Nick Brown, Nikwax founder
Nick Brown, founder of Nikwax, the global leader in waterproofing and cleaning for outdoor performance gear and apparel, was selected as the recipient of the prestigious “Outdoor Oscar” by the influential German trade publication, Outdoor.markt. Now in its tenth year, the Trophy Awards were held in Munich during the OutDoor by ISPO trade show. The award was presented to Nick Brown for his 42 years of pioneering and driving change within the industry. Nick’s actions and company development was cited as being decades ahead of the industry, challenging brands to consider sustainability in their business models long before CSR became a key part of outdoor industry brand strategy.
Vitus Wuhrer from Edelrid described Nick as a “Maverick” of the industry for being “non-conformist, a trendsetter, free spirit and brave hero”. In Vitus’ words:
“Nick built Nikwax with an extraordinarily high level of social and ecological consideration at its core. His range of products are water-based, instead of using harmful and flammable solvents. He also never used PFCs in his treatments, which is amazing.
Today, the list of what he has achieved is very long—consisting of lots of firsts and only.…he is also a driving force in other environmentally engaged organizations. He is one of the founding members of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) and is one of the ambassadors of the World Land Trust.”
Upon accepting the award, Nick said, “I feel immensely honored to be receiving the award, in particular as I am known in the industry as a true troublemaker for challenging each and every brand to become free and transparent in their actions. I am overwhelmed, but particularly overwhelmed to hear Vitus’ speech…Thank you all so much.”
