French America's Cup challenger Orient Express Team announces K-Way® as official clothing supplier
by K-Challenge 14 Mar 2023 10:51 PDT
French America's Cup challenger Orient Express Team announces K-Way® as official clothing supplier © Orient Express Team
Orient Express Team, the French challenger for the 37th America's Cup, is proud to announce a partnership with Italian group BasicNet, and its signature brand, K-Way®, official clothing supplier to the French Team.
In 2024, four of BasicNet's brands will line up with the French challenger Orient Express Team to compete for the 37thAmerica's Cup, the world's oldest sporting trophy.
The French challenger, led by helmsman and skipper Quentin Delapierre, will be equipped with an exclusive line of K-Way® technical and lifestyle clothing. Sebago® will provide the team with a collection of technical and casual footwear, Kappa® with a range of shore-based sportswear, while stablemate Briko® will provide a comprehensive suite of protective equipment, including helmets, masks, goggles and safety vests for the wellbeing of the sailors.
The famous French K-Way® brand, that was founded in Paris in 1965 by visionary entrepreneur Léon-Claude Duhamel, will also be represented onboard the challenger's AC75.
BasicNet and sailing
This is not BasicNet's first foray into the sailing world. From 2005 to 2010 its Kappa® brand was official clothing supplier to the Italian sailing team Mascalzone Latino competing in the America's Cup. In 2019 and 2020 the group's footwear brand Sebago® supported solo skipper Alberto Bona for the Solitaire du Figaro. Added to that, from 2010 to 2015, Robe di Kappa® also sponsored the famous Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez regatta, organised by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, today represented by Orient Express Team for the 37th America's Cup.
K-Way® and the world of sport
Bought by BasicNet group in 2004, K-Way® was repositioned as a lifestyle brand. It is now rekindling its relationship with sport, a sector that it has supported heavily in the past, notably through a collaboration with the French Alpine skiing team for the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville. K-Way® rapidly established its brand as the sportswear accessory par excellence. Today, the brand that made a name for itself thanks to the windbreaker that could be stored in a waistband belt, is back in the spotlight.
Quotes:
Stéphan Kandler, founder, and president of K-Challenge, now known as Orient Express Team: "We are proud to welcome the iconic French brand K-Way® on board. Orient Express is part of France's design heritage and legacy. K-Way® was our first supporter, and we appreciate their early involvement. On these new flying boats, we need highly technical and reliable clothing that can cope with speeds of over 100 km/h. Complemented by Sebago®, Kappa® and Briko®, we will also offer an exciting and stylish range of products to our fans!"
Lorenzo Boglione, Vice President of BasicNet: "We are extremely proud to be a sponsor of the French team, the French challenger of the America's Cup, backed by Orient Express. The America's Cup is the world's oldest sporting trophy with a legendary history shaped by 172 years of great sportsmen, performance, and technology. Sailing is K-Way®'s natural environment, protecting you from the water and wind. This competition marries perfectly with our brands, and we are thrilled to be a part of it once again, following our adventure with Mascalzone Latino back in 2007."