Our Heritage

A Legacy of Innovation and Adventure

1920s – 1950s
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The beginning - Roland Ellis & the pioneering spirit
The roots of Earth Sea Sky trace back to the 1920s when Roland Ellis, driven by his passion for mountaineering, merged his love for the outdoors with the manufacturing of bedding products. This union of interests led to the creation of the Southern Hemisphere’s first down-filled sleeping bags. In the 1930s, these sleeping bags became an indispensable part of the gear for outdoor enthusiasts in New Zealand.

Their excellence gained global recognition when Sir Ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay relied on them during their historic ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.

Roland’s pioneering spirit extended beyond sleeping bags, as seen in his homemade mountain tent design showcased in the New Zealand Alpine Club’s 1935 Journal.

Photo: Ellis Family Archives

Roland Ellis’s homemade mountain tent design. Copyright: New Zealand Alpine Club, 1935 Journal.
Murray Ellis & the Antarctic Expedition
In 1948, Roland’s son, Murray Ellis, joined the family business.

An avid tramper, mountaineer, and qualified engineer, Murray became a crucial member of Sir Edmund Hillary’s New Zealand team during the 1957-58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

His engineering prowess played a pivotal role in establishing the original Scott Base and ensuring the functionality of the tractors during the South Pole expedition. Continuing his father’s legacy, Murray developed down-filled clothing and manufactured New Zealand’s first synthetic fibre-filled sleeping bags.

Fergusson tractor in a crevasse on the Polar Plateau, December 1958. Left to right: Ed Hillary, Jim Bates, Peter Mulgrew, Derek Wright, Doug McKenzie (press correspondent). Photo: Murray Ellis

The “Old Firm,” as they were fondly known, became the first team to reach the South Pole overland since Amundsen and Scott in 1911-12.

The “Old Firm” arriving at the South Pole, January 4th, 1958. Left to Right: Jim Bates, Peter Mulgrew, Ed Hillary, Murray Ellis, Derek Wright. Photo: Murray Ellis Collection

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1948- 1958
1980s – Present
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David Ellis & the continuation of tradition
In 1980, Murray’s son David embraced the family tradition, joining Arthur Ellis & CoAs an active climber, tramper, and ski mountaineer, David spent nine years developing and selling a range of packs, tents, and outdoor clothing to complement the company’s iconic sleeping bags.

David’s early climbing years. The first ascent of the Donne Face of Mt Underwood 1974. Left to right: David Ellis, Mark Easton, Al Soon, Colin Strang – Donne Valley, Fiordland. Photo: David Ellis Collection
The launch of Earth Sea Sky
Recognising the gap in the market for outdoor clothing that performed, styled to look good on the streets as well as performing the mountain tops, David established Earth Sea Sky. Utilising his extensive knowledge of fabrics, functionality, design and marketing he identified the essentials. These were sourcing and using the best performance fabrics available, designing in-house for functionality and style and making locally. Earth Sea Sky was the first to operate in this market space in New Zealand and is the only to have maintained its commitment to all three factors; best performance fabrics, designed in-house for function and style and 100% New Zealand made.

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1990’s
Early 2000’s
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Earth Sea Sky - A New Era
In 2008, Earth Sea Sky marked a significant milestone by expanding its Christchurch base. A fabric storeroom, a finished goods store, and factory space were added to the back of their Addington building, bringing the entire operation under one roof for the first time.
Antarctica Connection & Expansion
Earth Sea Sky further solidified its connection with Antarctica in 2007 by winning the contract to supply clothing to scientists and the workforce at New Zealand’s Scott Base. This marked a continuation of the company’s history of involvement with Antarctica which dated back to David Ellis’s father’s participation in an expedition led by Sir Edmund Hillary in the 1950s.

It took 12 months to design, test and finalise the wardrobe of 5 jackets, 2 trousers and 4 headwear items and to source the fabrics and componentry. Many of the garments originated from Earth Sea Sky’s standard mountaineering range but the large down-filled ECW jacket and the lighter quilted Primaloft jacket were designed from scratch.

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2007 - 2010’s
2011
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The Christchurch Earthquakes
Christchurch was devastated by a major earthquake on 22 February 2011. Fortunately, Earth Sea Sky’s Addington location escaped lightly with minor damage and was able to continue operating.

The Christchurch factories were not as lucky.

The Earth Sea Sky team assisted others dig themselves out and provided support for machinists whose homes were left isolated through liquefaction.

One of these, Sole Survival, was relocated the weekend following the earthquake, into the new Earth Sea Sky building.

Christchurch mayor at the time or the earthquake, Bob Parker became a household name with wide media coverage. Bob, now Sir Bob, had negotiated to keep one of the jackets issued to him by Antarctica New Zealand on a trip to the ice. The jacket became a talking point and was known as ‘The Bob Parker Parka’. We provided another as a fundraiser for the mayoral relief fund raising $7500.

Mayor Bob Parker’s Earth Sea Sky Turbo soft shell jacket – a recognizable focal point for TV cameras, produced by one of our contracted factories in Christchurch.

The 2010s witnessed the integration of two factories into the Earth Sea Sky fold, one based in Christchurch head office and another in ELCO apparel, Dunedin. This strategic move enabled the company to swiftly supply clothing to meet corporate and market needs.
Tragedy
February 2012 the middle Ellis son Mark was killed tragically on the Ball Hut Road, Aoraki Mount Cook, on his way to climb Nuns Veil. As well as a loved family member, Mark had touched many customers through his work helping with the annual pop-ups and the supply of his renowned muffins.

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2012
2013 - 2016
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Factory Changes
Significant changes in the New Zealand manufacturing landscape made operating the manufacturing arm more challenging. The removal of tariffs and import licencing and a Free Trade Agreement with China saw all the international brands arrive in New Zealand. The companies that had used the New Zealand factories to establish their brands moved their production offshore.

This resulted in the closing down of two of the manufacturing operations we had used and in Earth Sea Sky taking ownership of our two main factories, Sole Survival in Christchurch and Elco Apparel in Dunedin.

Elco was the name of the original Ellis factory, we re-established the name with the workroom in Dunedin which operates along the road from the original 1920 plant.
Covid, Lockdown & Masks
The widely publicised shortages of PPE clothing when New Zealand went into lockdown led to Earth Sea Sky reaching out to help. We were contacted for assistance in making masks using a filter developed and manufactured by Auckland company Lanaco. Sourcing the materials through lockdown was challenging but achieved and our factories returned to work. When mask-wearing was announced as mandatory orders escalated and we had several of the busiest months Earth Sea Sky had ever experienced.

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2020 – 2021
2020 – Present
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A Continued Commitment to Quality & Innovation
In the 2020’s, Earth Sea Sky prioritised refurbishing its building to meet new earthquake standards. Additionally, a flagship store was added in Addington, enhancing the brand’s presence and accessibility.

Earth Sea Sky can be found in several independent retail stores in New Zealand and Australia, at its Addington store and online. Pop-up shops are run annually in Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson and Wellington. An online store ensures customers can access Earth Sea Sky in every corner of the world.

Earth Sea Sky is proud of its heritage, legacy of innovation and adventure and to be able to use this to maintain a position at the cutting edge of outdoor performance clothing and equipment.