Buffalo Systems: Ben Fogle aiming for more success with Yorkshire clothing brand despite hectic first year

He says he has enjoyed spending time in Sheffield, helping the firm to expand and he is looking forward to more developments in the new year.

“It has been a very busy year but I am delighted with how it has gone,” he said. “People said we would struggle to find new staff such as seamstresses but we have found them.

“We have six new members of staff ready to join and another six or so coming on board in the new year.”

He said the company would be meeting Defence Secretary and Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP John Healey soon with a view to supplying our armed forces.

Buffalo, was founded in Sheffield in 1979 by mountaineer Hamish Hamilton and is known for pioneering the Double P (Pertex and Pile) single-layer clothing system, which is still manufactured in its Sheffield workshop.

The indestructible kit has long had a cult following, among the police and armed forces, as well as outdoor enthusiasts.

He said his love affair with Buffalo clothing began at school when he borrowed a jacket from an ex-military member of staff and “didn't give it back”.

The adventurer, who has climbed Everest, raced to the South Pole and rowed across the Atlantic, after finding fame on BBC reality show Castaway in 2000, and who says he is “dyslexic when it comes to figures, dyslexic full stop”, is documenting his journey for a new Channel 5 TV show which will air next year.

Mr Fogle and business partner James Sleater, who owns multiple Savile Row companies, bought the business from John Rockall and Sue Mansell, who ran the business since the late 1990s.

He is determined to raise the company’s profile and has announced a sponsorship deal with Sheffield United women’s football team. He said a meeting with Mr Healey may pave the way for the company to build more links with the military.

He said: “I am passionate about the brand and passionate about Great Britain.

"I think consumers are becoming more and more concerned with provenance and heritage and with Buffalo we have a great brand with a rich history.

“We want to build on our military connections too. I am proud of Great Britain and I want to help this company to flourish.

"I was warned off by some people who said recruiting skilled people would be a challenge but I am delighted with the people we have taken on and delighted with the staff we inherited.

"In a way it is an uphill struggle because we are manufacturing in Yorkshire and we will continue to do so even though we could manufacture more cheaply abroad.

"We are making a profit but we are investing that back in the business to make it more successful.”

He said he has spent a lot of time abroad, filming a documentary in China but he makes very regular visits to Sheffield to keep in touch with the company.