Portwest is a clothing company based in Westport, Ireland that specializes in the design and production of protective clothing, including high visibility, flame resistant workwear, safety footwear, work gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE). Portwest was founded by Charles Hughes in 1904, in Westport. The Hughes family still own and manage the company. Portwest employees 6,000 people worldwide and sells 3,000 safety distributors and national retailers in more than 84 countries.