Craghoppers Kiwi
In 2005 Craghoppers sold the millionth pair of Kiwi trousers. That’s enough to clothe the legs of Cyprus. When an item of apparel is this popular, you know it must have something good going for it. Considering the Kiwi is still riffing new designs today, having been showered with awards for the last 10 years (in which time the Craghoppers brand has gone somewhat stratospheric) they must be well on the way to trousering the entire western hemisphere by now.
Not bad for a company that was started in Batley by two Yorkshire lads at a time when The Beatles were dominating the charts. Beginning as G&H Products, ten years later they would supply the first British expedition to Everest, and its clothing would stand on top of the world.
The is-it-a-snake-or-is-it-a-ram’shead logo (see below) came a little later, just as Craghoppers was building a reputation for making serious clothing that could put up with just about anything the weather could throw at it. What Craghoppers did very well was protection from the sorts of elements you might not normally consider protecting yourself against. Stand-out Craghoppers products have included the mouldbreaking Nosquito in 2002, featuring fibres impregnated with mosquito repellent, later refined into the permanent, super-effective and award-winning NosiLife in 2010. UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) was also high on the agenda, with SolarDry the UV-tested fabric that protects Craghoppers wearers from the harmful effects of the sun. It’s for these two important assets that Craghoppers clothing has found a natural fit with adventurers who spend time in some of the hottest, buggiest places in the world – deserts, jungles, teeming souks or mountain villages. NosiDefence is the latest improvement to be made to the classic Kiwi: the weave of the fabric is so dense that insects cannot bite through it. So classic items like the Kiwis are as at home in the midgy Highlands as anywhere else. And this versatility is the reason that these functional, lightweight and quick-drying trousers are popular today as ever.