In 1879, Jim Murphy worked as an apprentice sailmaker at Channon Ships Chandlers and Sailmakers in Chicago. All sails made by Channon for cargo and passenger sailing ships were sewn by hand. As the railway steadily made its takeover - making sea transport obsolete - rather than shut down, many sails companies started to make sails for yachts.

In 1933, Jim Murphy and Harry Nye Jr. founded Murphy & Nye in Chicago as sailmakers specialized in sails for pleasure craft. Three years later, Murphy & Nye was plunged into the world of racing when Milton Wegenfurth won the Star World championship in 1936 with Murphy & Nye sails. The increasing number of yachts taking part in international races equipped with Murphy & Nye sails convinced them to produce items of clothing to be worn as crew uniforms.

MURPHY & NYE: a head-to-toe apparel line
The clothes were made with durability and functionality in mind, essential for their proposed use, and were produced the old-fashioned way in the sails factory using the same fabrics and techniques employed for the actual sails. The gear was such a success that it gave rise to Murphy & Nye Sailwear. The top-selling trousers in hard-wearing Reps cotton were baptized NEWPORT, the city hosting the oldest and most important race in the world, the prestigious America's Cup. The spirit of research and innovation that fuelled Jim Murphy and Harry Nye Jr. remains the cornerstone of the Murphy & Nye collections to this day - highly versatile, quality clothing assuring unbeatable comfort under the most extreme conditions and in day-to-day life. The Murphy & Nye Sailwear line caters to all needs of life aboard, offering an extensive choice of technical and sportswear, from the hard-wearing, elegant oilskins to swimwear, from leisurewear to coordinated accessories.