Kathmandu launches into international markets

Australia and New Zealand’s number one outdoor brand Kathmandu has launched its autumn/winter 2022 collection in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

As part of its international expansion plans, Kathmandu is available for the first time in the UK and throughout Europe and Canada, both online and via select retailers, before launching in the US later in the year.

The initial launch will focus on e-commerce and wholesale, explains the B Corp outdoor brand, but adds that long-term ambitions include the opening of 10 flagship stores throughout Canada, the US and Europe as it continues its international expansion into 2023 and beyond.

On launching the brand internationally, Kathmandu’s general manager of product, Robert Fry, said in a statement: “Kathmandu has been a cult-like favourite of Aussies and Kiwis for decades. We're famous in ANZ for our innovation in outdoor apparel and gear, particularly in technical design and sustainability.

“The international outdoor market is competitive, but we know there is a place for Kathmandu given our domination in two countries that live for the outdoors."

New Zealand-based outdoor brand Kathmandu expands into the UK, Europe and Canada

The move follows the brand’s announcement during Paris Fashion Week in partnership with French experiential retailer Leclaireur, where it showcased its AW22 collection featuring innovative products such as its award-winning biodegradable NXT-Level BioDown jacket.

The jacket represents the latest in Kathmandu’s longstanding commitment to innovation and tackling the problem of textile waste. It has been designed to last and is made from Nylon 66, one of the most durable materials available in textile manufacturing and filled with traceable and Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down.

Kathmandu also stresses that each element of the jacket will biodegrade in a biologically active landfill without oxygen at a different speed. Testing under ASTM D5511 indicates that in a biologically active landfill without oxygen for the outer and lining material: there is 86.6 percent biodegradation in 1,050+ days (greater than 2.9 years). While for the zip and thread: there is 94.4 percent biodegradation in 1,677+ days (greater than 4.6 years) and for the synthetic fill: there is 93.8 percent biodegradation in 646+ days (greater than 1.8 years).

Founded 30 years ago in New Zealand, Kathmandu, an accredited B Corp company, places product innovation and sustainability at the heart of its brand, with its first being the EcoFleece, a fleece fabric produced from recycled plastic PET bottles in 1993.

It also has ambitious ESG targets and is dedicated to increasing the responsible material content in its products through the use of environmentally preferred, low climate impact materials, including prioritising materials that are regenerative, recycled or recyclable, bio-based, biodegradable, or responsibly farmed or grown. Its targets include ensuring that it uses polyester that is recycled or recyclable by 2030 and 100 percent Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) by 2025.