2020 was a special year for sure and one that future generations will be told about. The challenges our society faced this year were incomparable and many businesses, freelancers and athletes were afraid about their future. Not to mention health problems, risks and fears especially of elderly people. This blog is not supposed to discuss Covid-19, but to give you insights for what we went through and what we are planning to do. Last but not least we want to take the chance to say THANK YOU! Thank you for supporting us and sharing your passion with us. Exercising, sports and simply moving outside became more important than ever and a privilege we have to appreciate every single day!
January: Our trip to Bergen
Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt will hunt INCYLENCE in 2020 and beyond. We knew that for weeks and months and couldn’t tell it. Can you imagine how hard that is? ;-) In the first week of 2020 - which feels like a decade ago - we flew out to Bergen to meet the two and shoot photo and video footage. We were super lucky to have Marcel Hilger and Nick Staggenborg on board who are on top of the photo and video game. After two busy but fun and inspiring days we had everything we needed to launch the new collaboration. Welcome on board, Norboys!
Full efforts of the whole team. Photo credits: Marcel Hilger
February: New month new styles
At the end of the month we launched two new Curls designs. With Teal and Inferno we not only offered you two additional designs but introduced two completely new colors. This was the first of many times we made use of the bright Inferno style! The island of Fuerteventura was a very good spot for taking some shots!
Inferno shines bright. Photo credits: Helena Wetjen
March: Let the improvising begin
One of us in Girona (Spain), happy to make it out of the country before shutdown. First expo cancelled, first race cancelled. What are we doing and how do we react to something we never faced as individuals, yet alone as a company. To be honest: we didn’t have an answer for that. We tried to stay positive, keep working and spreading positive vibes. But we suffered and were in a state of shock for two weeks. Some sleepless nights, easy bike rides and sunny runs later we composed ourselves. We fell and we got up again. #huntincylence
April: We make our own competitions
One project we created in order to spread some positivity was our first Battle of the Socks. We threw in a draw with 16 of our sock designs and you did the rest. In duels, two designs faced each other in a knock-out battle and our community voted for their favorite in our Instagram stories. One by one made it through or got kicked out. For a week we had something to cheer for and a routine that helped us through that period. Levels White won the final against Arrows Tricolore and got the crown for at least 9 months. The next Battle of the Socks is planned for January.
Let's make our own competitions: Battle of the socks
May: Finally our Running Collection arrived
Italy was hit hard by Covid. Our manufacturer had to shut down for a total of seven weeks, postponing all of our collections and collaborations. May 10th was the day! Our RUNNING Collection 2020 alongside the Pushing Limits Split Socks got finally live and you were on fire! Thanks to the perfect spring weather many of you were hunting INCYLENCE!
June: We're happy to teach you some Norwegian
Did you know that vinne means winning and that a tjommi is a good mate? Well, you know now and you’re welcome! When we decided to launch a custom collection for Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden we knew that we are going to put a lot of community character into it. You not only buy some socks, but you will get a piece of Norway, you become a part of the Norboys team and we hopefully motivate you to win something. Whether that might be a personal best, completing a distance or simply conquering your weaker self! #huntcompleted
July: Let's keep it rolling!
The summer heat is on! There are still no races, but the situation seems under control. We - alongside the majority of our community - adapted to this unique season. One DIY triathlon follows the other and pb ́s are the newest sh*#t! As an add-on we launched the TRIATHLON Collection and boy, that Wildness design is shining bright! To be fully honest and transparent: we were a little skeptical about it, but it turned out to be one of your favorites! „Can we do another crazy colorway for that design, please?!?“
Getting ready all the time. Photo credits: Marcel Hilger
August: Breath in, breath out. Repeat.
Not a single launch this month. Can you actually believe it? We took the chance to relax while melting in the summer heat. Temperatures almost hit the 40 ́s in Hamburg. If you know that place, you will notice how crazy that is. Disclaimer: we didn’t really relax, but planning the next year already. It just fitted in this blogs chronology..! ;-) One of the main thoughts this month was: „What if it’s possible to create a performance sock, that is mostly recycelt?“ We quickly figured out that this is possible, so the logical challenge for us was: „How great in terms of functionality and quality can this specific product be?“ First tests were very positive!
September: It's a home town race behind closed doors!
Out of the blue there was a race and not just that. There was a world championship to win. The ITU buys - including Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt - were hunting for gold. Although they came up short, they put on quite a show - in the individual race, the mixed relay and the following photo shoot with us. Can you do a wheelie while holding your front wheel in one hand? You shouldn’t try! What you should try is to go for a swim training with the boys that includes 8x400 meters. Don ́t expect them to wait for you though! ;-) At the end of the month all baristas got what they needed: Double Espresso! The new Pushing Limits/Triathlon Crew Cologne Collab was another cracking success. Hold my beer, give me Candy & Coke!
Always fun working with the Norboys. Photo credits: Ina Rohden
Photo credits: Ina Rohden
Photo credits: Ina Rohden
October: Craving aloha
It’s that time of the year for triathletes around the world. The whole community is looking at a small Island in the pacific ocean where the fittest and fastest athletes battle against the heat, humidity and distance. We had it all planned: Alex wanted to race, Max would have been there to support, our Hawaii Special Edition was an eye-catcher. We came to terms with not being on Hawaii, but when the day arrived we still got sentimental. A three hour sunny autumn ride healed the wounds!
November: Imke Salander is a hunter!
Seven new styles at the beginning of the month were a good start. Parallel to that we are designing, selecting and discussing the 2021 collection and some completely new stuff. These days are exciting! End of the month we met with Imke Salander to shoot her doing her thing: high performance functional training! We agreed to an exciting collaboration weeks before and got things rolling now. If you didn’t know her before: that girl is super nice and on fire when in training!
Imke Salander is on board. Photo credits: Ina Rohden
Photo credits: Ina Rohden
December: Already months ahead!
1st of December. Waking up, putting that Christmas Box online. Everything’s working. We’re good to go! Just think about how easy and nice that would have been! ;-) Instead it took almost the entire day to get that technique going. BUT: We put the boxes online that day and were happy with how they turned out. Not perfect yet, but better than the year before. And hopefully not as good as next years edition. Progress and improvement are two wonderful things!
The last weeks have been about Christmas for sure but we feel like we spent most of our energy on the future of INCYLENCE. Lots of strategic decisions were made and are about to be made. 2021 will not be easy in terms of planning. Events and expos are more than in question. Manufacturers rely on numbers of infected people, deaths and political decisions. Our daily business and how we work together are affected by the same statistics.
Always on the hunt for new designs
We are fully committed to do everything we can to contribute to a positive development on the one hand and to prepare ourselves and INCYLENCE for as many scenarios as possible. We have a lot planned and we know that probably not everything is going to happen but be sure: we will be 100% committed to provide the best possible products that are way more than just a product. We wanna be positive, inspiring and different. We wanna get better day after day after day and we wanna keep our enthusiasm and drive for innovation!
Thanks a lot for your incredible support and sticking with us no matter what! You are the best and deserve our best efforts in 2021 and beyond! #forthehunters