Who we are?

CAPESTORM is an outdoor apparel company based in South Africa. We design and manufacture a wide range of specialised apparel to cater for the needs of the discerning outdoor enthusiast. Our home is in Cape Town and we draw our inspiration from Table Mountain and from the Atlantic and Indian oceans that converge off our coastline. Our products are, in part, a reflection of our abundant enthusiasm for the African outdoors and this makes them unique. But in essence, they are functional, innovative and of the highest quality.

How did it all start?

A chance meeting on a rock face in the Cederberg Mountains led to a handshake and a commitment. In 1996, friends became colleagues and an African dream was born. Like many fledgling operations, we began operating from a garage on a shoestring budget. For the first few years we manufactured ideas and sold dreams. We still dream today but now we manufacture the best technical apparel on the continent and our ideas continually give rise to innovation. Today, we still work from a garage, a refurbished motor dealership complete with design centre laboratory, production facility, warehousing and office space. Though the size of our premises have changed, our values have not,  we still remain true to our founding principles.

What defines us?

Today CAPESTORM is the premier supplier of technical outdoor apparel to the South African market. The majority of our products are designed and made in South Africa using textiles sourced both domestically and internationally. We produce a wide range of products suited to a variety of outdoor activities. These include, trail running, adventure racing, cycling, rock-climbing, mountaineering, sailing, skiing and adventure travel. With emphasis on quality workmanship, performance fabrics and innovative designs, our gear is well suited to those who dare to live their adventures, through sunshine and storm.

Proudly South African Member Company: What it all means.

We are a South African company and proudly so. As a demonstration of our commitment to uplift poverty, to provide work and to create opportunity for fellow South Africans, we have embarked on a programme in support of the Proudly South African campaign. The PSA mark signals our commitment to job creation and training, environmental responsibility and quality assurance.

In 1994, born out of the democracy known as the new South Africa, came new hope and new opportunity to a troubled land. Following a long period of political and economic isolation, South Africa, now liberated, once again joined the international community and began the slow process of political and economic transformation.

With unemployment running at around 30-35%, our first obligation is to provide work for those who are economically disenfranchised. We have chosen to support the local clothing sector rather than to source offshore. All of our production comes out of South Africa, mostly Cape Town, where the clothing sector is both reliable and well skilled. Today we provide direct employment to 70 people and indirect jobs to many hundreds through our outsource programmes.

CAPESTORM: How did we arrive at this name?

The Portuguese navigators called it Cabo Tormentoso, the Cape of Storms, when they rounded Cape Point, fearful yet determined, and sailed into the Indian Ocean in 1488. Later, realising that they had found the key to the riches of the East, they renamed it Cabo de Boa Esperanza, the Cape of Good Hope. In 1580 Sir Francis Drake described it as the fairest cape he had seen during his circumnavigation of the globe. We are inclined to agree with him.

The port city of Cape Town, founded in 1652 is the oldest colonial city in Africa. An important tourist destination, Cape Town nestles beneath the impressive backdrop of Table Mountain and has one of the most beautiful settings in the world. Washed by two oceans, and tempered by hot dry summers and cool wet winters, the Cape Peninsula is a biogeographical wonderland: Wild and rugged mountains, sun-swept beaches, translucent glades and a floral kingdom containing one sixth of the world's flowering plants.

The Cape's unique landscape is a secret paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Those with adventurous spirits can indulge in ocean sailing, kite surfing, rock-climbing, mountain biking, sea kayaking and canyoneering. Those with a keen sense of eye can cast dry flies to wild river trout or tee-off on some of the most picturesque and challenging golf courses in the world.

"Live your adventure"