Breakthrough:
Toby Sunderland originated the lightweight rainsuit almost 40 years ago. It was made of Italian nylon. Previously, most so-called rainsuits were made of cotton poplins. They were heavier, a long way from waterproof and could be terribly uncomfortable. The suits marked a new era - and market.

Evolution:
Getting the jump on lightweight rainwear, Toby Sunderland stayed with Europe's market until the late 1960s, when the company began exporting to the United States and Canada. Sunderland was so established as a European front-runner that it already was outfitting the continent's Ryder Cup team by 1965. There was some brief dabbling in fishing and sailing outerwear, but soon, Sunderland came to focus exclusively on golf outerwear.

Breakthrough II:
New technology, led, first, to Sunderland manufacturing rainsuits made of polyurethane, which came to be known as "Sharkskin". It was the best available material until W.L. Gore developed a technological giant: Gore-Tex, which introduced the concept of "breathability" to waterproof rainwear. "It was a very clever step forward," Paul Sunderland says. "What it did was to allow manufacturers such as ourselves to really, truly experiment, and to add not only tremendous function to rainwear, a breathability, but to add a fashion element we were unable to offer before."

Expansion:
Paul Sunderland left the family company in 1981 to spend the next seven years working in California, in finance. In 1988 he was wooed back to the company when Warren, a former architect who was making most of the business decisions, determined that Sunderland of Scotland could fill a perceived void in the US golfwear market. "Certainly with our new windproof stuff, I felt there was a strong probability for market growth in the States," Warren said. "Obviously, it proved to be correct."

Corporate Measurements:
Employs 210 people in a 37,000-square-foot manufacturing headquarters in Glasgow. The plant operates 1 ½ shifts and has doubled its work force over the past six years. "We are starting to have some of our simpler product, some elements of our windproof product, manufactured in the Los Angeles area," Warren said. "None of it, though, is real rainwear all windwear, and its not waterproof, all waterproof productbeing made in Glasgow. And it's not waterproof material. Quality control is too important. We have a three-year guarantee on everything we sell, except for the Weatherbeater (shirt), which has so many knitted elements, and which gets washed so often, it has a one-year guarantee."

Taming the Trends:
"Fashion-wise, we have, to an extent, the advantage of being in Europe," Warren said. "We regularly go to the main fabric shows in Paris, so we can stay on top of fashion trends a year before they happen. We're aware of what moves forward. Sometimes we get it wrong. What happens in Europe doesn't necessarily happen in the US. But we get a lot of input from Paul, and from Sid Freund, our VP in the US, who's no youngster. He's been in the clothing industry for years. Then there's John McLaren, our chief designer, who's been with us about 18 years."

Strategic Hindsight:
"I really don't think we've introduced an item that's bombed", Warren said. "We've been very lucky in that respect. We've also been very lucky in terms of choosing our tour professionals (endorsement contracts). The first one we had, a guy who hadn't won much at the time, was Greg Norman. Then we got some more young guys at early stages of their careers: Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle. Then, Seve (Ballesteros), although he was a bit of a name, so no kudos for picking him. But then came a woman named Annika Sorenstam. In their day, they've all been very loyal to the company. Maybe it's a bit different when you're a family company." Current endorsements include Seve and Michelle McGann

The Future:
"We're certainly looking at the development of new products," Warren said. "We started in the US with wind shirts and rainsuits, and now we have the waterproof pullovers. Now, we've got to think of the next item. I know I'd be reluctant to enter the general apparel market. There are plenty of people making shirts and slacks, so I don't want to go into competition with those guys. We want to do this, and do it better and better. ".