Cape Union Mart, the largest chain of outdoor shops in South Africa, decided after a few months to drop plans to sponsor the national Shosholoza sailing team for the America’s Cup with a whole range of products bearing the K-Way brand name. This is because Cape Union Mart registered the brand as its own private label, named after the Kravitz family who founded the company in 1933 and still owns it, but for use only in South Africa. A brand of windbreakers by the same name was founded by a French apparel manufacturer in 1965. The rights to this brand outside South Africa belong to the Italian BasicNet group, which bought them in 2004 from the former Formula Sport Group. The South African company makes clothing and equipment under the K-Way name at its own factory in South Africa and operates 67 Cape Union Mart stores, 20 Old Khaki stores and 10 Poetry stores in addition to three large Adventure Centre flagships.
