Many of us would agree that buying Kathmandu gear is an essential part of commencing those special first overseas adventures. For the last 30 years the brand has been a staple of both New Zealand’s and Australia’s travelling culture, and it has become an internationally known household name. (In fact, I still have my first Kathmandu pack and over the last 10 years it has been my trusted companion on many different journeys across the globe.)
To celebrate this 30-year milestone, Kathmandu hosted an anniversary party at Smart Artz Gallery in the city of their very first store, Melbourne. Rather than making this event about the brand and its history, they opted to take this opportunity to celebrate Kathmandu customers and their individual travel experiences.
In order to achieve this the venue was transformed into an interactive space: guests were able to mark their favourite travel spots on a huge world map and learned how to pack lightly on a large centrally-located ‘packing table’ under the direction of Kathmandu product and packing specialist Daan Dijkstra.
In the spirit of sharing stories, Kathmandu invited two very special guests to give the audience a taste of their own adventures. Ex-Olympian Courtney Atkinson talked about pushing his limits and hitting the trails, while Laura Dekker shared some of her incredible experiences from when she sailed around the world solo at the mere age of 14.
Throughout the night the bar was well stocked, and to get everyone in the travel mood delicious Nepalese and Mexican street food was served, followed by delightful little pavlovas in honour of New Zealand — where all the Kathmandu design and testing happens.
The sentiment that the brand is only a vehicle for enhanced and safer journeys and explorations really came through in this event. As the evening continued more and more stories were shared amongst guests and the room was humming with conversation.
Kathmandu definitely demonstrated an understanding of their customers on the night and got plenty of guests excited about their next bucket list destination.
– Claudia
Claudia B. is a German/Kiwi graphic designer and illustrator who has been living and working in Melbourne for the last six years. She enjoys a good glass of scotch and the occasional pole dancing class. Claudia also helps donate proceeds from notthispussy.com.au to charities in support of women’s rights, refugees and climate change.
To find out more about Kathmandu, visit www.kathmandu.com.au.
