Who remembers the dot-com bubble of '95ish to 2000? I was relatively young (junior high/high school) but working within the online industry has kept my memory fresh of what it was like during that time. While the internet technically had been around since the '60s the world we know now was birthed during the the mid to late '90s. It spurned the arrival of hundreds of dot-coms looking to get rich. And many of them did. A lot of them did. But then, the bubble burst and we were left with a few companies with sound business plans and the means to execute their ideas. A company called Google has done quite well post burst. Triathlon, in a lot of ways, is similar to the internet of the mid '90s. Participation numbers have soared with each passing year as USAT has noted. The popularity of the sport is on the upswing and shows no signs of slowing. With that popularity comes many companies trying to jump in the game with the next great idea, the next great product, the next best anything. Some of these companies will come and go, while others will be here to stay. Kiwami is a company that's here to stay.
Kiwami is hardly new to the scene having been created in 2003 by Craig and Hélène Watson - both former top triathletes. Like First Endurance, Kiwami isn't an athletic apparel company making triathlon gear. They're a triathlon company making first-class triathlon race-wear. This is more than evident when inspecting any piece of Kiwami gear. As triathletes themselves, Craig and Hélène know what athletes are looking for. All garments are produced in Europe using the highest quality fabrics designed specifically for use within triathlon. The designs are supportive in the right places, the garments themselves are water repellent while still being lightweight and breathable. The stitching looks as if a couture designer house might have assembled the gear. Every piece seemingly assembled specifically for you, and sometimes is. Kiwami has launched an online utility, Kiwami Lab, that allows one to design a custom suit - select the specific suit interested in, select the colors for each panel, the stitching, everything. It even allows you to upload logos and text and move around on the suit until the perfect layout has been achieved.
Of course Kiwami makes the best triathlon gear available. I've noted how I only use the best! What truly sets them apart though is there exceptional customer service. Triathletes tend to be a hard to please, fickle bunch. Kiwami obviously understands this as they'll bend over backwards to make sure they get it right for you. Need a specific suit, in a specific color, at the last minute? Give them a call and they'll do everything within their power to make sure you have what you need in time. I don't count myself out of this fickle, hard to please group. I contacted Kiwami well before I was a sponsored athlete requesting the Amphibian suit with custom logo and printing work and provided a pretty tight turnaround. Not only did I get my suit before the race I was hoping to use it at, but got it earlier than expected and was able to give it a couple trial runs before racing in it.
Quality service, a high performing product and passionate people is a formula for success. Kiwami possesses all of those. While some of you might not be as familiar with Kiwami as you are with Google, if you have any interest in triathlon, you soon will be. And I couldn't be happier to be part of the team.
I'll leave you with an image of me rocking my Amphibian at the finish of Ironman Steelhead 70.3. At least the suits pretty.
