For over 40 years, K-Way has been one of South Africa’s most ubiquitous brands. Part of Cape Union Mart, the clothing brand was founded back in 1981.
On a monthly basis, Cape Union Mart’s factory in Cape Town manufactures over 40 000 garments under the K-Way name. The K-Way range of outdoor gear is produced by over 200 staff.
The brand is named after the late Philip Krawitz, who was popularly known as “Mr K.”
Over the years, K-Way has become the ubiquitous brand of the South African winter, and the easiest way to recognise compatriots in foreign countries. The triangular logo seems to be everywhere.
BACKGROUND
To understand the story of K-Way more clearly, let’s take it back to 1933, when the late Philip Krawitz launched Cape Union Mart, a store in Cape Town on the corner of Corporation and Mostert street. The store catered primarily to passing fishermen, army troops and the navy.
As time went on, Philip realised that he had to offer his customers something special, so he started focusing on building unique relationships with his clients to identify their needs, and his store became affectionately known as “the friendly store.”
In the late 1940s, Arthur J. Krawitz succeeded his father, and the store started to focus on non-seasonal clothing, and also selling summer clothes to South Africans traveling overseas in winter, and vice versa.
The current chairman Philip J. Krawitz, the grandson of the original founder, took over the company in 1970. Under his leadership, Cape Union Mart expanded to become the parent company of multiple brands and chains.
In the early 1980s, Cape Union Mart bought the old Hepworth factory in the CBD of Cape Town. The company had a thriving uniforms division called Sparks & Ellis, and the new factory was initially acquired to provide a manufacturing arm for this division.
“Customers started referring to Krawitz as “Mr K”. Known for his product knowledge, commitment to go the extra mile and focus on a great retail experience – to this day, we do things the K-Way”Cape Union Mart spokesperson
The factory needed a new name, and at the time Arthur Krawitz was running Cape Union Mart, he was known to do things “the K-Way” where the K stood for Krawitz.
The factory was then renamed to K-Way. It wasn’t that long before the factory began manufacturing products for the retail operation too, and these products were branded K-Way giving birth to the K-Way brand as you know it today.
