Our Story
MASSIF — A Legacy Born on the Mountain
Massif was founded in 1999 by two passionate visionaries who set the bar high for quality and excellence in everything we do. Randy Benham, one of Massif’s founders, was a Jenny Lake Search and Rescue (SAR) crew member in Grand Teton National Park who understood the demands of rugged, unpredictable, and hazardous work conditions and began to wonder if he could make flame-resistant gear be as comfortable and effective as his favorite non-FR gear? At the time, there was an unfortunate trade-off between comfortable, high-performance personal gear, and the uncomfortable protective gear designed to protect against injuries from flash fires. The Flame-Resistant fabrics of the time lacked the characteristics of high-performance outdoor apparel: stretch, breathability, moisture management, and inclement weather protection.
On a mission to fill the gap and solve the problem, Randy and Massif partnered with the specialized Los Angeles based knitting mill Antex, and a core group of extraordinarily dedicated people to invent never-before-seen FR fabrics that could be applied to innovative clothing designs for numerous climates and contexts. Every yarn and stitch represents the vision of our founders, including a commitment to being 100% made in the USA.
MASSIF — Serving to Protect
Massif grew by word of mouth—from the SAR and Wildland Firefighting Communities to the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army and now every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. What began in the mountains has now spread to the aviation community, ground forces, and other specialized organizations. Our commitment to high-quality fabrics, functional designs, and uncompromising fit, construction, and durability have shown time and time again that our garments will last mission after mission. This has given us the privilege of protecting millions of people who work in some of the planet’s most challenging environments.
Each of our garments is designed and brought to life in-house in Southern Oregon. With a direct connection to our end users and a small flexible team, every design, pattern, and fabric development can quickly transition from idea into rapid prototyping. All of our garment designs go through rigorous field testing for form, fit, and function by our in-house team, as well as by current military personnel. We continue to evolve from this feedback and translate this into nearly 5 million garments worn by the US Military in the past decade. Just as our Design and Development team designs with the needs of the end-user in mind, our Sales and Customer Service teams strive to match our customers’ dedication to their jobs with a matching commitment to give the ultimate customer experience.
MASSIF — Today
In August 2014, Massif joined the corporate family of our original textile mill partner, Antex/Matchmaster, based in Los Angeles, California. We’re proud to have joined their 40-year history of manufacturing high-quality textiles in the U.S. With vertical integration and the capacity for rapid innovation from fiber, to fabric, to garment, Massif continues to improve our agility and enhance our technical resources for future growth.
Today, with a growing team of 40 plus, we are a world leader in supplying high-performance flame resistant outdoor apparel. We can’t wait to see where the mountains take us next.