Nick Brown was brought up in Kent and was introduced to trekking in the Peaks with his father. He walked in Scotland every year but was dissatisfied with the waterproofing products available. So he created his own for preserving his boots. He wanted to make them waterproof without softening them and losing their essential supportive features. Nick's wax (hence the name Nikwax) was the beginning of the story of Nikwax.
Nikwax was first produced as a commercial product in a North London flat. In 1977, Nick mixed his first order with a discarded tea urn, a primus stove, a jug and materials bought from a local hardware store.