Paul & Sarah Howcroft took the outdoor clothing industry by storm in the early 1970s by introducing a stylish, versatile and functional range of clothing that looked great and actually worked. The woolly breeks brigade choked on their beer & fags – this will never do! Parentage and sexual orientation questioned, surely it was only French mountaineers who posed in such outfits.

Rohan prevailed and the woolly breeks were consigned to cushion stuffing. Salopettes were the first Rohan items to hit the shops, we’ve got excellent examples of these elsewhere in the collection and we think these breeches came soon after (circa 1975) as they are made with a similar material to the early salopettes, we think this material is ‘Helenca’, though not sure, we also think these early breeches were called ‘Striders’, but there were lots of different versions, Super Striders, Outsiders etc. Any clarification would be gratefully received.

There once was a Stryder, an avid Outsider

But, when she thought on some Spyders, something inside her

Thought arachnophobia – the decider!