Icebreaker (company)
| Icebreaker
|
|
|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Private company |
| founding | 1995 |
| Seat |
Wellington , New Zealand
|
| management | Jeremy Moon (CEO / Founder) |
| Number of employees | 350 worldwide |
| Website | www.icebreaker.com |
Icebreaker is a New Zealand outdoor clothing company . According to its own information, it is the world's largest manufacturer of functional underwear made from merino wool .
Company history
Marketing professional Jeremy Moon worked as a scientist in New Zealand. In 1994 an American friend introduced him to Brian Brackenridge, a merino sheep farmer. Brackenridge had already had a prototype of a thermal T-shirt made from 100 percent merino wool. When he showed this Moon, he was thrilled. The then 24-year-old Moon had completed his marketing studies. At first he wanted to sell enough of the prototype fabric to be able to visit his girlfriend in the USA with what he earned. When he wore the T-shirt for outdoor activities, he recognized the suitability of merino wool as a versatile outdoor textile. He worked out a business plan with the aim of being the first to develop a multi-layer system made of merino wool for the outdoor area and ultimately to sell the products worldwide. In 1994 all outdoor clothing was still made of synthetic .
In the opinion of the founder, the first designs were not particularly successful. The sleeves in the first delivery were 15 cm too short. But after three years the profit zone was reached. 800 New Zealand dollars was left after expenses.
In 2018, the US clothing company VF Corporation took over the company.
Production and Products
Today the product range includes underwear , middle layers, outer layers, socks and accessories for men, women and children. The products are sold in 37 countries.
The company employs up to 350 people in Wellington as well as in the USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Individual evidence
- ↑ How it all started , Icebreaker
- ↑ VF Corporation Completes Acquisition of Icebreaker® . VF Corporation , April 3, 2018, accessed April 3, 2019 .