29029 Everesting
29029 Everesting is without a doubt one of the coolest brands we’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. They offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience: all-inclusive luxury camping at the base of a ski resort and 36 hours to hike a mountain on repeat until you’ve climbed 29,029 feet – the height of Mount Everest.
It's an epic adventure of self-development that's caught the attention of celebrity participants, media outlets such as Outside Magazine, and was recently acquired by iFIT, makers of NordicTrack®, ProForm®, and the iFIT home workout app.
What's an endurance event without swag?
For an endurance event of this magnitude, cheap event swag just won't cut it. The founders had invested in developing a brand that stood as tall as the event experience they had created. They needed their event swag - apparel, hats, bibs - to do the same.
"29029 was curated from day 1 to be about community and a brand that far exceeded an endurance challenge. Peer recognition, read status signaling, within the confines of 29029, has been a pillar from the first ascent," says Marc Hodulich, CEO and Co-Founder.
Here's a pro tip: they use apparel to incentivize participants to push through those moments of internal struggle on their journey up the mountain. For example, while you can buy branded apparel on their website, you can only get the red logo at the event. And the ultimate trophy - the prized red hat - is reserved only for finishers of all 29,029 feet.
It's a strategy that has helped to develop absolute brand fanatics. Don't believe me? Meet Chuck. He tattooed the 29029 logo on his bicep. That's permanent!
There has to be a better way
The bar for living up to 29029 Everesting's brand promise is high. Fortunately, they found some co-branded apparel that they really liked, and customers loved. Unfortunately, they also found that they were working with too many suppliers with different processes, fits, qualities, and prices. The lack of consistency wasn't ideal for maintaining a cohesive brand experience.
They also wanted the 29029 brand to stand on its own, which is only possible with true private label.
On top of all of that, they were managing the entire process of sourcing and decorating on their own, which became increasingly time consuming.
SEO for the win
It wasn't long before they realized they wanted to bring their entire apparel program under one roof. We thank the Google gods for landing Tokalon in their search results.
After our first meeting, we did what we do. We sent samples to the 29029 team to review fit and quality. Once we passed the initial smell test, we met again to discuss their ideal first collection, including decorations and trims. Finally, we sent back 3D mockups of the entire assortment, along with pricing and lead time for delivery.
From there, our team went to work to cut, print, sew, tag, bag and ship to their warehouse with everything but a big red bow.
Happy hikers
What used to take a full headcount for 29029 to manage has been reduced to an occasional video conference check-in; freeing up capacity to focus on building the most badass endurance event under the sun.
"We now have one point of contact that manages everything for us, including design, with really high quality and transparent pricing," says Hayley Ahuja, project manager at 29029.
The best part, she adds, "We get so many compliments on our apparel from our attendees, and even our new board members at iFIT love it, too!"
A bit more
If you're interested in learning more about the 29029 Everesting event, you have to read this firsthand account in Outside Magazine's article, Jesse Itzler’s Everest-Sized Hike Will Change Your Life.
Don't forget to check out the shop at 29029everesting.com. But remember, if you want the red logo, you have to earn it. 😉
