Gore Wear

Gore Wear finds its roots in the inventive spirit of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., an American multinational manufacturing company specializing in products derived from fluoropolymers. Founded in 1958 by Wilbert (Bill) Lee Gore and his wife Genevieve (Vieve) Walton Gore, the company made a name for itself with its development of waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex fabrics.

The foundation of Gore's product innovation was set in place by Bill Gore's extensive technical background, including 16 years with the DuPont Company in positions that involved fluoropolymer research. The first significant development was the invention of a process for insulating a series of parallel electrical wires using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a fluoropolymer discovered in 1938. The creation of Multi-Tet cable, a multi-conductor ribbon cable used in computers, communications, and process control equipment, marked the company's initial step into innovative product development.

A significant breakthrough came in 1969 when Bob Gore, Bill's son, discovered that PTFE could be "expanded" while researching a process for stretching extruded PTFE into pipe thread tape. This discovery led to the development of expanded PTFE (ePTFE), which accounts for the vast majority of the company's products today. This material was later given the name of "Gore-Tex expanded PTFE".

The company has been recognized for its contributions to the field of polymers, with Bill Gore receiving the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind in 1985. Bob Gore was also presented with the Perkin Medal by the Society of Chemical Industry in 2005, recognizing his significant achievements in applied chemistry. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006 for the invention of ePTFE.

From this strong foundation, the Gore Wear brand emerged, embodying the company's commitment to innovation in the world of performance apparel. Although I wasn't able to access specific information about the evolution of the Gore Wear brand from the provided link, the above information gives a glimpse into the rich history and technological prowess that underpins the brand.