The story of K-Way is inextricably linked to the Krawitz family’s approach to business, where stubbornness and vision combined to create something distinctly South African.
In 1981, Arthur Krawitz acquired a factory to support Cape Union Mart’s uniforms division. The products made at the new factory quickly gained popularity for their durability and functionality. The triangular logo became a symbol of trust, and K-Way’s success story began to take shape. Today, the K-Way brand continues to reflect both family heritage and a philosophy of doing things properly.
Under the visionary stewardship of Philip Krawitz, who assumed leadership of Cape Union Mart in 1970, the K-Way brand has exploded in reach and recognition, but remains synonymous with reliability, technical excellence, and proudly South African craftsmanship.
K-Way’s trajectory took a dramatic turn during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Visitors arrived expecting southern-hemisphere warmth and instead encountered a bitter winter. Spectators began snapping up K-Way puffer jackets, and the resulting exposure catapulted the brand into a new sphere of recognition.
K-Way has since become ubiquitous in South African life. Yet even as demand exploded, the company remained fastidious about product testing and authentic performance. “The objective was always that the brand is rooted in authenticity,” explains Martine Vogelman, Strategic Brand Director at Cape Union Mart Group and fourth-generation family member. “K-Way has kitted countless adventurers climbing Kilimanjaro and trekking to Everest Base Camp, and the brand’s reputation still rests on genuine technical capability.”
K-Way’s evolution has required careful navigation, particularly as fashion and function have converged in recent years. The rise of gorpcore and outdoor-inspired fashion could have pulled K-Way away from its technical roots, but the brand has approached these trends strategically. “The brand is very influenced by fashion,” Vogelman explains. “We remain true to who we are, but within those parameters there’s a lot of space for experimentation with more fashionable styles. But this is never at the expense of the technical performance that has made us famous.”
The brand’s expansion has been similarly thoughtful. Most recently, K-Way has launched the K-Way Supporters Club, a nationwide community that celebrates South Africa’s sporting culture. K-Way Kids, introduced in 2007 as miniature versions of adult gear, has evolved into comprehensive ranges for both children and youth. The travel and commute division has seen enormous growth, including innovation like the first hard-shell luggage that weighs itself, neatly addressing a distinctly modern travel anxiety.
K-Way has always represented an ethos beyond commercial opportunity. “Feeding passions, improving lives – this is the Cape Union Mart Group’s purpose,” Vogelman emphasises. “Through K-Way we feed South Africans’ passion for the outdoors, for travel and for adventure, and we do so not by importing products, but by localising production, growing the South African economy, and creating meaningful employment.”
Yet perhaps K-Way’s most significant contribution lies in its cultural significance. The brand has become woven into the fabric of South African identity, a symbol of readiness for adventure and pride in local capability. The standing joke about spotting the SAA counter by the K-Way jackets speaks as much to shared identity and national pride as it does to simple brand recognition.
K-Way demonstrates that it’s possible to build something genuinely South African that competes on the world stage, that local manufacturing can thrive in a globalised economy, and that stubbornness channelled productively can create lasting value. When customers travel the world or explore the incredible beauty South Africa has to offer, protected from the elements by gear that’s been lovingly crafted and proudly manufactured, they can rest assured that behind them is a family of proud South Africans who have spent four decades doing things the K-Way.
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