they planted 1,000 mangroves along the shores of Pigeon Key, often referred to as the “tiny island under the old seven-mile bridge,” where about 80% of the mangroves were lost to Hurricane Irma.
“It’s clear that the mangroves on the island aren’t coming back fast enough,” says Kyle. “If we don’t do anything, Pigeon Key — along with all of its rich history — will eventually be lost to the sea.”
The mangroves are grown at their nursery in West Palm Beach. Once large enough (a process that can take at least two years), they are planted in the wild.
Visit manggear.com.