Páramo outdoor clothing

Páramo Directional Clothing is a British outdoor brand established in 1992 by Nick Brown, who also founded the waterproofing specialist Nikwax. The brand is renowned in the outdoor industry for its unique 'Directional' fabric technology, which mimics the action of animal fur to move liquid water away from the body, providing high levels of breathability and waterproofing without the need for traditional perfluorinated membranes.

Since its inception, Páramo has maintained a deep-rooted ethical partnership with the Miquelina Foundation in Bogotá, Colombia. This social project provides high-quality garment manufacturing training and employment for vulnerable women, including those at risk of exploitation. While approximately 80% of their garments, specifically the technical waterproofs, are handmade at this Fair Trade-certified facility, certain high-volume or entry-level items may be sourced from other ethically audited factories in East Asia.

In a landmark move for the industry in February 2022, founder Nick Brown transferred ownership of Páramo (along with Nikwax) to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). This structure ensures that the company is owned and run by its employees across its international locations in the UK, Colombia, and the USA. This transition was designed to protect the brand's core values of environmental sustainability, repairability, and social responsibility for the long term.