Mike Graham started sewing climbing pants in his Oxnard garage in 1982, trying to solve a problem he'd run into himself in Yosemite: nothing on the market was both durable and flexible enough for free climbing. The name came from a self-given nickname from years earlier, when he and fellow Stonemasters attempted an "all-Italian" first ascent of Half Dome (despite none of them actually being Italian), and the pants themselves borrowed their gusseted inseam and ankle-cuff construction from martial arts clothing rather than existing outdoor gear. By 1998, REI told Graham that Gramicci had become the top-selling brand in its stores outside REI's own label; he sold the company the following year, when it was doing $27 million in annual sales.