Issue 7
Hey CLEW fans,
foremost, we would like to thank you for the great support. The demand for the 2022/23 season was overwhelming, and for the 2nd year in a row we were almost completely sold out within a few weeks. Take your chance now to get your CLEW binding for the next winter season! You can now sign up for the Early-Access- Code on the CLEW website for your chance to get the code and secure your CLEW on October 1st before anyone else worldwide! Over the next six months we will be making a lot of changes behind the scenes, testing new materials and implementing new systems. And, of course, we will be putting CLEW Freedom 1.0 23/24 into production. In this edition, we will take a look back at 2022/23 and a look forward to 2023/24.
Page 1: The Recap of the winter season 2022/23
2017 saw the birth of an idea with the first 3D printed binding. Then, in 2019, we presented our first fully functional prototype at ISPO, the world's largest annual multi-segment trade show for sporting equipment and sports fashion in Munich, and produced the first small series - the Pre Rider model. In early 2020, our binding won the ISPO "Gold Winner" award for the best and most innovative snowboard binding in the world. Five years later, we continue to change snowboarding and write our story.
2022 was a turbulent and learning year for us: the corona pandemic, supply shortages and our first fulfillment camp in the USA. Most importantly, we learned how critical local manufacturing can be to the success of our business. By staying flexible and responsive with our local partner, we were able to avoid most of the global supply shortages. Our first fully-stocked warehouse in the USA has opened up many opportunities for our customers and partners in the USA and Canada. But it has also presented us with many challenges. We are reflecting on these in detail and will continue to evolve as a result. We promise our dealers and customers that we will never stop working on progress and improvement.
We have successfully established another cooperation with the guys from Moonchild Snowboards, and we were able to offer you limited snowboards in an extraordinary design together with our CLEW bindings. We have also introduced new CLEW Merch for summer 2022, in addition to our CLEW Hoodie there is now also the CLEW Cap and CLEW Beanie and CLEW Socks "Keep Riding".
We were also once again guests at Shop 1st Try, a big B2B festival in Alpach, Austria. Shop owners from all over Europe were there from January 21-24, 2023 to test the new models of bindings, boards and boots. Not only did we win 30 new stores for the season 23/24, but we also have a new collaboration with some great brands in the works - more on that soon!
Page 2: We are the CLEW Team: Over 150.000 Followers worldwide!
The CLEW Community brings together CLEW fans from around the world. We all love to be on the board, with lots of snow and bright sunshine in the mountains. With listening comes learning and growth: We are always looking forward to the exchange with you! Be it directly in conversations on the slopes or via our social media channels. Every single message makes us very happy, because your feedback helps us grow on many different levels. The feedback from our community is a decisive factor - it is thanks to you that we have grown so quickly.
Page 3: CLEW AirTag Disc
Always thinking differently - thinking outside the box.
Since our establishment in 2019, progress and innovation have been our top priority. We have established new materials, developed new products and grown continuously. Since the beginning, we believe in innovative ideas and pursue new ways to do so, based on our own research and development work. You inspire us to create new designs, new innovations and new ideas every day. We are constantly evolving to bring the best innovative products to the CLEW community.
We actively solicit feedback from the CLEW community and we receive exciting ideas from all over the world every day. The CLEW Step-In bindings have revolutionized the snowboarding market and inspired CLEW fans worldwide. The design of the CLEW Airtag Disc will be "from above" almost identical to the normal CLEW Disc, so you can't tell at first glance if there is an Airtag in the CLEW binding or not. This makes it more difficult for thieves to detect Airtags in CLEW bindings.
For this reason, the CLEW Airtag disc will not require different screws than the regular CLEW disc (e.g. security Torx instead of Phillips), so it will be visually indistinguishable from a regular CLEW disc. We also don't want to use different screws so you can change your binding angle or stance on the slopes without special tools.
Page 4: Snowboard Germany
It’s a lifestyle, not just sport
Snowboard Germany's Junior Freestyle Tour is the biggest contest series in Germany - and is looking for the best park shredders of the future. A total of five tour stops, including national and junior championships, are on the schedule this winter.
No matter if beginner or pro: Every rider is welcome on Snowboard Germany's Junior Freestyle Tour. It's all about having fun in the park, trying new things and meeting like-minded people in the mountains! All board fanatics will get their money's worth at the five upcoming tour stops in Southern Germany. The contests will be peppered with various side events, such as free coaching days with experienced coaches from the regional clubs. For newcomers and curious kids, this is the perfect opportunity to develop their snowboarding skills and capture it all in photo sessions. But new experiences and new friends are not all there is to win.
Page 5: Quote
"Snowboarding is freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want. It’s the confidence of knowing you can do anything you put your mind to. It’s a chance to connect with friends or take time for yourself. It’s many things to many people but it’s never just a ride."
Page 6: Who is new in the CLEW TEAM?
Anna - the creative structure lover
"My focus: unique CLEW products & distinctive CLEW events. My vision: Always with the motto "ENTHUSIASM moves the world" I'm 100 % motivated to create a sensational first year together with the whole CLEW team #onmanymore - I'm looking forward to it! With that in mind #keepriding"
Lina - on the move when it comes to marketing
"I'm always looking for cool content for our socials! My focus: content planning and production, team rider collaboration and creating value for our followers! As a recent graduate, I am highly motivated to take Clew to the next level and have an unforgettable time with the team!"
Page 7: Outlook 2023/24
You can now sign up for the Early- Access-Code on the CLEW website for your chance to get the code and secure your CLEW on October, 1st before anyone else worldwide!
We will start production of the CLEW Freedom 1.0 23/24 in May and are preparing full steam ahead for the upcoming 2023/2024 snowboard season. Last year we reached our capacity limits and this year we will significantly increase our production. Therefore we will soon move into a new production hall in Bavaria, Germany. This will allow us to stay in the Munich area and stay true to our motto "Made in Germany". We are also moving to a new, larger office in the heart of Munich.
We are always looking forward to hearing from you and interacting with you. The constant exchange with you makes it possible for us to constantly improve. Every feedback from our CLEW community and fans is an important part of the development of CLEW. The big CLEW Survey - Season 2022/23 has given us many important insights directly from every single CLEW fan in the community. For CLEW Freedom 1.0 23/24, these ideas and changes will be incorporated into our innovation and production processes. You can expect new material features and much more.
In 2023, we will expand our network of CLEW dealers worldwide with the "Shops 1st try" event in January 2023. So that we can bring CLEW even closer to you. The team of CLEW Teamriders will continue to grow. There are already 6 new teamriders who are part of CLEW. Let us inspire you next season!
As promised, there will be another exciting and strictly limited snowboard collaboration. We are also planning cool events and new merch! Stay tuned.