Nikwax

The year was 1977. Nick, at 22 years old, created his first batch using an old teapot, a cooker, a jug, and some items he acquired from a nearby hardware shop. He poured the soft wax into tins and hand-labelled them. Nick sold his goods to those in the outdoor retail sector, travelling around in his used Morris 1000 van.

Within a few years, he relocated to a workshop in Clerkenwell, London, and soon found himself exporting and selling Nikwax to eight different countries. The wax, which wouldn't soften, was intended primarily for leather boots, and proved so efficient that it set a new standard for aftercare products within the Nikwax brand.