Henri-Lloyd x INEOS Britannia, 'Engineered to make history'
by Henri-Lloyd 9 Mar 2023 11:00 UTC
Henri-Lloyd announces a new partnership with America's Cup Team, INEOS Britannia © Henri-Lloyd | INEOS Britannia
Henri-Lloyd announces a new partnership with America's Cup Team, INEOS Britannia. The iconic British clothing brand enters a third cycle as official Performance Clothing Partner, which sees them support the challenge to make history as Britain's first team to win the America's Cup.
As the evolution in design for the America's Cup boats continues, it brings new demands and challenges on the technical apparel that's supports the team on and off the water.
The America's Cup is known as a design race, and this does not stop at the race boat. Just as every piece of hardware onboard INEOS Britannia is critical, every seam and every stitch has been engineered to deliver the optimal performance. The extreme nature of the competition requires kit that delivers in a wide range of conditions.
INEOS Britannia has been based in Palma, Spain since October 2022, sailing their 'T6' test boat during a breezy winter training camp, which has seen them push limits in preparation for the 37th America's Cup which will be held in Barcelona, Spain (October 2024).
World champion high performance sailor, Leigh McMillan, Flight Controller for INEOS Britannia commented: "We're doing huge days, training for six to seven hours on the water and during that time we are pushing the limits of the boat in extreme conditions. We are traveling at speeds of 60MPH and in that time you experience touchdowns on the water, it hits you hard with huge amounts of water coming over the boat. I've been wearing the dry suit solidly and haven't had any kind of water ingress, it's been good, very good we are all super impressed how well the Henri-Lloyd kit has performed."
Protection and performance are not a new concept to Henri-Lloyd, who in 2023 celebrate 60 years as an industry leader, producing the worlds' best waterproof clothing. It was their founder Henri Strzelecki who started the company born out of the idea of protecting the pioneers of round the world sailing. He wanted to create products that would protect in any condition, as well as allow them the ability to perform at the highest level. This passion for protection produced groundbreaking technological developments that remain industry standards to this day, from taped seams to waterproof zips.
Graham Allen, Henri-Lloyd CEO, who has been at the forefront of INEOS Britannia's technical clothing design for the last three campaigns said:
"When you race at the limits of what is possible, you need protection and performance that delivers. We understand the importance of marginal gains, every stitch, every seam is critical, there is no room for error, if the kit fails, it impacts not only the performance of the athlete, but their safety as well. Six decades of proven experience and innovation at Henri-Lloyd has enabled us to create a range of products to test the boundaries of design and engineering as we support INEOS Britannia to make history and win the oldest trophy in modern sport,"
INEOS Britannia, Team Principal and Skipper, Sir Ben Ainslie commented "One of the mainstays during my career has been Henri-Lloyd. They have proven themselves to be at the forefront of performance and innovation. INEOS Britannia is taking on the challenge of a lifetime as we aim to win the oldest trophy in modern sport, we're excited that with 60 years of experience producing the best performance sailing clothing in the world, Henri-Lloyd will again support us as we push the boundaries of what is possible."
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