Gore Celebrates Forty Years in the Market for Innovative Clothing and Shoes
11.08.2016 4240

Gore Celebrates Forty Years in the Market for Innovative Clothing and Shoes

Gore is a market leader in innovative clothing and footwear.

40 years have passed since the first commercial order of WL Gore and Associates, but the company remains the leader in the outerwear market, introducing leading innovations to consumers. Seven years after Bob Gore opened expanded PTFE in a laboratory located in the parent's basement, he received the first commercial order for this product. 40 years have passed since the first success - and now the Gore brand is strongly associated with the market of comfortable outerwear.

Trying to find a way to expand the PTFE coating, Bob Gore unexpectedly developed a product that revolutionized outerwear. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene - rPTFE - simultaneously passed air and did not pass water due to its microporous structure consisting of air at 70%. Today, this material is used in the manufacture of more than a thousand products - from medical devices to guitar strings. 

However, the name GORE-TEX gained wide popularity due to the use of this material in the creation of equipment and clothes for walking and hiking. Very soon, the company became a real market leader and in the 1989 year it even presented a lifetime warranty for all GORE-TEX products under the name GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY: in case of customer dissatisfaction, they were guaranteed a repair, replacement or full refund of the value of the goods. 

Over the past 40 years, the company has been a leader in innovation. At the end of the 90's, GORE-TEX Paclite was introduced, thanks to which the weight of the fabric per 1 sq. M was reduced from 160 g to 100 g. This made it possible to create an ultra-light and very compact functional outerwear. For those who are in very harsh conditions, GORE-TEX Pro was introduced in 2006, and in the following years the company’s most breathable membranes appeared - soft GORE-TEX Active, as well as GORE-TEX Active with Permanent Beading Surface.     

“Bob Gore became acquainted with hiking and outdoor sports in early childhood, so it is not surprising that his material took a leading position in this segment. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about running, cycling, skiing or hiking, Gore invariably proves that it is a market leader in all segments of outdoor activities and continues to develop on the foundation laid by Bob Gore and his family, ”says Christian Langer International Materials Office. 

Gore is a market leader in innovative clothing and footwear. 40 years have passed since the first commercial order of WL Gore and Associates, but the company remains the leader in ...
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