The KUMU brand started life as a personal project of founder Stephen May. Working as a graphic designer in various agencies for many years, he conceived Kumu which gave him true creative freedom to establish a brand that would become a driving creative force within the fishing industry and beyond. It was important that the brand stayed true to its convictions from the start and explored ways that had never been explored before, pushing boundaries between fishing, design, and fashion. The launch of the original Death Rig range saw the brand gain notoriety. Initially, he ran the company alongside a full-time job in the back room of his house, then in April 2018, the brand took a new turn when long-time friend Dave Marvell became a business partner, taking over the logistical side to allow Stephen to focus again on design and creation. Six months later, in October 2018, the decision was made for Stephen to leave his position as Lead Designer in a Liverpool agency, to focus full time on the brand. The brand was originally known as "On The Beaten Track" (OTBT), which harked back to its humble beginnings as a personal blog. It was after its steady growth and following copyright issues that the decision was made to change the name to something more suitable for a fashion brand and thus KUMU was born in September 2019. Since then, the brand has not stopped moving forward, imposing its own style of creativity on the carp fishing-inspired clothing market through its product range offering consumers an alternative in a saturated market.
