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17.12.2019 13:28:00

Reima TM: journey of 75 years

Reima TM: journey of 75 years

1944 REIMA STARTED BY RECYCLING

Reima’s roots are in World War II. Pallo-Paita Oy, which manufactured garments for the army, moved temporarily from Helsinki to Kankaanpaa for safety during air attacks in 1939. After the war, the owners wanted to utilize the capacity and trained local workers that remained in Kankaanpaa, so they founded Kankama Oy. In the early post-war years, there was shortage of raw materials. The new company set out to manufacture its first products, women’s work wear, out of old army snowsuits.

1950s DURABLE MATERIALS FOR OUTDOORS

The company grew strongly and changed its name to Reima-Pukine, after the name of a popular shirt in Pallo-Paita’s collections.The north spar buoy (“reimari” in Finnish) became the company symbol, reflecting the moving of production to the north. Since no sufficiently durable material for children’s wear was available, Reima started to develop one together with Littoisten Verkatehdas. Reima was among the first Finnish companies to advertise on TV at the end of the decade. In the memorable ad, the factory managers’ own sons spun a grindstone against pant bottoms to prove their durability.

1970s EFFICIENT MASS PRODUCTION

This was the golden age of Enstex® material. As more women entered working life, Enstex’s durability and ease of care appealed to moms who took their kids to day care. Besides children’s wear, Reima also manufactured fashions and sportswear for grown-ups and youth. Reima even excelled at fireproof clothing and work wear for extremely cold conditions. Close to Kankaanpaa, seven satellite factories operated full speed. New computer-aided equipment increased production and diminished the amount of material wasted. Reima marketing strongly emphasized quality.

1990s INNOVATION BRINGS GROWTH

As sales to the east ended with the breakdown of the Soviet Union, many Finnish textile firms went bankrupt. Reima joined forces with children’s wear brand Tutta® to form Reima-Tutta Oy, which also acquired the Lassie® brand. To stay competent, the new company started moving its production to China. Reima continued .product development in order to make breathable, wind- and waterproof clothing affordable for families. The resulting Reimatec® collection was launched loudly and proudly in Finland and soon in all major export countries. The share of export in Reima quickly rose up to ~70%.

2000s FULL FOCUS ON CHILDREN

At the turn of the millennium, Reima was a strong crossindustrial pioneer developing also wearable technology. It was hard to find markets for the first trial products, but the seed to developing electro-textiles was planted, later growing into the company Clothingplus. Massive development projects weakened Reima’s profitability. In 2004 all adult production lines were chopped off and focus was returned to the company’s true target group, children of 0 to 12 years of age. This clearly increased company’s profitability and growth has been consistent ever since.

2010s ACTIVATING KIDS GLOBALLY

Reima leads the functional kids’ wear market and strengthens its digital core: the first Reima online store opens in Finland in 2011 and soon expands to other countries. Reima grows its franchise chain on the Eastern markets while also finding new retailers in the West. Reima also opens offline stores in several markets. In 2016, Reima launches innovative wearable tech for kids. The ReimaGO® concept, developed together with Suunto, consists of a kids’ activity sensor, clothing and app that encourages kids to be active. Reima also buys the company Finnish Baby Box to support its international expansion and offering of digital services to consumers.

REIMA IN FIGURES:
8,000,000 annual global sales
80 stores in the world
10 mono-brand retail stores in Ukraine
14 international awards received by Reima Stavanger

Source: www.reima.com

How to get to the fair

  • Fair location:

    Ukraine, Kyiv,
    Prospekt Beresteyskyi ave. (Peremohy), 40-B

  • Working hours:

    10:00 – 17:00

  • Phone:

    +380 44 456 3804

  • Metropoliten:

    М1 red line, Shulyavskaya station

  • Taxi:

    +380 93 012 3223