Since 1877, Helly Hansen has been the brand trusted by professionals to provide protective, performance-driven gear for the unpredictable and demanding conditions on the seas. This spring/summer ’24, the brand’s global sailing campaign, What It Takes, highlights professional sailing team American Magic in their pursuit to win back the Auld Mug at the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup competition.
To compete for the oldest international sporting trophy takes complete commitment of the professionals, as we learn in a short film following American Magic teammates. Resilience and dedication to making incremental improvements each day is vital. “It’s a big, daunting task,” explains Tom Burnham, Head Coach for American Magic. “And it’s exciting to be a small part of the big project…there’s a lot of energy and effort and emotion that gets brought into all the jobs and everybody wants to work to such a high standard on a daily basis.”
The team faced one of the most challenging experiences of the sport, capsizing and nearly sinking their AC75 during a 2021 qualifying race. “To be resilient to those moments and saying, ‘OK I’m going to get up and do it again tomorrow’, that’s what makes or breaks a professional in this game,” explains Andrew Campbell, Flight Controller for American Magic. “This team is a strong team, and we have a good chance, but that’s all that we can give ourselves is the chance to show up and get to that start line and race against these other squads.”
“With the ‘What It Takes’ campaign our aim was to highlight professionals that truly push themselves to the limit to achieve their goals,” says Joumana Løvstad, Chief Marketing Officer at Helly Hansen. “Developing products that allow the sailors to perform their best has been no small feat, and their passion continues to inspire our design team. We have no doubt American Magic has what it takes to win the America’s Cup and look forward to cheering them on in the upcoming regattas.”
American Magic will compete in the upcoming regattas taking place in Barcelona, Spain, which will determine the Challenger who will compete against the Defender in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match in October. To follow American Magic’s journey or to learn more about the campaign, visit www.hellyhansen.com.
