Kiwami

Kiwami is a French sportswear company focused primarily on triathlon apparel and performance equipment. The business was established in 2003 near Pau by Hélène Salomon, a French professional triathlete, and Craig Watson, a New Zealand professional triathlete. Their experience as elite competitors shaped the brand's product-development approach: both founders used their knowledge of racing conditions and continued to test products themselves, positioning Kiwami around practical performance rather than general fashion sportswear. The name combines “kiwi,” referring to New Zealand and the national symbol associated with Watson, with “ami,” the French word for friend. Its visual identity includes a kiwi bird wearing a French beret, reflecting the founders' French and New Zealand backgrounds. The brand's stated performance orientation is summarized by the motto “feel the performance.” Kiwami's first major product was the Amphibian trisuit. The garment became the company's emblematic product and was used by professional athletes and national teams. The company subsequently developed a broader range covering triathlon suits, swimwear, cycling clothing, casual wear, and triathlon accessories. Its product strategy has centered on garments intended to support the different disciplines and transitions of triathlon, including aerodynamic cycling performance, swimming use, and running comfort. The brand has built visibility through athlete and federation partnerships. Athletes associated with Kiwami apparel have included competitors such as Frédéric Belaubre, Laura Reback, Nicky Samuels, Greg Bennett, Filip Ospaly, Matt Reed, Rachel Klamer, Richard Murray, Richard Varga, Dmitry Polyansky, Alexander Bryukhankov, and Cyril Viennot. The company has also been described as an official partner of the Dutch, South African, and Argentine triathlon federations. These relationships connect Kiwami with Olympic-distance triathlon, professional racing, and international team competition. Kiwami received notable industry recognition in 2014 when its Spider WS1 trisuit won an ISPO Munich Gold Award in the performance base-layer category. The award followed evaluation of a large field of sports products by an industry jury and helped reinforce the company's positioning as a specialist technical-apparel brand. Kiwami remains an active, niche international brand serving triathletes and related endurance-sport consumers. Public reference material provides limited information about its legal ownership, revenue, employee base, and current corporate structure. Its documented identity is therefore best understood as that of an athlete-founded French performance-apparel company rather than a large diversified sportswear group.

Kiwami was founded in 2003 near Pau, France, by Hélène Salomon and Craig Watson, two professional triathletes with experience at national, international, and Olympic-level competition. Salomon was a multiple French champion and became the first French woman to win an official Ironman event. Watson, from New Zealand, had ranked first in the International Triathlon Union rankings, finished third at the 2001 ITU World Championships, and represented New Zealand at the triathlon competition held at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Their sporting backgrounds supplied the company with a direct understanding of the demands placed on technical garments during swimming, cycling, running, and transitions. The founders named the company by combining “kiwi,” a reference to New Zealand and Watson's background, with “ami,” meaning friend in French. The logo's kiwi bird wearing a French beret visually links the two national cultures. From the beginning, Kiwami presented itself as a specialist performance brand rather than a broad lifestyle label. Its stated motto, “feel the performance,” expresses this emphasis. The company's first product was the Amphibian trisuit. It became the brand's signature garment and was reported to remain in use among professional athletes and national teams. The founders' continued involvement in testing helped establish a product-development model based on practical experience in competition. Kiwami then broadened its range to include additional triathlon products, swimwear, accessories, cycling apparel, and casual clothing. Athlete sponsorship and federation relationships became an important part of Kiwami's market presence. The brand supplied or sponsored a group of prominent triathletes, including Frédéric Belaubre, Laura Reback, Nicky Samuels, Greg Bennett, Filip Ospaly, Matt Reed, Rachel Klamer, Richard Murray, Richard Varga, Dmitry Polyansky, Alexander Bryukhankov, and Cyril Viennot. It was also identified as an official partner of the Netherlands, South Africa, and Argentina triathlon federations. These affiliations gave the company exposure at elite events, including Olympic competition and major long-distance races. A major documented recognition came in 2014, when Kiwami presented the Spider WS1 at ISPO Munich. The product won a Gold Award in the performance base-layer category. The judging process involved evaluation and testing of more than 400 products by an international sports-industry jury. This recognition strengthened Kiwami's credentials as a technical-apparel specialist. Available reference material does not establish a detailed sequence of later corporate events, ownership changes, financial results, or leadership appointments. The company is nevertheless described as active and continues to be associated with triathlon clothing and equipment. Its documented history is that of a small, internationally oriented French endurance-sports brand built around elite-athlete expertise, technical product development, and partnerships with competitors and sporting organizations.

• 2014

  Spider WS1 wins ISPO Gold Award

  [2]Kiwami ISPO Award Gold Winner 2014award.ispo.com

  The Spider WS1 receives Gold recognition in ISPO Munich's performance base-layer category.

• 2003

  Kiwami is founded near Pau, France

  [1]Kiwami (triathlon)en.wikipedia.org

  Professional triathletes Hélène Salomon and Craig Watson establish Kiwami as a specialist triathlon-apparel company.

• 2003

  Amphibian trisuit becomes the first major product

  [1]Kiwami (triathlon)en.wikipedia.org

  Kiwami launches its emblematic Amphibian trisuit, which later becomes associated with professional athletes and national teams.

Specialist, athlete-founded performance apparel for triathlon and related endurance sports, emphasizing technical construction, race performance, and direct testing by experienced competitors.

• Triathlon apparel · 2003

  Amphibian trisuit

  The Amphibian was Kiwami's first product and became its signature trisuit. It was designed for the integrated demands of triathlon, allowing athletes to swim, cycle, and run in one technical garment while minimizing changes during transition. Reference material identifies it as a product used by professional competitors and national teams and as a continuing part of Kiwami's product heritage.

• Performance trisuit · 2014

  Spider WS1

  The Spider WS1 is a technical Kiwami trisuit presented at ISPO Munich in 2014. Its principal documented distinction is the ISPO Gold Award it received in the performance base-layer category. The product represents Kiwami's focus on specialized race apparel and technical construction for endurance athletes, although detailed specifications and current availability are not established by the supplied sources.

• Swimwear

  Kiwami swimwear

  Kiwami's swimwear extends the brand beyond all-in-one triathlon suits into garments intended for the swimming component of endurance sport. The supplied reference identifies swimwear as one of the company's product areas but does not provide a complete model list, technical specifications, or confirmed launch dates.

• Cycling apparel

  Kiwami cycling wear

  Cycling wear is part of Kiwami's broader endurance-apparel range. It complements the cycling leg of triathlon and gives the brand a presence in adjacent performance-cycling use cases. Publicly supplied material confirms the category but does not identify specific garments, model names, or launch chronology.

• Sports accessories

  Kiwami triathlon accessories

  The company also develops accessories for triathlon and related endurance activities. These products broaden Kiwami's offering beyond apparel, although the available references do not enumerate the individual accessories or provide enough detail to describe their specifications.

• Elite athlete sponsorship program

  International

  Kiwami sponsors or equips high-level triathletes and teams to demonstrate its products in elite competition. Associated athletes include competitors from Europe, Oceania, South Africa, and other international markets.

  Outcome. The program increased the brand's visibility in professional and Olympic-related triathlon, although quantitative campaign results are not reported.

  Source
• National federation partnerships

  Netherlands · South Africa · Argentina

  Kiwami developed official-partner relationships with the Dutch, South African, and Argentine triathlon federations, linking the brand with organized national-team competition.

  Outcome. The partnerships supported international team exposure and product use, but the sources do not report commercial or sporting performance metrics.

  Source

• 2003

  Launch of the Amphibian trisuitProduct launch

  Background

  The founders created the company around their experience as professional triathletes and needed a product aligned with the sport's multi-discipline format.

  Action taken

  Kiwami introduced the Amphibian as its first major product and made technical triathlon apparel the center of its initial range.

  Aftermath

  The Amphibian became the company's emblematic trisuit and was associated with professional athletes and national teams.

  Source

• Expansion beyond trisuitsStrategy

  Background

  After establishing a core position in triathlon suits, Kiwami broadened its offer to address other parts of endurance training and competition.

  Action taken

  The company developed swimwear, triathlon accessories, casual wear, and cycling clothing in addition to its trisuit range.

  Aftermath

  Kiwami became a broader endurance-sports apparel brand while retaining triathlon as its central identity.

  Source

1. 1Kiwami (triathlon)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kiwami ISPO Award Gold Winner 2014award.ispo.com
3. 3Kiwami originskiwamitriathlon.com