Finisterre (Technical Apparel)

Finisterre
Industry Retail
Founded 2002
Headquarters St Agnes, Cornwall, UK
Key people
 Tom Kay
Products Outdoor Apparel
Website www.finisterreuk.com

Finisterre is an outdoor clothing company based in St Agnes, Cornwall, UK.[1] Founded by Tom Kay in 2002, they are recognised as a cold water surfing company.[1][2][3]

History

In 2002, Tom Kay[4] founded Finisterre after noticing problems with the ethics and design of many action sports brands. The initial concept for the company was to create a warm, technical clothing range for surfers to wear before and after surfing. Tom understood the needs from his own experiences, as a keen surfer himself he has been surfing all year round in all weather conditions.

Products

Finisterre produce a range of technical clothing including merino underwear and base layers, waterproof and insulated jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies along with clothing for running and yoga. In all lines of the companies clothing range performance and sustainability are key factors. The products have been well reviewed by a number of sources for both their performance and green credentials.[5][6][7] Exclusive fabrics such as “C-shell” used in the “Anabatic Jacket” have been developed using recycled polyester and is fully recyclable at the end of the jackets lifespan. Recycled polyester is also used to make the fill in the range of insulated jackets as well as fleeces. The range of sweatshirts and t-shirts are all produced from Organic Cotton that is grown in Eastern Europe and spun in Portugal. Finisterre produce a range of merino wool layers including long johns, underwear, vests, and short and long sleeve t-shirts. The merino wool is sourced from Australia with full traceability reports to ensure none of the sheep subjected to the practice of mulesing.[8][9] Although this is not organic wool with the traceability programme ensures better welfare for the sheep producing the wool. One of the biggest developments in the Finisterre's wool range is the Bowmont Project. Finisterre have also introduced an initiative called i-spy which is clear tracability resource for all their products and materials.

Projects

Bowmont Wool[10]

The Bowmont sheep[11] is an extremely rare breed that was bred in the 1980s to create a new high quality fibre, by crossing a Saxon Merino with a Shetland. This project was undertaken by the Macaulay Institute in order to create a breed of sheep intended as a UK rival to the fine wool of the merino sheep in New Zealand and Australia. In 2006 due to lack of funding the Macaulay Institute closed their research farm after 25 years just when the sheep were becoming consistent and the breed stabilising. At this time there wasn’t a large enough market for the fine wool so many of the sheep got either slaughtered or cross bred, creating a less luxurious fibre. Finisterre have teamed up with Lesley Prior at Devon Fine Fibres,[12] the only keeper of purebred Bowmont sheep, to rescue the breed from the brink of extinction, create a sustainable market for the wool and aid in the breed’s development and keeping them alive. With the help of clever promotional material and viral videos[13][14] the project is getting a lot of attention from the likes of Prince Charles and Savile Row[15] with a large interest in the sustainability of producing high quality, fine wool in the UK. The Bowmont will be the finest wool sheep in Europe; only being challenged by the merino in further afield parts of the world.

I-spy - Traceability Programme[16]

The i-spy initiative is a tool on Finisterre's website that is a clear and concise source of information showing the traceability of the Finisterre products. It shows the full cycle of the Finisterre products from design through to reaching the customer. Within the cycle it enables the viewer to get detailed information about exactly what materials are used and where they are sourced, where and how the materials are processed, the location of the manufacturing and how the materials and products are transported between each of these steps.

Ambassadors

Finisterre supports a number of athletes and adventurers in a range of pursuits. Known as ambassadors[17] for the brand these people include:

Finisterre also supported former Rugby player Josh Lewsey on his attempt to climb Mount Everest.[27] Sadly Josh did not make it to the summit due to a failure within his oxygen equipment and was forced to descend in a matter of life and death urgency.[28]

Awards

During the companies history it has received a range of awards. Their awards include the RSPCA good business Award 2010,[29] Observer Ethical Business Award 2008[30][31] and the Surfer’s Path Green Wave Award 2008.[32]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ethical Surf Clothing Company Owner". Real Cool Futures. Real Cool Futures. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Only Cold Water Surf Company In The World". Such & Such. Such & Such. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Finisterre Cold Water Surf Pioneers". Breaks Mag. Breaks Mag. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Tom Kay Case study - ethical clothing company owner". www.realcoolfutures.com. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Bristol Running review". Bristol running. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  6. ↑ "Yoga Cornwall". Yoga cornwall. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "bike magic review". www.bikemagic.com. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Ethical Sportswear". the manifest. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "Uk's sustainable answer to Patagonia". www.theginlady.com. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "Finisterre - Bowmont project". Finisterre. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  11. ↑ "Bowmont sheep". Devon Fine Fibers. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  12. ↑ Salter, Jessica (16 May 2011). "Lesley Prior - the Ethical cashmere and wool producer". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Surfing sheep video". Finisterre.
  14. ↑ "Surfing sheep Article and background". amelias magazine. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "Bowmont Sheep Visit Saville Row". Drift Magazine.
  16. ↑ "I-spy initiative". Finisterre. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  17. ↑ "Finisterre - Ambassadors". Finisterre. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  18. ↑ "Carlos Burle". Carlos Burle. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "Carlos Burle - Big Wave World Tour Champion". Big Wave World Tour. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "James Bowthorpe". James Bowthorpe.
  21. ↑ Bremner, Charles; Robertson, David (19 Sep 2009). "James Bowthorpe becomes the fastest cyclist to circle the globe". The Times. London. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "Around the world in 174 days: British cyclist breaks trans-globe bike record". Mail Online. London. 20 Sep 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  23. ↑ "Hanli Prinsloo". Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  24. ↑ "Hanli Prinsloo Breaks another record". The Dive SIte.
  25. ↑ "Tim Nunn". Tim Nunn. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  26. ↑ "Al Mackinnon". Al Mackinnon. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  27. ↑ "Rugby star tells how he feared for his life on Everest". This is Cornwall. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  28. ↑ "Rugby star Josh Lewsey's Mount Everest attempt fails". BBC news. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  29. ↑ "RSPCA 2010 awards winners - Finisterre". Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  30. ↑ Siegle, Lucy (8 June 2008). "Observer ethical business awards 2008". the Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  31. ↑ "Surfers Path - Observer Ethical Awards 2008 article". Surfers Path. 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  32. ↑ "Surfers Path Green Waves Award 2008". Surfers Path. 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2011.

31.You tube film about Tom Kay 2014.

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