Earth Sea Sky

And it was no easy task. Managing director David Ellis, with his small team of outdoor performance clothing designers and machinists, only had three months to produce 120 Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) wardrobes.

From Primaloft filled jackets and polar fleeces to balaclavas and mittens, each crew member required eight items of clothing using waterproof and windproof fabric combinations with a mixture of fast drying, thermally efficient, insulation layers.

The Navy approached Earth Sea Sky in August last year after a referral from Antarctica New Zealand. “By the time we had determined exactly what items were required and the sizes, we had eight weeks to make 900 clothing items” said Ellis.

Antarctica New Zealand Field Team Credit: Iain Miller

“It was full on coming into Christmas, which is our busiest time of year, but we delivered just prior to it – which was utter relief for our production team.”

The Navy set sail for the icy continent aboard the HMNZS Aotearoa, berthing at McMurdo Station with supplies to support Antarctica New Zealand’s scientific research programme and the Scott Base rebuild.

Based in Christchurch, the family-run company, has been the designer and supplier of Antarctica New Zealand’s new ECW clothing for nearly 15 years. Prior to this the old family business Arthur Ellis & Co Ltd had been supplying clothing to New Zealand’s Antarctic Programme since 1956.

Using the latest designs, layering concepts and fabric technology, the unique long-term buyer and supplier relationship has created an enviable world-leading polar clothing system.

As well as Antarctica New Zealand and the Navy, ESS has also supplied clothing for the Netherlands Polar Program, the Australian Antarctic Division, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

The Ellis family also have decades of knowledge and experience behind them as keen mountaineers and outdoor adventurers.

“Our passion, and heritage, behind Earth Sea Sky are important because it links into why we make the products and the values behind them, which is all about function, local NZ manufacturing, and good quality fabrics,” Ellis said

“Very few outdoor clothing companies have as much hands-on experience in design and production these days as we do.”

It started with Ellis’ grandfather, Roland, who channelled his love for mountaineering to develop the first down-filled sleeping bags in the Southern Hemisphere during the 1920s.

The sleeping bags became essential for all Kiwi outdoor enthusiasts, including Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who used them during their first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.

TAE Tractor Team The Old Firm Arriving At South Pole Station, Bates, Mulgrew, Hillary, Ellis, Wright Jan 4Th 1958 Credit: Ellis Family Archives

Ellis’ father Murray continued Roland’s work by developing the country’s first synthetic fibre-filled sleeping bags. He was one of two engineers on Sir Edmund’s NZ team of the 1956-1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition who drove the Massey Ferguson farm tractors to the South Pole and helped establish the original Scott Base.

Following in this father’s footsteps, Ellis worked for the family company before forming Earth Sea Sky in 1990. At the time it filled a growing need for outdoor clothing to combine comfort and style with high performance.

“It’s not all about the bells and whistles – good design is something that is reasonably simple but does the job superbly,” said Ellis.

Working alongside four clothing manufacturers across the country, ESS takes pride in keeping production runs small and sustainable.

They now export over 25% of their production overseas and have a global reputation for quality and durability.

Despite the challenges of competing with a saturated global market and the continued influx of imported products, Ellis firmly believed in keeping production and jobs in New Zealand.

“It’s part of our ideology and ethics. I was born into a family that really took it on board in terms of doing something in NZ, for New Zealanders,” he said.

“I’ve always said that if we cannot make clothing in New Zealand, we would simply close the brand.”

As one of just five international Antarctic gateways, Christchurch is more than geographically convenient for the four National Antarctic Programmes that operate from the city (New Zealand, USA, Italy and Korea) and the other programs that use Christchurch as a gateway. Along with a quality airport and port infrastructure, the city is a hub of Antarctic logistics and research, with recognised environmental, scientific and extreme environment business expertise. Christchurch also hosts the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) at Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, and Antarctic Heritage Trust NZ, the leading agency internationally in polar heritage conservation. Both bring international visibility to Christchurch.

                                                 Antarctica NZ Field Team Credit: Juregen Kolb

Canterbury’s Antarctic sector alone contributes an economic impact of over $250 million annually.

“Christchurch is a very good base, it’s got the scale of economy that we need, and valuable business has been created through networking,” said Ellis. “I could think of no other place to base Earth Sea Sky.”

After decades of leading New Zealand’s outdoor performance clothing scene, Earth Sea Sky shows no sign of slowing down.

“I get up every morning and I have about 10 ideas between getting from my bed to the office,” said Ellis. “Every time I see a change in our markets, I see an opportunity to do something new.”