Kavu

The name Kavu stems from the aviation term CAVU, which stands for ‘Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited’, a term used to describe perfect conditions for flying. With Kavu being an outdoor clothing brand, it’s an incredibly apt term for a company that promotes worldwide exploration. Kavu began in 1993, when a man named Barry Barr was tired of losing his hats while working as a fisherman in the often harsh Bering Sea. Fuelled by this frustration, Barry designed the Strapcap, a durable hat created to stay on your head regardless of the conditions you may find yourself in. From there, Kavu has gone from strength to strength, now offering a vast range of clothing, all constructed with the same goal in mind as the Strapcap: hard-wearing, comfortable and functional garments that also hold a timeless aesthetic.

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The Kavu Story: It all began with a hat!

As mentioned above, KAVU began purely through frustration, and a need to create something that hadn’t ever been made before; a hat that refused (comfortably) to leave your head. Barr’s need for such a hat stemmed from his fishing background; the range of people who also required a similar product turned out to be vast. Basically, if you spend a lot of time outdoors, regardless of your hobby, this hat won’t let you down.

Considering the KAVU Strapcap is a perfect solution for a wide range of outdoor disciplines, it is lucky that Barr himself was a fisherman. Without the equipment used for his profession, the chances of him ever creating the Strapcap are slim at best. Around 1991, Barr took apart a pair of sandals, reused the webbing to wrap around the hem of the cap, sewed it on using spare fishing net and inadvertently began his journey into becoming a god amongst outdoor-loving hat wearers. Placing the strap around the whole base of the cap creates a fit that can be adjusted around the circumference of your head, rather than just tightening the rear as you would on a regular cap. Genius!

From car boot to retail store

By 1993, Barr was selling his Strapcap caps from the back of his car, gradually gaining more and more attention from people within the local community. After 3 years of selling his cap alongside his fishing job, Barr quit the fishing and moved KAVU into a warehouse space in Seattle. From there, KAVU only grew and opened its own flagship Seattle store in 2001.

The 2000s brought even more success to KAVU, which was selling far more than the now-famous Strapcap by this point. Not only were they crushing it in the outerwear world of hats and accessories, but also clothing, such as their Teannaway fleece, was selling like hot cakes. This was because, similar to the Strapcap, they were designed with the knowledge of what outdoor apparel needed to focus on: hard-wearing materials, ergonomic design and timeless aesthetics.

Aside from the constant growth, KAVU have effectively been doing the same since then. Calling them a household name seems unfair, as that’s the last place any KAVU products actually want to be, but that is effectively what they have become. With a huge range of cranium-hugging caps, colourful beanies, warm and lightweight fleeces and shirts, fashionable and functional shorts and pants, and of course their much-loved rope and sling bags, KAVU shows no signs of slowing down soon.

We love KAVU here at Supereight, and we know you will too!

Kavu

Kavu Rope 10L Sling Bag – Olive Topo

Kavu Herschel Pom Beanie Hat – Squirrely

Kavu Herschel Pom Beanie Hat – Ultimate Shroom

Kavu Herschel Pom Beanie Hat – Trout Lake

Kavu Herschel Pom Beanie Hat – Ski Ya Later

Kavu Herschel Pom Beanie Hat – Sasquatch

Kavu Fur Ball Beanie Hat – Moss

Kavu Fur Ball Beanie Hat – Moonless Night

Kavu Fur Ball Fudd Trapper Cap – Moonless Night

Kavu Fur Ball Camp Strapback Cap – Roughin It

Kavu Fur Ball Camp Strapback Cap – Forest Land

Kavu Zip Around Zip-Up Wallet – Olive Topo