Lasse Kjus knows a thing or two about harsh weather. The former Olympic and World Cup champion Norwegian alpine skier spent most of his life battling the elements around the world from Lillehammer to Nagano, Salt Lake City and everywhere in between.
Unable to find a ski jacket that was as comfortable, stretchy and insulated as he felt in his race suit, Kjus launched KJUS in 2000. After being the first brand to introduce a stretch ski jacket to market in 2002, KJUS spent a decade manufacturing highly engineered fabrics and products focused on temperature management, so wearers weren’t zipping and unzipping their jackets.
Leveraging its knowhow and technology from the ski slopes, KJUS transitioned into golf by launching its first product line of premium rain gear headlined by the Pro 3L jacket in 2013.
“We figured that if we could keep a skier protected from extreme wind, rain, snow, cold elements and they’re incredibly comfortable and they can move, we can also do that in golf,” KJUS President Brooke Mackenzie said.
A Natural Transition
From the outside, transitioning from ski-focused products to golf seems like a bit of a stretch. The former is done at high speeds in some of the coldest, wettest and windiest environments on the planet, whereas golf is typically played in more temperate climates and at a snail’s pace in comparison.
