Icebreaker - Pure Merino

Sitting in a freezing pool isn’t much fun during a New Zealand winter, but a bunch of us at Icebreaker head office decided to make the sacrifice for a great cause.

The Heart Stoppers Challenge is an event run by  Heart Children New Zealand for the 450 kids each year who have open-heart surgery. During surgery, children are cooled down in icy slush to lower their heart rate.

In addition, we had an Icebreaker connection with the charity. Our colleague Jason Brown’s son, Adam, is a heart child. He had his nine-hour heart surgery at the age of six months, and spent a week at Starship Hospital in Auckland.

The challenge involves a team of four to six people getting together, choosing a dress theme (the crazier the better), and plunging into an icy pool for five minutes.  I convinced five colleagues to join me in this event: Jason, Grant Manson, Hamish Allan, Sarany Pan and Jacob Horan. Thoughts on costumes were coming out left right and centre, but the final verdict was “Nature and Beast”.

The day arrived - Friday, May 22 - and we were all hyped up and excited, ready for the plunge at 11.42am. The weather forecast for the day was 7°C, occasional showers, a risk of hail and a strong southerly…ouch!

The event started with a memorial service and a release for balloons featuring the names of children who hadn’t made it through surgery. It was an emotional moment.

Then we plunged into the 5°C spa pool.  Ever had the feeling of your heart beating a thousand miles per hour, with the feeling of needles everywhere through your body? A little extra body fat helps, but Jase was short of body fat so he really felt the pain. While we were sitting in the pool cursing, our colleagues surrounded us, cheering, taking photos and handing us beer.

After our five minutes were up, we were allowed a nice soak in a 39°C spa. By that stage, do you think we could even feel it? No!

As well as raising over $1,000 in donations, we won the best dressed prize out of 17 teams. A big thanks to all those who made a donation and supported us on the day.  It was a great cause and I’ll definitely be doing it again next year - and trying to reel in more participants.

- Chantelle Matenga, International Logistics Coordinator

Most of my friends dream of having a job that involves travel - and I’m not talking about a conference in Auckland or the annual teambuilding trip in the Wairarapa. In my two years with ‘Team EU’, I’ve been to Europe five times.  Most of the trips have centered around trade shows, which are an avenue to showcase our new ranges to current and potential buyers. The summer trade shows are my favourite - probably because I get to escape the torturous Welly winter.

I’ve been working at Icebreaker for just over three years now, starting out in the NZ customer service team. After less than a year in that role, an opportunity came up to move into a small team that looked after our European distributors.  I’m still there, but our EU markets have grown massively so my role is forever changing.

My last couple of Euro stints have been geared to helping with the set-up of our European-based teams and offices. It was hard-nuts at times, working some big hours to get things done, but in August when the first German sales go through our system it will all be worth it!  It’s a unique thing to be involved in - a Kiwi company making it worldwide!  In five years’ time, when our German office is booming, I can say I was there when their furniture was being delivered. That’s pretty cool.

While the weeks abroad can be full-on with work, the weekends…well, let’s say I’ve been a Kiwi girl making the most of being in Europe.

So far in 2009, I’ve been skiing in Austria and Switzerland, hung out in Gaudi’s Barcelona, had coffee in Amsterdam and saw more breasts than I’ve seen in my life at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. I’ve visited friends and family in London, twice, and I’ve lost my bags on trains in Munich, twice!

At 24, I really have had the best of both worlds. I get to see the world, and I get to live in the best country in the world. However,  I’m a firm believer in freaking yourself out every once in a while, and that’s exactly what I’m about to do - I’m moving to Switzerland to work with our crew there for a year. And because I can’t speak much French, I’ll probably be freaking myself out every day. Great! Can’t wait!

So big thanks to Icebreaker for all the doors you’ve given me to open. It has been a challenge, and a privilege. Looking forward the year ahead! EU is going to crank.

- Rebecca Ryan, Export Coordinator

Icebreaker has our very own Ironman - Makuini Warbrick!

Being a single girl I was devoting too much time to work! So I decided I needed something in my life that would 1) keep me to normal work hours 2) be a goal big enough I couldn’t fake 3) be a goal big enough that I couldn’t leave it to the last minute 4) take care of my health.  Ironman fit the bill.

I’ve thought for a long time that Ironman was cool and would be an awesome feat but that it was for someone else.  Then I found myself needing a goal above and found my reason to do Ironman.  I’m not a girl who has exercise on the brain - in fact my brain is not wired like that in the slightest, but working at Icebreaker, well, I’m surrounded by crazy people who’ve swept me up into their world of exercise and competing in events.

I decided to do this 48 weeks out from Ironman NZ, 7 March 2009. My training included lots of swimming, biking and jogging - I’m a swimmer so I loved the swimming part.  I hadn’t been on a bike for 10 years, so buying a bike and learning how to ride a road bike was interesting and ultimately I came to like it. Running, on the other hand, I didn’t like - and only had a major mental breakthrough just 6 weeks before Ironman.

Most of my training was by myself (others at work were training for an event 3 weeks before mine).  I did have a cycle group I rode with on a Sunday that brought my bike fitness from 0 to 1.5hrs.  Most of the inspiring athletes at Icebreaker are faster than me, but I was game and went out a few times on the bike with them.  A friend from work, an ex-swimmer, became my swim training buddy which was vital in getting started cause having someone waiting for you at 6am was another good reason to train the body to get up at 5.30am.  I ended up joining a swim squad and found other crazy people with the same goal.

Before Ironman day, I had completed two half Ironmans, so the longest run I covered was 21km and the longest training ride I did was 130km. 

Ironman was fabulous - I had a great day.  An Ironman couple (both completed Ironman 2007) made a point to tell me to ‘make sure you enjoy the day. You’ve done all this training so enjoy the whole day!’

I DID IT!  I have great friends at Icebreaker and was privileged to have 10 of them make their way to Taupo to support me. I had a brief moment where I spazzed out at my brother cause he made a comment I didn’t like, but other than that - all good.

Training for 48 weeks is a LONG time so having people around asking how my training was going helped keep me on track.  The flip side to having lots of people know what your goal is, is that you can’t wimp out.  I was doing the Rotorua Half Ironman event and was having a tough time on the bike and wanted to give up, but what kept me going was that one of the guys from work did Around Taupo with an arm in a cast so the only viable reason not to finish was that I was in hospital and I wasn’t prepared to go to those lengths!  So some days you have to suck it up, others you enjoy, and once you’re in the finish chute of Ironman, you forget about it all.

Coming down the finish chute I was extremely happy and proud plus amazed that I was still in good form and spirits.  All that hard work, $$ spent, knowledge gained had paid off - I fulfilled my goal - I am an Ironman.  WOW! 

One of my favourite quotes is ‘define success in terms of your own potential’ I didn’t break any records, but my goal was to complete Ironman - and I did.  Now I wonder what other potential I have in me?

- Makuini Warbrick, Icebreaker Head Office

It’s the end of another week at work.  I love Fridays at Icebreaker’s HQ in Wellington, New Zealand - they’re always something to look forward to. I had to pick out a dress especially to wear this morning - we have Frock Fridays in our office; even the guys wear dresses sometimes.

A few of us are off to see a show at a comedy festival tonight. We’ve even tweeted the comedian to see if he wants to come and join us for a drink.  Hope he shows.  We’ve got lots of classic Kiwi party food: beer, chips, dip made from reduced cream and a packet of onion soup, cheerios (not the cereal; in New Zealand, cheerios are mini sausages) and Watties tomato sauce.  All thanks to Lou, our office manager, who has just been shopping.

Some of the team went out for lunch to have a debrief on the past week - what’s hot and what’s not.  Hot this week is the US marketing team, which dropped off leggings to Kate Hudson at a Vogue shoot in New York and delivered the Flight of the Conchords guys gear while they were in Portland (home of our US HQ). We all wished we were there to help out.

Ladyhawke’s playing really loud on the stereo at the moment - I think the crew are about to get up and dance. It’s nearly 2pm, so it won’t be far away.  A request has just been made for Pussycat Dolls, as Swave’s off to their concert tomorrow night.  Time to put on my high heels.

I’m off to the US office in a couple of weeks. I’m really looking forward to Friday arvo there; I’ve heard they match New Zealanders for partying. If they don’t, I’m sure I can help them out.

Right - it must be time for Friday drinks by now.  I’m off, just in case they’ve started without me.

- Brooke Riley, Web Project Manager

Since relocating to Portland in 2001, I have been captivated by the lone-standing volcanic peak that towers above our city and its surrounding environs - much like the identical buildings that towered over my youth in New York City. In contrast, this single peak draws our community to the vast outdoors of arguably the most beautiful state of all 50, which provides a natural playground for hiking, biking, skiing, camping and climbing.

While each of the former activities have offered my family and our friends the gift of experiencing a meaningful intimacy with nature (in ways we never previously knew), ascending to the summit of Mount Hood, quite frankly, had hardly ever crossed my mind. But when the opportunity was presented to join my Icebreaker colleagues - Gabo, an ultra-experienced climber and mountain guide from the Czech Republic, and Craig, our Swiss-based, spirited Kiwi comrade - in a trek to the top of Oregon, the decision was easy.

Under Gabo’s exceptional stewardship and with Craig’s energetic strength and support, we successfully represented the world’s leading purveyor of sustainable Merino fiber clothing systems, ascending to the summit in approximately five hours.

Just prior to that event, after I already felt I had reached (and exceeded) my physical limit, Gabo looked down at me and put some of my prior personal accomplishments into perspective when he said, “triathlons are for kids”.  A bit of truth, perhaps.

One certainty, however, is that nothing is more empowering than working together with your mates in a tightly knit team, pushing one another to exceed personal and collective expectations, and doing so in nature, to boot.  Cheers to Icebreaker!…by the way, IB Skier+ Mids in Black/Oil/Silver for those of you scoring at home…

- Darren Glassman, Global General Manager Socks

Although every day is effectively Earth Day, the flock from our US office and Icebreaker Touch_Lab store in Portland went for a lunchtime hike in Forest Park to celebrate Earth Day 2009.

We are keen on reducing our carbon footprint, so everyone (including two four-legged friends) piled into Pdx PediCabs and headed to the park where we met Stephen Hatfield, from the Forest Park Conservancy (FPC).

The FPC is all about protecting the precious piece of earth known as Forest Park, and with Icebreaker merino garments being renewable, sustainable, biodegradable and gentle on the environment, it was a great fit.  We enjoyed a fabulous hike up to the historic Stone House in Forest Park, taking in the beautiful surroundings.

- Molly King, Marketing Coordinator

To show continued support for the FPC, 10% of all Earth Day sales from the Icebreaker Touch_Lab_ store were donated to the Forest Park Conservancy Fund.

Recently in head office a star was born.  We had the 4th annual ‘Great Icebreaker Cake Bake Off’, and we found the next Nigella Lawson.

There were carrot cakes, raspberry drenched chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, Swiss apple cakes, and even a ‘Dolly’ cake.  It was spectacular.

All entries were judged meticulously by the famous chefs Steve Logan and Al Brown (from Wellington restaurant Logan Brown and stars of the TV series ‘Hunger for the Wild‘).

Our design project manger Sarah took out the top two awards - her apple and date cake was voted # 1 by Steve and Al, and she was also the People’s Choice Winner.  What a star!

We’ve put a challenge out to the rest of the Icbreaker offices around the world to see if they can bake cakes tastier than head office.  So far we’ve got one entry from our Christchurch office, the Pengu cake - we love it and can’t wait to see what everyone else will bake.

NZ’s winter started with a bang yesterday - one of our product designers Gerard captured this spectacular photo which appeared on the front page of the Dominion Post.  Check it out here.

Check out our Design Director Fred.  He’s looking pretty relaxed don’t you think?  He’s just got back from hanging out (well working) at our Spring/Summer 10 collection photo shoot.

Over the next few weeks we want to know if you can tell what country we photographed our latest Superfine range.  We’ll update the blog with photos and stories from Fred along the way, and if you reckon you’ve got a fair idea, flick us an email at blog@icebreaker.com.  If you guess the correct country location, we’ll put you in the draw to win a free top.  Entries close 5pm 31 May 2009.

Oh and here’s a few ’sneak peeks’ of Fred and our new range to get you guessing.  Just in case you weren’t sure, Fred’s the guy in the last photo.

It’s the wedding season here at Icebreaker Wellington HQ !

Jo, our Retail Designer, walked down the aisle to Matthew in Feb; Liz, our Global Marketing Coordinator, got hitched to Mitch at the end of March; and Conwae our Helpdesk Support Specialist got married to Sarah at the beginning of April.

They all looked stunning - here are a few happy snaps.