30 Years In The Making
For us, it’s just who we are. It’s in our DNA, it’s why and how we exist as a company.
Posted on
24/09/2021
What does it mean to be true original?
For us, it’s just who we are. It’s in our DNA, it’s why and how we exist as a company.
Back in 1992 when our first BUFF® product hit the market, the first text based online messages were being sent – in today’s digital world, the idea of pre-internet seems unthinkable. In today’s outdoor gear world, tubular neckwear has become a ubiquitous part of everyone’s kit, but back then, it came down to one man on his motorbike.
Searching for a way to protect his neck and head from the sun, wind and cold while riding through the Catalan countryside, our founder Joan Rojas drew upon the expertise and craftsmanship of his family textile mill, to develop a singular bit of gear.
Joan Rojas, founder of BUFF®
Today in Igualada
The Original Multifunctional Headwear was its own quietly understated revolution–a product that was comfortable, seamless, stretchable, breathable, wickable, and has UPF 50 sun protection, on top of all its textural and performance qualities, it could be worn in multiple ways!
Finally, there was something that worked for runners and cyclists, hikers and climbers, snowboarders and skiers, the lone mavericks and the sporty families. It broke all the boundaries of what one item was destined to do: a true original.
A lot has changed since then, but at BUFF® that pioneering spirit lives on, in fact, we still make almost all of our products in Igualada, the same place where it all began. It’s in our values, it’s reflected in our tireless search for new fibers and raw materials for our product in our endless quest to innovate and experiment.
It’s no longer just about protecting your head and neck, but about protecting the environment. As we all know, nature is under increasing threat, so we are proud to say that today, every one of our Original EcoStretch Multifunctional Neckwear pieces is made using 95% recycled fabric. Each piece uses the equivalent of two recycled plastic bottles – those bottles you recycled last year might just be the thing keeping you warm on your next run.
That drive to innovate and to consider what’s best for the planet as an integral part of what’s best for people and performance is at the core of who we are and what we do.
At BUFF®, being a true original means seeking out unexpected solutions, being restless with the status quo and always looking for a new path to take. It takes creativity and commitment, the imagination, to dream of a better future. It’s the ability to make leaps of faith when you are not certain where you might land. Sometimes it’s choosing the complex, challenging path and other times it’s flowing with the simplest, feel good solution.
The Original Multifunctional Headwear product may have been the first of its kind but by no means, the last. That deceptively simple solution was adopted by the outdoor community in a way that no one could have predicted, swiftly becoming an essential item to carry whenever they head out the door.
We know we are part of something bigger than our company; we are part of a community that is united in its spirit of adventure, in its deep love for the outdoors, one that supports each other, one that is prepared for the unexpected–people who live life on their own terms – the true originals.
