History
Originally, a passion: triathlon
Two high-level triathletes who wanted to transpose their experience as globetrotting athletes into their professional life! For 18 years, Kiwami has innovated while maintaining its initial passion for surpassing oneself.
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
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.
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.
Hélène SALOMON, several times French triathlon champion and ended her career in 2003 with a victory at Ironman® France
Born in New-Zealand
Kiwami is a name made from two words: KIWI and AMI.
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.
- Creation in 2003 Creation of the Kiwami brand name and company by pro triathletes Helene Salomon (France) and Craig Watson (New Zealand)
- 2004 Athens Olympic Games. First international podium for the Amphibian trisuit with Sven Riederer (SUI).
- 2005 Ironman World Championships, Kona Peter Reid (CAN) finished at 3rd place in A-Short / K-Singlet combo.
- 2005 Sartrouville wins the French Grand Prix competition. Beginning a 10-year collaboration between Kiwami and the world’s best club team in the world.
- 2007 ITU World Championships in Hamburg Kiwami race suits win the elite men’s and women’s titles at the ITU World Championships: Daniel Unger (GER) and Vanessa Fernandes (POR).
- 2008 Pekin Olympic Games Laura Reback (USA) finishes 4th at the Pekin Olympic Games wearing a Wahina Max swimsuit. More than 30% of the Olympic Games triathletes compete in Kiwami suits.
- Hello North America ! Kiwami opens distribution sites in the USA and Canada.
- Historic trifecta The Russian trio of Polyansky, Bryukhankov, Tutukin achieve an historic trifecta at the World Cup wearing the Amphibian 008 suit.
- 2010 sublime year ! Kiwami opens it’s own sublimation and manufacture site in France.
- 2012 Feel the performance Kiwami builds a new headquarters incorporating research & development, design, manufacture, printing, sales, administration and warehouse units.
- 2013 Amphibian 008 enters the legend. Rachel Klaamer (NED) wins the European Triathlon Championship wearing an Amphibian 008 Openback trisuit.
- 2014 Kiwami on top of the triathlon world. Kiwami’s new « Spider WS1 » triathlon suit the wins a Gold Award for Best Performance Base Layer product at ISPO Munich, the world’s biggest sports industry trade show.
- 2014 Guten Tag ! Kiwami opens a distribution site in Germany.
- 2015 Kiwami sur les podiums mondiaux The year 2015 was particularly rich for KIWAMI TEAM with Cyril Viennot, Long Distance World Champion 2015 for France, Richard Varga, Slovak triathlete, Aquathlon World Champion 2015 and South African Henrie Shcoeman, World No.3 on the Olympic distance in 2016.
- 2016 Launch of the SPIDER LD1 Aero, the world most technical and aerodynamic trisuit.
- 2017 Gold for the trail Kiwami is moving into the world of Trail with the Equilibrium shorts offering an innovative system for carrying foldable poles. This innovation will be rewarded by the 2017/2018 ISPO Gold Medal
- Today Kiwami outfits more than 350 clubs and teams worldwide with technical, comfortable and stylish triathlon kit
Perfectionnement & 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.
