Alongside this special anniversary edition, Gill has also launched a limited edition of 30 jackets with a print on the lining that summarizes the brand’s history. These jackets are signed by Nick Gill and numbered.
As an anecdote, during the Sail America Industry Breakfast in Annapolis, our CEO Gwen Dorning won one of these jackets in a raffle... but at Multihulls World, we’d already had the privilege of receiving a copy of this limited edition for each member of the team... so Gwen sportingly put the jacket back into the draw!
This wonderful anniversary obviously coincides with our own 40th anniversary - because yes, it’s the year of decades!
Five Decades of Innovation
Firmly anchored in the business of textile innovation and in the search for high-performance materials, the British brand has built its reputation over the past 50 years at many major sailing events and competitions. And yet, curiously, the story began in a lace factory in Nottingham...
At the time, Nick Gill embarked on his entrepreneurial adventure with modest beginnings and big aspirations. In 1975, he set up his business in a corner of his father’s lace factory. Technical clothing was rare, especially for dinghy sailors like Nick.
By 1980, the company was thriving and became the official supplier to Team Great Britain in the America’s Cup. Two years later, Gill introduced the first integral brace system into its one-piece dinghy suits.
In 1989, Gill designed the first two-piece dinghy suit - a product that has since become a must-have bestseller.
These efforts were recognized in 1994 when Gill was appointed official clothing supplier to Team GBR, the British Olympic sailing team. This partnership marked a turning point in the brand’s technical development - a year later, Gill introduced the revolutionary Speedskin for the Atlanta Olympics, an alternative to neoprene.
In 2001, a collaboration with Illbruck, the winning team of the 2001 Volvo Ocean Race, led to the development of a three-layer fabric system offering superior protection while minimizing the weight of the garment.
Four years later, the first Skiff Trapeze harness with a quick-release hook was introduced.
In 2006 and 2008, Gill patented the more durable Pro Glove and launched the Compressor vest, featuring ergonomic foam panels wrapped in neoprene.
The brand then pursued multiple prestigious partnerships and in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of its global bestseller, the OS2 Offshore jacket, originally known as the Key West.
In 2023, this same OS2 Offshore jacket and salopettes became the most sustainable sailing garments in the world, made from 98% recycled materials.
OS2 Offshore 50th Anniversary Jacket
Price: $ 390
Color: Yellow
1975: One of the very first adverts for the first marine clothing manufactured by Nick Gill in his father’s lace workshop in Nottingham.
This first two-piece dinghy suit was launched in 1989.
Speedskin, an alternative to neoprene, was launched in 1995 for the Atlanta Olympic Games.
