K-WAY
K-Way® is the quintessential rainwear: classic, contemporary, technological, functional, colorful, and "clever." In addition to its iconic heat-sealed zip jackets, which can be packed into their own pocket and are made from waterproof, windproof, warm, and breathable materials, the collections also include fashion clothing and accessories that maintain the same characteristics of practicality and functionality.
The history – The K-Way® brand was born in Paris in 1965. During a day of bad weather, clothing merchant Léon-Claude Duhamel watched passersby bundled up in heavy rain gear, their hands occupied holding cumbersome umbrellas. Hence the invention: to create a rainproof item to keep with you at all times, that was neither an umbrella nor a raincoat. Thus, a revolutionary jacket was born – lightweight, comfortable, and perfectly waterproof – that, when the weather cleared, could be folded into a practical pouch and tied around the waist. The product was immediately launched on the French market, and its first year was a boom: 250,000 pieces sold. The 1970s were characterized by the partnership between the K-Way® brand and various ski teams. In 1990, the brand was acquired by Superga and – in 1993 – passed to the merchant bank So.PA.F. In 1999, it was acquired by the Milan-based Multimoda Network. In February 2004, K-Way® became part of the brand portfolio of the BasicNet Group. Today, the fame of the name is such that K-Way® is one of the very few brands, definable as "ultra-notorious" under the law, included in both the Italian and French language dictionaries.
K-Way® is one of the brands owned by the BasicNet Group, which also holds Kappa®, Robe di Kappa®, Jesus® Jeans, Superga®, Sabelt®, Briko®, and Sebago® – leading brands in clothing, footwear, and accessories for sports and leisure. BasicNet operates worldwide through a network of entrepreneurs who produce or distribute the Group's brand products under license. BasicNet provides these entrepreneurs with research and development, product industrialization, and global marketing services. All company processes take place exclusively via the Internet, which makes BasicNet a “fully web integrated company.” BasicNet, based in Turin, has been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 1999.
