Raised by Coyotes

It must have been fate. I hadn’t been talking about possums or even thinking about them and yet they appeared on my social media feed. There was a passel of them, in various colors, and all emblazed upon a pearl snap shirt. I ventured down the rabbit hole to find that the shirt was just one of many Texas originals from Austin based Raised by Coyotes. I continued down that proverbial hole to find that I wanted pretty much every piece of clothing the company made then decided I better find out just who came up with this stuff. I reached out to Raised by Coyotes Owner / Founder Orlando Rios for full story.

Tell us about yourself, Orlando. Where are you from and what did you do prior to RBC?

While I live in Austin now, I grew up in Kingsville, Texas.  For those not familiar, it's a small town south of Corpus Christi known more widely as the home of the famous King Ranch.

How did Raised by Coyotes come about?

I'm an avid golfer. I walk 18 holes twice a week. During the start of Covid, I had an idea to create some fun golf polos that had more of a southwestern theme to them. As things started to progress, I quickly noticed our small number of customers tucking them into their Wranglers and wearing them out instead of just on the course.  It was then I realized, we had something a little more than just a golf polo brand.

As far as the name goes, one day I got paired up with some randoms and was faced with a Par 3 that had a coyote just casually laying on the green. I hit the green, but the coyote didn't want to move.  The other guys were a little nervous to go up to the green, but I had a birdie to make, so I just went up there and got it done while the coyote watched. One of the guys then yelled out "Man, you must be raised by coyotes!" I loved that phrase and bought the domain, though never knew what I'd use it for... the apparel company seemed like a perfect fit when it came to fruition.

Your company promises, “Western performance apparel that goes from the fairway to frontier. Go everywhere.” Tell us what that means.

We believe that you should live life to your fullest while you have it. Go down that unknown road, see what's at the top of that mountain, or visit that country you didn't even know you could. You make the stories; we'll just give you something cool and functional to wear along the way. 

Some of your pearl snap shirts feature possums. Others feature a javelina or a chupacabra. Where the heck do these ideas come from?

We put a lot of thought into our fun colorways. A lot of times, I reach into my childhood and what I remember growing up in south Texas. The javelina is the mascot of A&M Kingsville, where I went to school, so there's a nod there on that. The Chupacabra? Lots of stories growing up in a Hispanic household with a dad that loved to scare us. In mostly every fun design we do, there's some sort of connection to the culture, wildlife, or landscape of home.

How did the mesquite camo pattern come about and where is it most effective?

This was also a pull from my childhood.  I grew up climbing and stepping on thorns from mesquite trees. I have very vivid memories of laying on my back and just looking up and through those trees as a kid, and hunting with my dad on the small land we had in Rios, Texas. After doing a quick Google search, I couldn't believe there wasn't a camo that was purely based on mesquite trees, down to those little pods. We had to do it and it's one of my favorite patterns to date.

Raised by Coyotes carries camo, golf, and casual wear, and t-shirts. What’s the biggest seller and what next on the horizon?

Our pearl snaps are definitely our biggest sellers. People love our wild patterns and the attention it brings them.  You've got to be someone that loves conversation if you wear one of our patterned shirts! In 2026, we have a great line expansion planned including some new items that have never been seen in the "western wear" category before. Should be wild!

This piece first appeared in the Fredericksburg Standard.

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