Páramo Directional Clothing was founded in 1992 by Nick Brown. Nick, always the entrepreneur, had been out selling shoe wax (and later waterproof treatments – hence the NikWax brand) and, so the story goes, was looking at making waterproof clothing using a system similar to animal fur – a directional fabric.

With no takers in the UK, Nick decided to do it himself and with connections in South America, he came across a charity training people as machinists and manufacturing garments in Columbia – Miquelina.

So, with early prototypes in a bag Nick set out to sell his jackets (a couple of colours, unisex waterproofs) and Paramo was born. Still in the early 1990s he came to Settle, saw Chris and Graham (the former owners) and the rest is history.

When we took over the store in 2008 it had already been selling Paramo for a long time. It was one of the main brands of the store and we’ve continued to invest in new stock ever since.

Still popular with all sorts of outdoorsy-types, Paramo has been one of the mainstays of Castleberg Outdoors since 2008. Old customers return (often after many years!) and new customers buy into the brand for the first time.

For many years we’ve had one of the best ranges of Paramo clothing around. We stock virtually all the clothing range. All the staff love it and every staff member has a Paramo or two at least!
Steve’s beloved original Aspira smock has seen better days now but has been used and abused for nearly 20 years. Its relegated to gardening duties now and It needs a good wash again!
Holly’s Velez has been out in all weathers and up all sorts of peaks come summer or winter.

A couple of things we’d say about Paramo if you are in the market for a new waterproof: -

Firstly, if you are not sure, ask a Paramo wearer what they think of it! Invariably they’ll tell you about the pluses and minuses for them and invariably they’ll recommend it for comfort, breathability and durability.
Secondly, we love the ethics. It’s made in a factory run as a charity by machinists that only make paramo. The factory supports all sorts of community projects and is genuinely there to make a difference to the community. Paramo quietly make infinitely ethical, repairable and durable kit because the company believes in stuff that’s build to last and not to be replaced the next season with the latest colour. Absolutely no greenwashing or marketing hype. This is what all of the outdoor industry should be doing!
Finally. Like all waterproofs Paramos need regular TLC – washing and proofing regularly. In recent years, water-based PFC free chemicals make reproofing much kinder on the environment but needed more frequently. Do it regularly to get the best out of any waterproofs.

Browse our range of Paramo products HERE