Nikwax

The year was 1977. At 22, Nick mixed his first batch using a discarded tea urn, a stove, a jug, and some supplies he purchased from a nearby hardware shop. The softened wax was subsequently poured into tins, screened manually by Nick. He sold his items to the outdoor trade, travelling around in his pre-owned Morris 1000 van.

A few years later, he relocated to a workshop in Clerkenwell, London, and before long, Nick was exporting and distributing Nikwax to eight different countries. This product was a waterproof wax that resisted softening, designed particularly for leather boots. Its effectiveness was such that it set the benchmark for a new category of aftercare products under the Nikwax brand.