Cagoule Fleece was started in 1993 in Portland, Oregon, more specifically on the floor of founder Peter Julber's living room.  We had only four things going for us: a big, scary pair of scissors, a puny home sewing machine, a roll of fleece the size of a VW Beetle, and some seemingly impossible ideas about making outdoor accessories that were perfect from all perspectives.

As things turned out, we weren't the only ones fantasizing about fleece gear that fit right, felt right, and warmed both body and soul faster than a fresh pint of stout.  People all over Portland began to clamor for Cagoule and soon the piles of fleece were spilling into the kitchen and out into the yard.  Eventually, Peter wanted his house back so we moved the whole operation down to the basement and soon after that to a little workshop where we could actually see the sun again and didn't have to worry about banging our elbows on the water heater.

Today, we're still a really small company (most of the time it's just Peter) and everything we make is still created from either superbly soft fleece itself made from post-consumer recycled materials, or our new 100% New Zealand Merino.  We recycle absolutely everything we can and run the entire show with waste reduction firmly in mind.

Portland's cool, wet climate is the perfect proving ground for our products, and we personally test everything we make on nearby mountains, beaches, and trails of the biking, hiking, skiing, surfing (yup, Oregon has a coastline) and snowboarding kind.  In short, we love what we do.  And we're quite sure that once you get your hands on our stuff you'll love what we do, too.

I've been wearing the same Cagoule fleece hat since 1997.  I hate winter but I look forward to it because I know I get to wear my faithful hat.  GS