Continuing his series, in which he describes his meeting with the many diverse characters who together make up the sports trade, Jack Lynes gets together with Nick Brown, creator and boss of Nikwax and Páramo, at his HQ in Wadhurst, East Sussex.

Returning home from meeting Nick Brown, I wondered how much his early upbringing had influenced his life, for it has been an extraordinary one. At one stage when we were talking, he did say that he felt as if he was on the psychiatrist's couch, as I attempted to fathom what has made him what he is.

Born in 1954, he was brought up in Kent, and was introduced to the delights of trekking in the Peaks with his Dad, via the YHA, from the age of ten. A modest man but unable to hide the fact that very early on in life he was considerably ahead of his peers, resulting in being eighteen months younger than others in his class. Added to this, he was exceptionally tall for his age, but his physical strength did not match up to his size, so he was largely left out when it came to sports participation.

He would give the lie to that old supposition that one's school days are the happiest days of one's life, and he was less than happy at his Sevenoaks Prep, or later at the Sevenoaks Public School. It was routine that most upset the young Nick. He disliked the predictability of the time-table, the non-creative atmosphere, the restraints, the formality, the boxes in their places and the places in their boxes.

Maybe walking in the breeze, climbing hills, even getting drenched, is a release in such situations. Nick's trekking is far from restricted. Accompanied by son Luis, now fourteen years old, and daughter Andina, a year younger, even before they reached their teens, they had backpacked across the Himalayas.

At eighteen, Nick progressed to the University School of Oriental and African Studies, reading Social Anthropology in Linguistics. His tutor predicted that he would attain, 'Either a First or a Third, certainly nothing in-between', and it was almost with a sense of pride that Nick confirmed this to be correct. Even at this learning stage, he felt somewhat hemmed in by the restraints of what was expected and, aged twenty-one, he finished with a Third!

In addition to his native tongue, Nick can also converse in French, German, Spanish and Swahili. In the autumn of 1976 he decided to venture to the South of France to pick grapes but drought turned to torrential rain, drowning his plans and leaving him unwell. New thoughts were called for but he still harboured his 'low repetition tolerance'.

Since the age of sixteen, Nick walked in Scotland every year and being dissatisfied with the dubbin products then available, he concocted his own recipe for preserving his boots. It was important to make them waterproof without softening them and losing their essential supportive features. The outcome of this concoction was to prove the beginning of a remarkable success story.

His product, Nick's wax (hence the name Nikwax) was liked by several fellow walkers and, just as oak trees from little acorns grow, so Nikwax has become the biro of its field. First produced, Nick tells me, in a North London squat, in tins which he silk screened by hand, he sold to the outdoor trade, driving a second hand Morris 1000 van. Later, to economise, he bought an Inter Rail card and sold into Europe. Next he moved to a workshop in Clerkenwell in London and before he knew it, he was selling the product to eight countries.

Nick was not one to rest on his laurels though. Providing the wherewithal to preserve boots was to be the first step in making his mark as an entrepreneur in the world of the great outdoors.
As a walker and outdoor enthusiast himself, he turned his imaginative mind to walkers' apparel, which, as with the boots, needed to be kept waterproof, wind resistant and comfortable.

There was more to come. The range of Nikwax products grew to encompass systems for a multitude of uses. From ropes to tents, indeed, almost anything that needed regular help to maintain its resilience to water. But how about creating an actual garment for the outdoor enthusiast? Nick was not one to look at what was there and then make subtle changes. Before creating a garment, it was going to be necessary to re-think the actual fabric from which the garment would be made.

The one factor, leaving aside 'waterproofing' and 'breathability', which Nick was after, was comfort, an attribute well understood by everyone. Thus, learning from nature and adapting to man made materials, Nick created a 'direct' fabric, not simply waterproofing, or stopping water penetration, but actively pushing and pulling the liquid into the right place. He combined the fabric construction and means to repel water, in a textile which replicated a wet dog, shaking itself dry to assist it to be more comfortable. So, his Nikwax Analogy fabric concept mimics a mammal's fleece, actively directing wind, water and even still air to the right place.

Páramo is, Nick explained, an area in the Andes above the tree line and below the snow. Somewhat akin to Scotland, but with a lot less oxygen, Nick had chosen it as a challenging location to prove the product's worth. The next step was to advance from fabric to actual clothing manufacture on a commercial scale. Prototypes of several garments were produced and in 1986 Nick was able to test the new fabric to its limits, staying warm, dry and comfortable (with the emphasis on comfortable) on a trip to the Colombian Andes. An article in the Ramblers' Association magazine, written by Gladys Sellars, who had put Páramo to the test, attracted 600 enquiries. Success was just around the corner, but established manufacturers were somewhat sceptical and UK production very costly.

Our story takes on a new and even more extraordinary twist, when in 1992, production started in Bogotá, South Colombia in South America. Doubtless there was plenty of cheap labour to be found in many third world countries but such a proposition was abhorrent to Nick. Here he found a workshop employing some dozen ladies using two machines. The place was run by the Miquelina Foundation which, led by Sister Ester Castano, had been set up to help desperate women (mostly who, until then, had no alternative but to be prostitutes) learn trades and earn money.

Nick's meeting with the Mother Superior was indeed fruitful. There are now more than twelve dozen women employed at the factory, making some 4000 garments every month, on 120 machines. There is a kindergarten, and there are lessons in literacy and formal training. Most employees have a formal qualification. I had the impression that Nick is at least as proud of what he has been able to achieve here as he is with his outstanding products. The factory has even gained the coveted ISO 9002 Standard. There is a less than one % level of returns and each one can be traced back to source.

UK sales were badly affected by the foot and mouth outbreak, but have now recovered. Although Páramo is an all weather product, worn in the 'Primary Market', up to 2000 hours per year, I did feel a little guilty complaining about the severe weather which coincided with my visit. The more so, when I spied the message 'The wetter the better' written boldly on a wall. Nick spoke of welcome contracts with English Nature, a governmental department looking after environmental issues, and the Scottish National Trust. Further away, the market is far flung, even reaching Japan, just one of 35 countries Nick now supplies. On the walls of the boardroom where we met, were the signatures of two Prime Ministers, John Major and Tony Blair. They signify the two 'Queen's Awards for Export' and there is space for more to come. As the Nikwax Cultural Statement makes clear, the structure of the organisation is orientated towards continuous growth, only justified if it has benign features that seek to achieve:

"The provision of products and services which improve the quality of life of the purchasers. The maintenance of a high level of profitability. Individuals growth within the business, in terms of skills, confidence and ability to take responsibility. Encouragement of innovation and creativity at all levels of the organisation. A responsible approach to environmental issues. The application of the above principles wherever possible to those both directly and indirectly employed by Nikwax."

As we tucked into a warming meal at a local hostelry, it was impossible not to wonder how the Nick of yesteryear would have reacted to his self-made world of Nikwax and Páramo, were he to have entered into it in his youth. Would he have found the disciplines of the business that he has created too restrictive or the routine too repetitive? I think not. Certainly, there will be some exciting tomorrows, but Nick will tread a path, or more likely climb a mountain, with many unanticipated routes. As one of his promotional blurbs concludes, "You ain't seen nothin' yet." "Working with Páramo", he proclaims, "demonstrates that it is possible to make a profit, provide a really good service to customers, and make a meaningful social contribution at the same time" and, he adds, "it certainly makes it more fun!"

For further details contact Datateam Publishing on +44 (0) 1622 687031 or email sgb@datateam.co.uk

BACK TO TOP