Friday, April 16, 2010

Guy Cotten

In 1964, Guy Cotten and his wife came up with their famous waterproof cloth. Coated cotton oil skin fabrics were available at the time but weren't very comfortable and were famous for damaging easily. The Guy Cotten fabric was tougher, more comfortable and remained lightweight, a revelation for dockworkers across the globe.

Guy Cotten, the craftsman, became a salesman in the evening and on Saturday morning, marketing his goods from boat to boat in the harbours of South Finistère.

The late 60s saw the emergence of sailing clubs, but nobody at the at time had come up with the ideal outerwear for the sport. The founder and director of the Rosbras Nautical Center, Yvon Hemery, wondered aloud, "How is it that noone's come up with a jacket that's as waterproof as the pea-jacket and at the same time as practical as conventional jackets?" Guy Cotten took up the challenge... within a few days, students at the center were testing the first oilskin jackets to have a double strap, which closed by slidin
g a plastic zipper on one side and using velcro on the other, the Rosbras jacket was born.



Today the company has grown to produce over 150 pieces and their garments are still the choice of fisherman and sailors in the know worldwide.

No comments:

Post a Comment