Introducing Duotone Kitesurfing
North Kiteboarding has changed its name to Duotone Kiteboarding. The rebranding brings a fresh, new wave of inspiration to the beloved kiting brand. But just because they’ve changed their name, it doesn’t mean that the gear’s performance will be affected.
Same Great Product Just A New Name
Some people in the kiting community are a bit baffled by the new name, but the company has reassured everyone that it’s only a rebranding change. Everything else will stay the same – from the manufacturing, patents, and distribution, to the team, and designers.
The famous brand has been serving the kitesurfing community since 2001. The official rebranding to Duotone Kitesurfing is due to take effect in August 2018. The Boards & More kite division will continue to produce cutting-edge equipment for kitesurfing enthusiasts to embrace everything the sport has to offer.
Duotone Kitesurfing will strive to remain at the forefront of advanced kiting technologies, pushing the barriers to develop high-quality equipment. The dynamic team behind the scenes will remain the same, and as passionate about kitesurfing as always. This includes the research and development department, production, distribution, and the athlete teams.
Everyone is very excited about the breath of fresh air that the rebranding will bring to the company. Life is all about changing and evolving with the times. And sometimes something as little as a new brand name can spark a burst of new energy.
It’s All About the People
North Kitesurfing has survived this long in the industry because of the people dedicating their time and energy to producing the best kitesurfing equipment. The combination of passion, knowledge, and skills enables the brand to produce the best kites and boards.
Each team member gives it their all – from the shaping room, to the sewing tables, to the product testers on the waters. A challenge is set out to the team and everybody pulls together to find the solution and to address a specific need that has been observed. Everyone can rest assured that the Duotone Kiteboarding products will be exactly the same quality as the North Kiteboarding.
The Team Behind the Brand
Aaron Hadlow hails from the United Kingdom. He is a five times Kiteboarding World Champion and has won the Red Bull King of the Air twice. His impressive career kicked off on a family holiday in Cabarete in 2000. Aaron’s passion and dedication to kitesurfing paid off and it seems the sport loves him right back. His career is one of the most successful ones in the history of the sport.
The renowned world champion was the catalyst for the Duotone Vegas evolution. The kitesurfing community sits up and pays attention when Aaron talks and many kitesurfers adopted his Hadlow-setup for their Vegas. This formidable man is a great influencer of the sport.
Airton Cozzolino Lopes was born and raised on the Cape Verde islands. A love for the ocean was infused in his blood. Airton switched from board surfing to kite surfing and went on to win the GKA Wave & Strapless in 2016 and 2017 plus the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour, hosted in Cape Verde, in 2018. He also grabbed 1st place in the Freestyle World Tour.
It’s still a bit of a mystery as to how he manages to remain so stable on his board without straps. Rumour has it, the bottoms of his feet have suction cups. Airton is one of the major influencers in strapless freestyle, wavekiting, and SUPing.
The Brand History
Aaron and Airton were part of the first group of kitesurfers, riding the downwind from Ho’okipa to Kanaha. They jumped on the bandwagon and travelled to Maui, the Baltic Sea, and Tarifa to explore the thrilling new sport. They tried out directionals and twin tips; experimented with two, four or five lines; developed Delta-shapes, C-shapes, and safety bars.
The dynamic duo has remained an integral part of the kitesurfing evolution for the past 20 years. Not only did they follow the new kitesurfing trends – they created the trends. Aaron and Airton have managed to gather likeminded individuals to create a formidable team of kitesurfing enthusiasts, who happen to get paid to produce kitesurfing equipment for others to enjoy the exciting sport.
Related: Managing Director of Boards & More, Till Eberele, talks about the exciting new Duotone brand.
It’s a hands-on industry, engineers or team riders hit the water every day to test out new products. Everybody working at Duotone Kitesurfing wants to push the sport to the next level. Since the early days of kitesurfing, the sport has rapidly evolved and progressed. But the end is not in sight yet, there’s always a little tweak that can produce an even better kitesurfing experience.
Innovation is an integral part of the Duotone Kitesurfing philosophy. Instead of sticking to what works, they take what works and strive to make it better. Together with innovation, high-quality is another important value they always strive to maintain. Because the team members are kitesurfing fanatics, the products produced are not simply about the money – it’s about a way of life.
Community Involvement
Duotone Kitesurfing is more than just a kitesurfing equipment manufacturer. They have kitesurfing schools and competency centres around the world, using their products to introduce new people to the sport, or to share the insider tricks and tips with those already hooked on kitesurfing.
2019 Duotone Kitesurfing Products Release
The Duotone Rebel and Dice is scheduled for release in August/September and the Vegas and Neo shortly thereafter. Duotone Twintips and Surfboards will follow the August kite releases. In November/December the Duotone Evo will be available and the Duotone Mono and Juice is scheduled for the spring of 2019. The availability depends on the production speed. Shipping and customs protocol to a specific country will also influence the availability.
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