Canterbury of New Zealand
The number one provider of rugby clothing and equipment today is Canterbury of New Zealand, also known as CCC. This company originated in the late 1880’s in the province of Canterbury in New Zealand, hence its name. The year of 1904 marked the beginning of what would become a leader in the rugby world today, when two family companies came together to form the CCC company.
Canterbury of New Zealand strictly goes by their view that “No other apparel company in the world has the same singular focus on rugby as Canterbury of New Zealand.” They take pride in their dedication and passion of the sport, and being one of few companies who specialize in rugby. They provide their brands to international teams such as Scotland, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Japan.
A friend of the company gave the business their biggest jump into the market when he challenged them to make a rugby shirt that would hold up through the physical abuse that one receives in a game. He also wanted to see a shirt that had some sort of fashion-sense and comfortable to play in. The company stood up to the challenge and not only won the friend over, but also won over other nations who participated in the sport of rugby as well.
Soon their rugby shirts were being distributed in the United States. These shirts were not only worn on the field, they were also becoming a trendy shirt to wear for leisure activities. The casual wear market was becoming a successful market for the company as well as the sportswear market. Because of its success, Canterbury of New Zealand opened a line of apparel that was an “off-field collection”. This collection gained a lot of attention and has become so successful that it is sold in top department stores in the United States such as Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, and Saks. This rugby collection turned into an “authentic rugby lifestyle”.
Canterbury of New Zealand is still known today for their strong, durable jersey’s that can withstand a great amount of beating. Their company’s motto is “the World’s Toughest Activewear.” In 2007, they entered the soccer world and contracted to sponsor English Premiership team Portsmouth. They also produced headgear for Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Chech after his head injury.
While competing in the business for a little over 100 years, Canterbury of New Zealand prides itself on its high-quality, durability apparel, trend-setting designs, and passion for rugby. They have gained brand recognition on and off the field of rugby. Their trend-setting apparel continues to be successful around the world. Even though they have gained much recognition for being victorious off the field, they still keep their vision of being the number one selling brand of active rugby apparel.
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