NEMO has been given the coveted ispo BrandNew Overall Award with its inflatable 5-pound SAKO tent. The SAKO tent won over 158 entrants from 21 countries, and became the second consecutive American product to win the Overall Award.
“This is by far the most outstanding and beautifully designed piece of outdoor equipment Ive ever seen. It perfectly combines functionality and design,” said BrandNew judge Robert Schroots from Riri.
NEMO was one of two American companies to win big. Jetboil captured the Hytrel Hardware Accessories category award for its lightweight outdoor cooking system. Other category winners included Yono from Japan (Invista Style Award), Pressurized from Austria (Riri Sportswear Award), Surfswing from Germany (Delrin Hardware Summer Award), Flink from Switzerland (Thermolite Accessories Award), and Alurunner from Germany (ispo Hardware Winter Award).
In the past three BrandNew competitions, a total of seven American companies have won awards for their product innovations-two overall winners and five category winners. The newest winners will be featured in the newly designed BrandNew Village at ispo winter 05, to be held February 6-9 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. They will be joined by more than 30 category finalists, nearly 1,700 exhibitors and more than 50,000 trade visitors from 100 countries at the worlds largest sports industry trade fair, which has been sold out since October.
The other ispo BrandNew winners:
Hytrel® Hardware Accessories Award
JETBOIL is a very simple, lightweight but effective outdoor cooking system that greatly speeds up cooking time at all altitudes. The unit compresses and packs easily, creating added convenience for high-mountain backpacking and camping.
Invista® Style Award
Yono, the first ispo BrandNew Award winner from Japan, convinced the panel with its futuristic cuts and function-based style elements in its first collection. Yono provided one of the most impressive collections in the style category since the start of the ispo BrandNew Awards in February 2000.
Riri® Sportswear Award
With a new wingsuit concept, Austrias Pressurized was selected. The suit for base jumpers and parachutists provides a highly effective aerodynamic concept with air inlets in the front and special seams and rips on the backside which create a surface with a highly improved profile.
Delrin® Hardware Summer Award
A new training tool for board sports enthusiasts comes from Germany. The surfswing is fixed about 15 feet above the ground. Boarders swing freely, allowing all kinds of surf, wakeboard, snowboard and skate tricks to be performed in mid-air.
Thermolite® Accessories Award
Young Swiss designer Remo Frei won with his new backpack system “Flink.” The upper part is split in two and both parts are fixed by a hinge. This allows the top of the backpack to move independently from the back, providing great mobility, especially for climbers or snowboarders.
ispo Hardware Winter Award
This award went to the German Alurunner, an incredibly stylish aluminum sled, equipped with suspension and a soft transparent seating area. It is an ideal product for sled and luge riders.
Along with the winners, 33 finalists will be offered the chance to be a part of The BrandNew Pavilion that will be located in one of the trend sports halls. As an ispo BrandNewbie, companies have the advantage of being on a designated platform and gathered in a premium location.
