GREEN
lifestyle
by Erin Gouveia photos by Claudia Craig
Huntsmen & Hounds
Horse & Style: Tell us a little about
yourself: your background; your career; your passion for horses; your passion for design? Michele Rozo: I’m a California native. I grew up in the desert, 45 minutes from the coast where I currently live. I received my first horse when I was 12 years old. She was a brave Appaloosa ex-sheriff posse horse. I rode that horse everywhere and always bareback. The sheriff that sold me the horse heard I always rode bareback and was kind enough to give me an English saddle to try. That’s when I discovered jumping. I took a lesson at a local barn. That lesson turned into a new horse and that new horse turned into a new show barn with a new show horse. I was hooked! I was raised to love nature, art, and animals. My mom being from Germany meant we would spend many summers there with weekends full of hiking and horseback riding in open fields. We’d visit museums, enjoy authentic food and local culture. I have so many great childhood experiences
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How is Michele Rozo of Huntsmen & Hounds helping the horse industry advance toward a greener future? “I’m committed to finding solutions that create the least amount of harm to the Earth while still being a successful business owner. This is who I am to the core.” Her love for horses and her dedication to green living has taken her business in a meaningful and beautiful new direction. It’s time to meet Huntsmen & Hounds’ up-cycled collection that gives old fabric and tack a new life.
and memories that definitely shaped the person I am today.
background in design and create a line of products related to the horse industry.
I currently lease G. He’s a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. We began jumping but have recently started a new journey in dressage, which I’m incredibly excited about. It’s truly what he loves. I enjoy seeing him mature into this new adventure.
H&S: Describe the different products that you
H&S: What inspires you as an artist? MR: I’m constantly inspired by nature, color, texture, vintage finds (I love the hunt), photographs, travel and the urge to create something from nothing. And of course, my horse inspires me to try harder in all aspects of life.
H&S: What inspired you to start Huntsmen & Hounds?
MR: My love for horses was my biggest inspiration for starting my business. I was looking for a way to create extra income to help me eventually acquire a new horse. At the same time, I wanted to use my
have carried and currently carry.
MR: It started out as a t-shirt and sweatshirt brand. These products were familiar to me because of my design work with Patagonia. I also dabbled in a few collaborations. I worked with an artist who painted artwork with our small fox Arlo; and I worked with a potter who created handmade coffee mugs embossed with our horse head logo. Now I’ve moved into designing our latest up-cycled gear bags and totes.
H&S: How has your day job influenced the
direction that Huntsmen & Hounds is taking? MR: I’ve been so lucky to work for Patagonia for the last 17 years. It’s an amazing company to be part of. It’s a company that is “in business to save our home planet.” I’ve worked in marketing, product design, and visual design. My experience there has shown me the
