We are proud to announce that Horny Toad has adopted a new family member - we're thrilled to be able to introduce Nau to our own extended Toad family & friends.

6 weeks ago Nau closed up shop due to some financing issues. But they have many, many fans and good friends who didn't want them to go away. Horny Toad stepped in and bought most of Nau's remaining assets and hired a small talented team from the original Nau who will now (no pun intended) continue to create incredible product and keep alive the core philosophies. We're calling the new Nau Version 2.0 and it will launch August 1, 2008.

(To make sure you've got it right - Nau is pronounced "now" and is from a Maori greeting meaning "Welcome! Come in".)

In case you're not familiar with them, Nau is an innovative and intriguing company that we've admired and rooted for since they started in 2005. We count many among them as long-time friends and former colleagues. Friends stick together.

Their products are very cool - a perfect blend of outdoor & urban fashion sensibility. Their design philosophy reflects a balance of beauty, performance and sustainability - yes, they make stylish, highly functional clothing in the most environmentally and socially responsible manner. Their mission, in a nutshell, is to do well by doing good. There is so much more to what makes them tick. There's still plenty of background info on the old site. Go to nau.com and dig around.

As siblings, we'll be distinct individuals with separate personalities, but we're excited to be able to learn from each other, share expertise and really encourage each other to build on our parallel do the right thing and do well by doing good philosophies.

Another great benefit of having them in the family is bringing Nau into the world of our social venture partner, Planet Access Company. PAC will provide fulfillment and logistic services for Nau beginning this fall with the introduction of the Fall '08 collection. This is really good news for our beloved Search For Adventure program which is the indirect beneficiary of our growing family of businesses.

Of course, we love Nau's own philanthropic program called Partners for Change that we're committed to continue & evolve. A percentage of every sale will be given to partner organizations working for positive change and the cool thing is that customers are directly involved in the giving process.

Nau is based in Portland, Oregon, one of our favorite cities, which happens to be home to our own Lizard Lounge, a retail lounge and social hub in the Pearl. LL is a multi-use space that houses a cool mixture of men's and women's clothing, denim, and accessories with live music, local artists, free wireless & ping pong. Beginning this fall, Lizard Lounge will be the go-to place to touch/see/buy Nau in Portland. Nau and LL will share office space on the corner of 14th and Irving.

As part of the Nau Version 2.0 re-launch, Nau's blog, The Thought Kitchen will be fired up. This is the place to go for news, stories, progress reports, and thought-provoking ideas. Another way to stay tuned is to sign up for Nau's newsletter, Off the Grid, which will be re-activated soon. You can send us an email and we'll make sure you're signed up.

Of course, we'll also keep you up-to-date on the Horny Toad site because sisterhood is a powerful thing.

www.nau.com

The choices we make are as important as the clothes we create. We try each day to lighten our environmental footprint, be good partners in all of our relationships, pay attention and stay active in our communities and support organizations that improve our world - the source of our daily adventures.