Happy Yorkshire Day! We may be a little biased in saying this, yet we still believe for Yorkshire to be the best county there is; so on the 1st of August, it’s only natural for us to be excited to celebrate our Yorkshire Heritage. For today’s blog, there is no better way to celebrate the day by shining the spotlight on a legendary Yorkshire brand, Craghoppers.
Brian Gaskin and Roy Holmes, two founders of Craghoppers, come from the small town of Batley in Yorkshire. As keen outdoor enthusiasts and in a series of interesting events, Gaskin and Holmes were chosen to create the equipment for Chris Bonington’s expedition in 1975 – the first successful climb via the face of Mount Everest. The mission meant creating clothing capable of taking on the tough weather conditions of the Earth’s highest mountain above sea level.
This was quite the steep challenge from Yorkshire’s mountainous range, and clever clothing designs were needed to endure the much colder temperatures and much higher altitudes which certainly would prove to be a mountain to climb. Nevertheless, they succeeded in their mission, manufacturing the first successful British climb of Mount Everest and even went on to create the breaches of the first woman to summit Everest, Junko Tabei.
As the years have gone by, Craghoppers have seen huge growth, consistently delivering exceptional quality products. They have made a clear stamp on being specialists in outdoor clothing, becoming a household brand name for outdoor attire. Around the world, many know and love the brand. To thank is their passion, practicality, sustainability and innovation, delivering products a cut above the rest.
Earlier this year, Spring 2024, Craghoppers made the bold move into the “maverick” workwear market, creating an opportunity for growth by combining their experience and quality into a workwear range, perfect to get the job done whatever the weather.
Harnessing their usual passion for innovation, Craghoppers has delivered a premium collection, refined to impressive technologies and geared to delivering all-weather round clothing with thought-out workwear features. From their H2OShield water-repellent finish, waterproof AquaDry Membranes, anti-odour patches, engineered fits and high-reach styles, Craghoppers have truly put their minds to creating a collection that will work for you.
With what seems only perfectly fitting and a brilliant nod to their heritage, each item in the Craghoppers Workwear range is named after Yorkshire towns; something we can 100% get on board with (even if Horsforth hasn’t quite made the cut yet!). As an exciting new contender in the workwear market that we proudly supply, are you ready to dive into the new Craghoppers Workwear collection?
The Richmond Stretch Workwear Jacket
Taking inspiration from the market town of Richmond, North Yorkshire, known for its natural beauty and Georgian architecture, this jacket is made to face the elements that Yorkshire presents us with (typically rain). To tackle the wet, the Richmond jacket features its iconic Craghoppers AquaDry membrane polyester materials and H2OShield, creating a maximum water-repellent jacket. Made from recycled materials, this jacket is a great option for those seeking an eco-friendlier alternative, and particularly suitable for job roles with heavy movement – the jacket has design considerations around an engineered fit and ‘high reach’ ensuring the jacket always stays in the right place. With a choice of print or embroidery, the classic left-chest decoration method is a great way to add your logo or even team name to the jacket.
What we love: it’s the ultimate workwear jacket you can rely on that is breathable, wind-resistant and has an impressive waterproof rating of 12,000mm. It also has a zipper security pocket, RFID blocking and anti-odour patches. What more could you want?
The Morley Fleece Workwear Jacket
Morley is a historic town in Leeds known for its markets and town hall, the town shares a strong sense of community and reliability. The Morley fleece jacket is a trendy garment to keep you warm in the coldest of Yorkshire’s climates using recycled borg fleece material created through layers of advanced insulation. With the fleece jacket’s trendy appeal, it’s an easy day-to-day item to wear inside and out of work; and with a smart sleeve or left-chest embroidery of your business logo, whoever’s rocking this workwear item will be promoting your brand on the go.
What we love: the design of the jacket features a cosy fleece collar that’ll be sure to keep your neck and upper body warm. As for those wetter days, the softshell to the shoulder and elbow will help keep the rain at bay with the H2OShield finish.
The Castleford Hybrid Workwear Jacket
Ideal for the ever-changing weather in Yorkshire, this hybrid jacket combines the great mix of the easy-to-move in softshell construction and a microfleece back for core insulation. The Castleford jacket takes inspiration from the town of Castleford in Wakefield, known for its love of rugby league. The Hybrid and lightweight, this jacket offers versatile decoration options. It’s fantastic for printing on padded areas like the chest or embroidering on more solid fabrics like the sleeves. Its design makes it a practical outdoor option for team wear or sports clubs, whilst also a casual work jacket for those on the go.
What we love: The flexibility of the hybrid jacket makes it a great choice for many scenarios like those warm rainy showers, breezy late afternoons and bitterly cold days. With eyelet ventilation, this jacket is dedicated to those in active roles where cooling performance is a must, and the reflective details and helmet-compatible hood gives all the essential safety features you typically see on a construction site.
The Whitby Softshell Workwear Jacket
Named after the picturesque seaside town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, known for its famous fish and chips, and hungry seagulls. You could say the Whitby softshell draws inspiration from the typical coastal weather, designed to keep you dry at all times (their H2OShield technology is to thank) whether that be by the seaside or at work. Its lightweight shell uses part recycled polyester elastane that ensures wind protection and comfy unrestricted movement. freedom of movement that does not make you feel confined or restricted. The Whitby shell jacket is a great workwear jacket and can be easily customised through a wide range of decoration choices, by adding your company logo, staff names or eye-catching designs, for example, the famous Whitby abbey.
What we love: the Whitby jacket guarantees its performance in a wide range of changing conditions through its clever fabric construction, and its further features of zipped chest pockets, articulated elbows and adjustable hems adds to its practicality and essentially ensures to fit your body correctly.
The Oulston Hoodie
The small village of Oulston in North Yorkshire offers beautiful scenery and the famous Oulston reservoir, a popular walking destination. The Oulston hoodie is a solid workwear hoodie, and again, is designed to be a practical garment to move in. From the concealed security pocket, cuffs with thumbholes, reinforced stitching and high-reach panels, Craghoppers have created an ultimate hoodie design to work in. Its trendy design and pre-decorated Craghoppers artwork allows for dual-branding as you promote your brand on the back or sleeve. This versatile hoodie seamlessly transforms from workwear to casual wear, making it ideal for on the job or walking around the reservoir. The Craghoppers branding comes as default on the hoodie, which we love as you get to combine the reputation of Craghoppers with your own logo on the hoodie.
What we love: we love that Craghoppers has taken the average hoodie and made it workwear-ready. The Oulston hoodie includes simple but neat features that make tasks on the job easier, like its concealed zip pocket in the pouch perfect for storing pen and paper, car keys or your phone. The hood drawcord safety system also allows for a quick tuck-away for safety precautions when using machinery and triple needle reinforcement for increased durability.
The Wakefield Pocket Workwear T-shirt
The city of Wakefield is home to many scenic walking parks, a representation of how beautiful Yorkshire is. When the sun is shining, the Wakefield workwear t-shirt shines too, with a soft, organic material with anti-odour and sun-shielding properties; the ideal protection while working in the sun. The t-shirt features the Craghoppers branding on the back bringing the brand reputation to this garment. Combine this with your own logo or design to the front or sleeves, and you have the perfect blend of branded workwear to wear not just at work but also at the pub after a hard day’s work.
What we love: the left-chest pocket at the front is a cool feature – offering practical storage for small items while giving the workwear a more lifestyle-focused feel. Not only that but odour control patches are also included to prevent any unwanted smells during high hours of day-to-day work.
The Batley T-Shirt
From where Craghoppers started, the Batley top takes its name from the founding location. Batley is a small market town in West Yorkshire, known for its bustling marketplaces. The t-shirt provides a heavier cotton for quality comfort in daily wear inside or outside of work. Needed for those hard at work, the Batley tee also includes odour control patches to battle away the sweat and sun protection of up to UPF50. With the centralised branding of Craghoppers on this garment, alongside your company design, this t-shirt is another great flexible solution to wear in and out of the workplace.
What we love: the Batley tee really is an everyday t-shirt, and its contrast heavy chain stitch will give you the confidence of wearing durable, reinforced clothing made to lift in, preventative of stitching from becoming loose if snagged.
The Sheffield Stretch Holster Workwear Trousers
The first pair of trousers in the Yorkshire range, taking inspiration from the steel city of Sheffield in the heart of South Yorkshire. Sheffield is famous for the Peak District, Meadowhall and its industrial capability. The Sheffield trousers represent the city with a tough, durable material known as polyamide elastane, giving the trousers a heavyweight design that can survive the toughest environments. The trousers come finished with an H2OShield technology to provide water resistance in the wettest conditions (we see you Yorkshire!). With a blank canvas to customise, adding a logo to any area of the leg would elevate your uniform design.
What we love: crafted for durability, the Sheffield Workwear Trousers have focussed their design on reinforced gusset and stitching throughout – so you can confidently twist, bend and turn in style. With work practicality in mind, the trousers also include removable multi-pocket holsters and a large cargo pocket perfect for carrying a large number of tools.
The Bedale Stretch Cargo Workwear Trousers
The Bedale workwear trousers are named after the small market town of Bedale in North Yorkshire, which may be a lesser-known town, but another beautiful Yorkshire town that is quintessentially British. Like the Sheffield work pants, they are extremely durable due to their part-recycled polyamide elastane construction with the H2OShield finish to provide water resistance. The Bedale cargo trousers are the ‘savvy workwear choice’ by having a more simplistic approach to the Sheffield trousers. Whilst they still offer plenty of practical workwear features like the hammer loop, multi-pocket and double-hemming, they are lighter in weight, with more stretch, and an agile solution for a more flexible work trouser option.
What we love: customise the Bedale trouser as you wish – they are designed with articulated knees with reinforcements that allow for the easy insertion of kneepads; although not compulsory. You decide. The cargo material and look, with subtle practical features, allows these trousers to transition from workwear to more casual, outdoor-ready.
Craghoppers have yet again lived up to the expectation of delivering a collection of quality and professional workwear within their Yorkshire-inspired range; a great testament to the hardiness and mindset of the Yorkshire region. Each product in their collection works as a standalone piece or as part of a curated uniform, with a clever nod to the various towns; and hopefully next in the range we can expect a Horsforth-inspired product. We believe in you Craghoppers.
On an important, and wholesome note, Craghoppers work in partnership with one of our valued customers, the charity, ‘Walking With The Wounded’. With every Craghoppers product purchased, a donation is made to the charity in supporting UK military veterans with employment, mental health and wellbeing.
So, in line with Yorkshire Day, by choosing Craghoppers, you can expect quality, professionalism and a truly Yorkshire brand. A brand that feels good and does good, both in terms of their product and charitable efforts.
Happy Yorkshire Day!
