Kathmandu comes to the UK

(Image credit: Kathmandu)

published 4 November 2022

Outdoor enthusiasts in Australia and New Zealand are very familiar with Kathmandu – a chain of outdoor apparel and equipment stores with a strong line of home-brand gear – but now the brand is about to become much better known internationally, with the label launching into the European market, including the UK and Ireland.

The announcement that the brand was set to expand its horizons was made at the Paris Fashion Week this autumn, where Kathmandu unveiled its Autumn Winter 2022 collection, put together in collaboration with renowned experiential retailer LECLAIREUR, and made available to customers in the UK and across Europe online (UK, France and Germany) and via select retail partners.

One of the pioneers products being offered is Kathmandu’s newly launched, biodegradable NXT-Level puffer jacket, which boasts 600 fill-power duck down (fully traceable via TrackMyDown) and is available for men and women from Kathmandu.co.uk and at select retailers for £340. We will be testing the NXT-Level out over coming months, so watch this space to see how it compares to the best winter coats out there.

Founded in New Zealand in 1987, Kathmandu comes under the umbrella of KMB Brands, which also owns well known Australian surf brand Rip Curl and North American footwear specialist Oboz. In Australia and New Zealand Kathmandu has historically manufactured outdoor kit and apparel with more affordable price tags, and the brand is likely to go head-to-head on the high streets of the UK and Ireland with gear from outlets such as Mountain Warehouse.

“We’re Australia and New Zealand’s favourite outdoor brand,” said Kathmandu’s Global Chief Customer Officer, Eva Barrett. “And we look forward to seeing local outdoor enthusiasts, discover our innovative and sustainable gear.”

Author of Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering…, a recently released book about all kinds of outdoor adventures around Britain, Pat Kinsella has been writing about outdoor pursuits and adventure sports for two decades. In pursuit of stories he’s canoed Canada’s Yukon River, climbed Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro, skied and mountain biked across the Norwegian Alps, run ultras across the roof of Mauritius and through the hills of the Himalayas, and set short-lived speed records for trail-running Australia’s highest peaks and New Zealand’s nine Great Walks. A former editor of several Australian magazines he’s a longtime contributor to publications including Sidetracked, Outdoor, National Geographic Traveller, Trail Running, The Great Outdoors, Outdoor Fitness and Adventure Travel, and a regular writer for Lonely Planet (for whom he compiled, edited and co-wrote the Atlas of Adventure, a guide to outdoor pursuits around the globe). He’s authored guides to exploring the coastline and countryside of Devon and Dorset, and recently wrote a book about pub walks. Follow Pat's adventures on Strava and instagram.