Buff

Buff's seamless microfiber tube was invented by Joan Rojas, born in Barcelona in 1946 into a family that had run a textile factory since 1927. Riding motorcycles along country roads in Catalonia, Rojas wanted a single piece of protective gear against sun, wind and cold, and worked out a seamless tubular design at his family's knitting factory in Igualada, near Barcelona. The product launched under the Buff name in 1992, and within three years it was being sold in Germany, France, Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe. The company has stayed rooted in its birthplace: Buff still manufactures almost all of its products at its factory in Igualada, which has grown into an 8,000-square-meter facility. What began as a single tube designed for one motorcyclist's own use has since expanded into headwear and accessories for running, hiking, skiing, industrial safety and other uses, sold in more than 70 countries. Rojas remained connected to the brand he founded until his death from cancer in January 2018, at age 71.