Cactus stays strong for more than 30 years
Ever wondered where your clothes are made?
Cactus Outdoor clothing doesn’t leave its customers in the dark at its new Christchurch flagship store.
The recently opened retail outlet inside the factory allows shoppers to watch as each sewing machine stitch creates a garment.
People were really disconnected from where their stuff was made or grown, Cactus managing director Ben Kepes said.
In the same vein, people enjoyed going to farmers’ markets to talk with the makers of their jams, cheeses or breads, so the same should apply to apparel, he said.
“The fact they can look through a window and see the person sitting at a sewing machine actually making the trousers that they wear ... is really meaningful. It’s all about helping people reconnect to the makers.”
Another feature that sets the new Cactus store apart from other clothing retailers is the climbing wall, paying homage to the small beginnings of the brand, created by three Kiwis with a passion for the great outdoors.
Cactus began in 1992 when Gwilym Griffith-Jones first sewed a Cactus label on to a chalk bag, creating gear that was designed for people like him – climbers, bikers and trampers.
Griffith-Jones’ mother was a textile artist and taught him to sew. “He was the designer and did all the early sewing,” Kepes said.
“He’s really the genius. He was the youngest person ever to do a grand traverse of Mt Cook, and went on to the Himalayas when he was 15.”
Joined by Kepes, a climber and long-distance runner (and now weekly Press columnist), and later Rob Gray, who helped to revolutionise packs and bags for New Zealand posties, the three have grown the brand while creating most of its products close to home.
About five years ago, the founders of Cactus bought Albion Clothing, a New Zealand clothing company that had been in the industry for more than 45 years.
Now it was the largest manufacturer of apparel in the country, Kepes said, supplying organisations including the NZ Army, police and government agencies.
About 80% of the gear was made in New Zealand, especially the stuff that was slightly less generic, Kepes said.
“We make what is generally accepted to be the world’s toughest down jacket. If you imagine a down jacket that is wrapped in a layer of backpack canvas ... you can literally walk through barbed wire in this thing and it won’t tear.”
It’s something “no-one else is going to make”, he said.
“You’d never get that made overseas.” Many of the items were created out of necessity – the need for “solving the problems we have”.
The “super, super-tough work pants that landscapers get 10 to 15 years use out of” were designed while Griffith-Jones was building his house in Wānaka.
He wanted a pair of pants he could use “day in, day out ... that wouldn’t wear out”, Kepes said.
“Whether it’s product development or what our stores are like, it’s a reflection of who we are and what we do.”
Running a business had its ups and downs, though, Kepes said.
“There’s been only challenges for 30 years – people, money, finances, economic cycles, all of that.”
But through adversity comes strength. “I’m building an intergenerational business.”
His two sons, in their 20s, both work fulltime in the business. Success would be his grandchildren continuing the brand, Kepes said.
“What we’re doing is a taonga (treasure) I need to protect and have an obligation to pass on to future generations, but also for our customers who feel an ownership over the brand.“
Cactus Outdoor is in Wellington, Auckland, and at 258 Lichfield St, Christchurch.
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