Nos valeurs
L'engagement de soi, la responsabilité, l'humilité et le goût de la compétition
Kiwami est marqué au fer rouge des valeurs de ses créateurs, la française Hélène Salomon et le néo-zélandais Craig Watson, Deux triathlètes de haut niveau qui ont voulu transposer dans leur vie professionnelle leur expérience de sportifs globe-trotters! Depuis 18 ans, Kiwami innove tout en conservant sa passion initiale pour le dépassement de soi.
craig watson
Ancien nageur de 4 nages, a été un pilier de l’équipe de Nouvelle-Zélande sur la distance Olympique, participant aux Jeux de Sydney
Although we grew up on opposite sides of the world with different languages and cultures, we had in common our enjoyment of competitive sport and the environment it offered us. As young adults, we were each introduced to triathlon through our respective sports of athletics (Helene) and swimming (Craig). Triathlon became a new passion for each of us, representing new challenges and opportunities which soon lead us both to become professional international triathletes. Craig became a cornerstone of the New Zealand triathlon team and one of the best short distance triathletes in the world, competing at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, finishing 3rd at the 2001 ITU World Championships and reaching the ITU world N°1 ranking in 2002. Hélène became a specialist long distance triathlete. She is a multiple French national triathlon champion and ended her career in 2003 with a victory at IM France and a 6th place at the Long Distance ITU World Championships.
hélène salomon
Plusieurs fois championne de France de triathlon et a conclu sa carrière en 2003 sur une victoire à l’Ironman® France
After years of intensive training and competition, we wanted to express our passion for triathlon differently. We were frustrated by the lack of quality triathlon race wear available at the time, and we strongly believed that specifically designed and adapted products could actually help improve performance. So was born Kiwami. Our project has been nourished by our sports experience and has grown with our athlete expertise. We designed our first collection and our original and colorful models quickly seduced some of the best triathletes of the time, with immediate international success. AMPHIBIAN, the iconic model of the brand, became the reference trisuits on the market while Kiwami grew up with new models, developed for long races, women or even children.
Born in New-Zeland
Kiwami un nom en deux mots
The KIWI is a flightless bird found only in New Zealand. It is a national emblem of New Zealand and also a nickname used to identify New Zealanders throughout the world.
AMI is the French word for “friend”. Kiwami is also the name we have given to the personality on our logo; a friendly Kiwi-Frenchie (hence the beret-wearing kiwi bird) triathlete. Kiwami personifies our notion of triathlon: international, friendly, life-loving, unique and proud.
Prix
Les grands moments de Kiwami
- 2004 : Jeux Olympiques d’Athènes, première médaille pour la trifonction Amphibian portée par Sven Riederer (SUI).
- 2005 : Ironman Kona, Peter Reid (CAN) termine 3e avec le combo A-Short / K-Singlet de Kiwami.
- 2005 : Sartrouville remporte le Grand Prix de France, début d'une longue collaboration avec Kiwami.
- 2007 : Championnats ITU à Hambourg, Daniel Unger (GER) et Vanessa Fernandes (POR) sacrés avec Kiwami.
- 2008 : Jeux de Pékin, Laura Reback (USA) finit 4e en maillot Wahina Max, 30 % des triathlètes portaient du Kiwami.
- 2009 : Tiercé russe en coupe du monde avec la combinaison Amphibian 008 (Polyansky, Bryukhankov, Tutukin).
- 2013 : Rachel Klamer (NED) remporte les européens en Amphibian 008 Openback.
- 2014 : Spider WS1 remporte le Gold Award ISPO dans la catégorie performance base layer.
- 2015 : Cyril Viennot, Richard Varga et Henri Schoeman brillent avec Kiwami sur les scènes mondiales.
- 2016 : lancement du Spider LD1 Aéro, la trifonction la plus aérodynamique du monde.
- 2016 : Henri SCHOEMAN est médaillé de bronze aux Jeux Olympiques à Rio.
- 2017 : le cuissard Trail "Equilibrium TR Short" est primé à l’ISPO pour son système breveté de portage de bâtons pliables "EasyFix".
- 2017 : Kiwami lance la première swimskin à manches, avec des gains de performance en natation.
- 2018 : Jocelyne Pauly termine 3e à l’UTMB et remporte la Diagonale des Fous.
- 2019 : lancement de la combinaison néoprène Swift par Kiwami.
- 2020–2022 : 99 % de la production est désormais réalisée dans l’atelier de Montardon (64).
- 2024 : Liévin Triathlon remporte le Grand Prix D1 Lindahls Pro avec Kiwami.
- 2025 : Lancement de la Spider SCx et de ses manchons aéro, la trifonction la plus rapide du marché.
Improvement & Collaboration
Kiwami believes that excellent products help athletes achieve excellent performances. Making new products involves research to find the best adapted fabrics and techniques available, formulating and testing innovations and perfecting patterns and designs. In collaboration with renowned sports textile industry partners, the staff at Kiwami’s own prototype lab in France continually work through this process, to make products that are perfectly adapted for the athletes who will use them.
Recherche & développement
Kiwami products are crafted in constant collaboration with elite and amateur athletes so that you will feel like the they are a part of you. The choice of materials, fabrics, and trims are the subject of ongoing research. From sprint to long distance, from beginners to professionals, our collections meet the needs of every triathlete by offering specific products adapted to each event and type of competitor.
innovation & reconnaissance
In 2014, at ISPO Munich, the world’s biggest trade fair for the sports industry, Kiwami presented a revolutionary new trisuit - the SPIDER WS1 – and won the Gold Award for Best Performance Base Layer Product. The same result was acheived in 2017 when the Equilibrium Trail Short won a new ISPO Award. These awards were significant recognition for the hard work Kiwami's R&D team had put into designing and developing these innovative products, which became industry references in thier fields.