Paramo Ticks The Boxes
With the long overdue changes to waterproof fabrics hitting our shelves, we’ve been looking at other options to conventional waterproofs, and there’s a lot to talk about!
Famed for it’s comfort in all weathers, Páramo clothing is designed in the UK, manufactured in Colombia and, since 2022 is an employee owned company.
Their Analogy Directional Waterproof system works on the same principle as animal fur effectively using your body heat to pump moisture away from your body and has long been a favourite of walkers, hikers, backpackers and Mountain Rescue Teams across the country since it’s creation in 1992.
Product prototypes and the majority of their manufacturing happens at their factory in the Colombian capital of Bogotá with a story that really sets this company apart…..
In 1977, a Colombian nun called Esther Castaño Mejia had a vision to offer practical help to vulnerable women rescued from the streets of Bogotá. She set up a sewing workshop with just a few second hand sewing machines which grew into the Miquelina Foundation. In 1992, Páramo founder Nick Brown met Sister Esther agreeing on a partnership providing valuable opportunities to the women trained by the Foundation. The skills they learnt were built upon enabling them to work in the factory and retain employment to positively impact not just their own lives but that of their families too. The Foundation now provides training and employment for over 500 vulnerable women each year who want to improve their lives.
““The Miquelina Foundation is not there just to create jackets, but to create people – to dignify women who have been denied everything in society and left to feel alone as negotiable objects”. ”
Since this video was made there have been huge societal changes in Colombia for the better, but the trauma from civil conflict and drug wars means the need for the Miquelina Foundation remains.
Our Director Cathy took a trip to Bogota to witness first hand the skill, dedication and quality that goes into building Páramo garments:
“Pulling up outside the factory was a little daunting with it’s high brick walls and solid black gates, even the taxi driver questioned if I had the right place but once inside the welcome could not have been warmer. It’s like stepping into an oasis of calm, which essentially, is what the whole complex is - a sanctuary. Within the gardens, the Páramo factory sits with a large, bright workshop at it’s centre.
This is not a place where I found smiling ladies, laughing at their work, this was a hub where women were working with quiet pride as part of a global enterprise. It was a place of dignity.”
So how are Paramo Analogy garments different to conventional waterproofs?
Páramo garments are made from a membrane free fabric that mimics animal fur to protect from rain and manage sweat. It is soft, quiet and comfortable next to the skin and continues to perform in humid conditions because it not only directs moisture vapour but also expels condensed liquid water. There are no membranes to puncture or delaminate, nor seams to fail. All it needs is standard maintenance in the form of washing and re-proofing with Nikwax to keep it working at it’s best.
Páramo Analogy technology works best when you are moving and under pressure may allow moisture in, however, it’s unique construction means it is warm to wear and comfortable when wet. Careful attention has been made to venting on the arms, chest and hips so you can manage your own climate as you work harder on uphill terrain.
All garments are easily repairable either via Páramo or other specialist outdoor kit repairers and we see a LOT of customers wearing Páramo clothing they have owned for years as testament to this. All garments are built with non-bonded components so they can be recycled at the end of their life, in fact, their Aspira 360 jacket is made entirely from recycled fibres and is completely recyclable!
Even though we are only now seeing the legislated changes in waterproof fabrics arriving on our shop shelves, Páramo have been testing their fabrics since 2014 to ensure no PFC’s are present (also known as “forever chemicals” they don’t break down and have been used in outdoor clothing since the 1970’s) so you can be sure your garment will have minimum impact on the planet at the end of it’s life.
It’s a very impressive story across the board and one we are proud to share; when buying a Páramo garment you are investing in long term performance, durability and sustainability not just in your outdoor wardrobe but across the UK and Colombia too.