Ducking Warm selected Trademark of September – New Icelandic outdoor brand

The trademark of the month of September is the word and figurative mark Ducking Warm Icelandic Eider, which represents a new product line of Icelandic outdoor clothing with Icelandic eider down. The first 25 jackets in the brand are expected to hit the market in November and will cost appr. USD 5,000.

Árni Rúnar Örvarsson runs the company Icelandic Eider and he aims high. It's been six years since he founded the company that manufactures and sells eiderdown duvets and runs two eiderdown farms on the Tröllaskagi peninsula in N-Iceland. The company is based on more than 80 years of eider-farming by his in-laws.

Örvarsson says that in 2021 eider down was exported from Iceland for appr. 450 mission UDS, but in the same year the estimated sales of eider down products in the world amounted to more than 30 million USD. The added value has therefore almost all been created outside of Iceland. This is something he wants to change.

Competition among outdoor enthusiasts for the coolest gadgets

Örvarsson quickly decided to focus on the outdoor clothing market, for several reasons. First, people are willing to spend on their hobbies today, and there is great competition among outdoor enthusiasts as to who has the coolest and most expensive gadgets.

People also talk a lot about their outdoor activities and share pictures from them on social media. Publicity is a very important factor in the marketing of outdoor products, and it is possible to achieve great success with a good and interesting story. And there are not many as interesting or sustainable stories around than the one about the cohabitation of the eider ducks and Icelanders. He says that, unlike what happens with almost all other down in the world, no bird is killed or plucked when Icelandic eiderdown is collected and that eider down is a completely unique product and there is no other down in the world that comes close to it in terms of insulation value compared to weight.

"One fucking warm jacket!"

The intention was initially to work exclusively with owners of other brands to introduce eider down into various outdoor products. Several such products will be launched this fall, but after gaining valuable contacts and experience, Örvarsson decided to start his own company around the idea of outdoor clothing with eider down. He says he works with a group of geniuses with vast experience in the field of outdoor activities and marketing in Iceland and abroad to develop the clothing and the brand. "The name came about because a great outdoor enthusiast tried a prototype jacket from us and said when he returned it that it was "one fucking warm jacket!" The name just came from there!"

Humour and lightness in the trademark

Örvarsson says that in fact, they are creating a completely new concept in the outdoor business. A high-quality luxury product, which is as sustainable as today's technology allows. It is intentional that the name is provocative and may even shock some people, and that both the name and the logo carry a certain sense of humour and lightness. The intention is to stand out from other luxury products in the field of outdoor activities. They also wanted to have a duck in the logo to emphasize the fact that the down is not plucked from living ducks. The logo was designed by Chris Lord from England who runs the studio Boxfresh Creative. It is round and suitable for putting on clothing and is characterized by soft lines that are characteristic of classic brands.

Football player and rebel

Örvarsson says he is an "adopted country folk". He was a football player and played all over the world and thus gained valuable contacts. However, he suffered from spinal disc herniation at a young age and had to find something else to do. He says he is a rebel by nature and not much for following in other people's footsteps "I have always been able to handle myself and not be afraid to express myself and try new things. It can therefore be said that there is a certain part of my personality in the Ducking Warm trademark," he says.

500 people to want 25 jackets

Ducking Warm products will be sold directly to consumers online. "However, it is by no means intended that it will be easy or simple to get hold of these products. The goal is that there will be 500 people who want to acquire this approx. 25 jackets that are expected to be produced in the first production round," concludes Árni.

Staff chooses the brand of the month

The trademark of the month is a new initiative at the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office, modelled after similar initiatives from other Nordic and Baltic intellectual property offices. The aim of focusing specifically on one chosen trademark each month is to draw attention to the importance of trademark registration and to promote the Intellectual Property Office's activities.