ABOUT MOSS TENTS

MOSS TENTS BRAND STORY

Charles William Moss
1923-94

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1923, he graduated from Ann Arbor High School and then joined the Navy. After that, he attended Layton Art School and Cranbrook Academy of Art.

In 1949, he joined FORD MOTOR COMPANY and became an illustrator for FORD TIMES, fulfilling his long-held dream.

In 1954, he created the world's first dome-shaped tent, the "POP-TENT," which he designed for his hobbies of duck hunting and fly fishing. Around the same time, he designed the "PARAWING" tarp for camping, picnics, and beach shade.

In 1960, C. WILLIAM MOSS ASSOCIATES was founded in Ann Arbor.

Married Marilyn in 1963.

1968: Development of O'DOME and PARADOME

In 1980, the "OPTIMUM 200" large cotton tent won a National Endowment for the Arts Award.

In 1982, "STAR GAZER II" was the only camping equipment to be permanently exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and a silk version of "STAR GAZER" was also exhibited at the Louvre Museum (PARIS).

In 1983, BILL MOSS left MOSS TENT WORKS. He later divorced MARILYN, and MARILYN MOSS continued to run MOSS INC. as CEO (until 2001).

In 1994, MOSS INC. sold the design blueprint rights of its CAMP TENT division to Walrus. Walrus manufactured tents as a contract manufacturer for MSR and REI. Later, REI acquired Walrus and MSR, and MSR inherited only some of MOSS's design know-how. The Seattle model began appearing on the brand logo around this time.

In 2001, MOSS INC. was sold to EXHIBITS company.

In 2019, JWMOSS ENTERPRISE (USA) and SOLO STAR JAPAN CO., LTD. (JPN) signed a contract as the main licensee to use the MOSS TENT BRAND trademarks, archives, and materials (Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan).

In 2020, MOSS JAPAN INC. was newly established to inherit the ethos of the MOSS TENTS BRAND.