Páramo waterproofs work without a membrane.

Páramo is a lesson in doing waterproofing differently. Founded in 1992 by Nick Brown — who had earlier founded the waterproofing company Nikwax — in Wadhurst, East Sussex, the brand built a distinctive alternative to membrane shells.

Its brand identity is directional, ethical and long-lived — its Nikwax Analogy fabric has no waterproof membrane and no taped seams; instead a two-layer system pumps liquid water away from the body, mimicking animal fur. It’s PFC-free, repairable and re-proofable, and its garments are made by the Miquelina Foundation in Bogotá, a social enterprise employing vulnerable women. Signature pieces are the Velez and Alta jackets.

(Honest notes: Páramo is not owned by Nikwax — they are sister companies, both founded by Nick Brown, and since 2022 both are employee-owned via an Employee Ownership Trust. The Analogy is membrane-free (not a GORE-TEX-style laminate), and it’s inspired by animal fur, not made from it. And there’s no official brand hex, so the tones here are an unofficial interpretation.)

Páramo lives in a moorland-heather palette. Click a swatch to copy the hex.

Páramo’s identity is earthy, considered and ethical — an ink, a moorland heather, a moss, a peat, and a bone. The palette leans on a moorland heather with moss and peat — a nod to the páramo (high Andean moorland) the brand is named for. It signals nature, longevity and ethics rather than technical flash. The honest caveat: with no published brand hex, these tones are an original, unofficial interpretation, not first-party values.

The lesson is moorland tones signal an earthy, ethical brand. Páramo’s world is a wet British hillside. For designers, it is a reminder that heather, moss and peat read as natural and considered — right for a brand named for the moorland. The takeaways: use moorland tones; keep them earthy; and treat any single hex as unofficial — using ink for small text so the palette stays natural.

The register is a considered sans — technical and ethical.

Páramo’s identity carries a considered, technical, ethical spirit — a different waterproofing philosophy and a social mission. A considered sans captures the mood: it is technical and thoughtful, the register of a purpose-led outdoor brand. Set in a moorland-heather palette, the considered sans feels technical and ethical — exactly the personality Páramo carries. It is thoughtful rather than loud, mirroring a purpose-led brand. (Páramo’s real lowercase wordmark, with its accented “á,” is a trademark we describe but do not reproduce, and the exact brand typeface is not ours to use.) Because the mark is not ours to use, the honest description is “a considered sans spirit,” shown here in a stand-in. The type behaves like the brand: considered, technical and ethical.

Páramo stands for a different way to stay dry.

Páramo is a lesson in making a different approach the identity. A moorland palette, a membrane-free waterproofing system and an ethical manufacturing model make “doing it differently” the whole brand — directional, ethical, long-lived. The difference is the differentiator. The differentiator is a non-membrane, ethical, purpose-led identity.

For designers and brand-builders, Páramo offers a clear takeaway: a contrarian method can be a brand. The lessons: solve a problem differently (pump water, don’t just block it); make ethics real (the Miquelina Foundation); and design for repair (no membrane to fail). It is also a reminder to stay accurate: it’s employee-owned and a sister to Nikwax (not owned by it), the Analogy is membrane-free (not a laminate), and the palette here is an unofficial interpretation. Páramo made a different method the brand — proof that doing it differently can be the difference.

Keep Páramo’s identity on hand — save it to a board in the Made Good inspiration library.