First Loki Blog Ever - The Start of LOKI GEAR - Way back in 1990!

Welcome to our new page! We will be using this to keep you up to date on the latest and greatest that Loki has to offer. From highlighting new products to bringing you up to date on our thoughts and sharing your photos and stories!

For our first blog post "like ever", let's start at the start. Way back to September 19, 1990. The Salad Days.. the Loki dream begins...

Dirk Anderson and his new wife Theresa embarked on a 6 month honeymoon road trip of 35 US states and 5 Canadian provinces. They then spent a year in Florida starting careers in diagnostic medicine.

The couple returned to Colorado. Dirk missed mountains so bad he decided to go above Ouray, Colorado to climb a "14er" and invited his younger brother Seth, barely 16 years old.

The pair took off in Dirk's white 1985 Toyota Extra Cab blaring Led Zeppelin into the night 97 miles from Grand Junction. They awoke early in the morning rolled out of the bed of the truck experiencing bitter cold for September. They lumbered up the steep road of Yankee Boy Basin covered up with all their gear to start hiking into the unknown heights.

After a mile of hiking they stopped a Wright's Lake to shed layers as they warmed up with activity and a warming sun. Ambling higher up the basin to the steep wall they stripped to long sleeve shirts upon reaching the Lavender Col. A thousand more feet up the steep top couloir and a short rock scramble brought them to a gorgeous summit, some say the best in all of Colorado, Mount Sneffels.

As the euphoria and views took elevated their spirits, a sudden gust of wind blew in hard and fast, looking to the west a snow storm enveloped them as the struggled to put on all their layers without the wind stripping them into the ether.

The storm quickly pasted the summit with snow in a mini-blizzard. As soon as the exhilarating storm passed Dirk said two things that set a life change in motion; 1) "Seth, there are 54 (at the time) Colorado Mountains or 14 thousand feet, lets climb them all together. 2) What if.. we could invent (for ourselves at first) clothing designs that could change with the weather, starting with a versatile hat that vents or covers the whole head, and more.

That night the pair went and bought fleece at the fabric store and used Theresa's sewing machine at the couple's Grand Junction apartment. We sewed up three neck gaiter hats, but we knew they had to do more and not rely on another hat to achieve our goal one item to be a complete weather changing headgear.

"What do we call these things?" Seth quipped... Dirk replied, "they are hats, you mean for a business name?, Do you have any idea how many hats you'd have to sell to make it worth the while... not worth it." None-the-less we brainstormed names for the hats and the potential company moniker; Chameleon, Catalyst, Metamorph, Chrysalis, Changeling... "What about Loki?" Dirk said. Loki is the trickster of viking mythology, like a jester he would change his shape and play tricks on Thor and Odin. "Loki sounds cool!" It's short and sweet and who doesn't like jesters? OK, what if we made casual clothing, we could call it: "Low_Key" We could have word puzzle logo and have an "L" the "O" in the handle of a skeleton key logo. LOKI, and LOWKEY. Why not do both, have the gear look casual, but be ready for changing weather, the best of bot h worlds. And so it began.

-- To make sure we give you above and beyond as usual, below is stock drivel about Loki's past with extra collaborators, events, patented inventions, and many accolades.
Tune in next time for more stories and bragging about ourselves, or better yet, we's love to hear about you and what you do - and maybe even don't - like about Loki. If you care and can put it into good word... Be a Loki contributor!!!--
///
About Loki - www.lokigear.com

Loki was founded by the mountain climbing Anderson brothers in Colorado. Dirk and Seth wanted gear that would change with the weather for mountains and everyday adventure. They aspired to make the gear “low-key” but also “Loki” like the Nordic shape-changing trickster.

Loki gear changes to be warmer with built-in mitts and neck warmer, or cools down with vents and stow away pack ability. All this while maintaining a low-key style and friendly prices.

Today, Loki is changing the world of outdoor gear!

Loki makes the first outerwear with a built in Face Shield & Mitts. These convenient features are unnoticeable when not deployed, but are at the ready when your all weather lifestyle gets socked in.

Loki gear fuses “low key”, casual design with state of the art performance to update and extend the traditional outdoor experience. When you step outside with Loki, you are fully prepared to have more fun than ever before!

The Loki Story

* 1991: It all started with a "what if we tried this…" night of brainstorming with my brother Dirk Anderson. We loved the idea of making versatile outerwear and gear, and designing each item to perform more than a single function: less stuff to carry and a safer outdoor experience. First we have to come up with a name. From his favorite comic book series “Thor”, Dirk comes up with Loki, the Nordic shape-changing god of mischief. I run with the idea and begin sewing and selling fleece neck gaiter/hats, with hand painted plastic tags with a mountain and “Loki” beneath…the dreaming, sewing, and networking has continued ever since!

Word on Design: The first design goal was to create a hat which can be pulled down for full face protection, AND can be used as a neck gaiter. It took me at least four years and many not quite right prototypes to arrive at the patented hat now referred to as the Loki Hat.



1990: Dirk and Seth Anderson begin Loki as a hobby born from climbing mountains and applying shape changing theory to their gear and selling to friends.
1994: Loki name is registered in Colorado for hats and clothing
1994: Sell early versions to outdoor shops in Grand Junction, Telluride, and Aspen, Colorado
1996: Meet Jess Rigg while working at Gladstone’s Restaurant in Grand Junction, Colorado…upon seeing the Loki hat in motion, Jess parlays his $1000 life savings into a shot at business.
1996: We apply for a patent on the new Loki hat…soon find local sewers (former production managers at Marmot Mountain Works)…hit the road with professionally made samples in a plastic bag and we are officially in business
1998: Loki Hat design is awarded a US utility patent
1999: Sell Loki products in Japan, the first of many international markets
2000: Back to the drawing board…after nearly losing a glove on a winter climb of 14,298’ Mt Princeton, Dirk and I began scheming designs to make clothing safer and even more versatile, settling on a simple yet effective mitt that is now patented and on our new jacket.
Word on the Mitt: The new design allows the wearer to have full function mitts always at the ready, conveniently and inconspicuously stowed on the underside of the cuff when not needed.

Then came the “Switch Hood”: Originally named for half a neck gaiter sewn in at the midpoints of the hood to allow for full or partial face covering, an unnoticeable bit of fabric behind the head when not needed. With the assistance of Custom Needle Crafters we rework and flush out the design.

2002: New garment designs introduced
2002: Loki introduces new round logo
2003: Loki applies for a US patent on the Loki Jacket Design
2004: Outdoor Retailer Show…the Myth Soft Shell is listed “Best Pick of the Show” by the OR Daily Magazine
2005: Loki products are introduced in Scandinavia & Europe
2006: Climbing Magazine selects the Lodur Highloft jacket one of the top 4 belay jackets on the market
2006: Loki Mitt design is awarded a US utility patent
2006: Loki Mitt and Face Shield design are awarded patents in Europe
2007: Loki Face Shield design is awarded a US utility patent
2008: Colorado Small Business Elevator Pitch Contest Winner.
2010: Loki N_Pac feature awarded
2012: Loki Entrepreneur of Year Colorado Mesa University
2014: Introduce Local manufactured alpaca hats
2014: QVC sold out airings of LOKI Men’s and Women’s Mountain Hoodie jackets.
Today: We are undertaking an evolution by refining our styles with increased functions capabilities of our already amazing outdoor gear.