Iconic British sailing brand Henri-Lloyd, today announced a three-year technical clothing partnership with Oliver Heer Ocean Racing, supporting the Swiss sailor as he competes on the IMOCA circuit culminating with the Vendee Globe in 2024.
The purpose-driven partnership will see Henri-Lloyd work closely with Oliver and his team to develop high performance products designed and produced with sustainability at the heart. All the onshore and on water products selected by Oliver Heer Ocean Racing will be produced in line with the Henri-Lloyd’s responsible production commitment, where 100% of products are manufactured with organic, recycled or zero waste materials.
The team will be wearing a portfolio of products designed to support Oliver across multiple conditions. The M//PRO collection is developed to perform at the highest level, is a versatile product allowing Oliver the ability to be agile alongside durable waterproofness and breathability. The M//PRO products are complimented with the Henri-Lloyd base and mid layers providing a complete breathing system.
M Pro Collection @ Oliver Heer Ocean Racing - Photo Credit PKC Media
Key products in the layering range include the MAV Tech tee a multiuse t-shirt that is quick drying and provides UV protection, and the MAV HL Mid Crew, an incredible stretchy and comfortable technical sweatshirt that is moisture wicking and designed to be worn anywhere in any weather, both are manufactured with 100% recycled polyester.
60% of the products supplied to the team are manufactured at Henri-Lloyd’s factory in Poland bringing six decades of knowledge and experience in the manufacturing of high-performance clothing.
“This partnership sees Henri-Lloyd return to its heritage, producing the best high performance waterproof clothing, designed to protect in the most challenging offshore conditions. The team’s values align with our own focus for the future, where we believe that performance doesn’t need to be compromised by a commitment to sustainability. We’re excited to work with Oliver and his team and develop products that reflect our joint values and ambitions,” Graham Allen, Henri-Lloyd CEO.
Oliver Heer Ocean Racing are the first team committed to achieving a Carbon-Neutral Vendée Globe Campaign, working alongside ClimatePartner, a leading solution provider for climate action, which will help the team calculate and reduce emissions generated in the campaign and compensate unabated emissions through internationally recognised carbon offset projects. The team will use the boat as a platform to develop, test, and promote the latest technologies and be used in the fight to help sustainability, including carrying a Sub CTech OceanPack Race sensor provided by the Swiss Polar Institute as part of a robust and innovative data collection campaign during both the training and racing phases of the Vendée Globe campaign between 2023 and 2025.
“We are very excited that we have the support of Henri-Lloyd over the next three years. Henri-Lloyd are the natural clothing partner choice for our Vendee Globe campaign as they have the technical expertise, engineering capability, and shared sustainable values to help us succeed.
As sailors, winning is 90% preparation. It is vital that I have clothing that allows me to concentrate on testing my mind and body to the extreme in the harshest of environments. I am looking forward to testing their products for future development and I can't wait to see what we can achieve in our shared mission of raising awareness of important environmental issues and sustainability goals.”
Oliver Heer, Skipper
Oliver’s next challenge will be the legendary Route Du Rhum, a 3, 543 nm race across the Atlantic from St. Malo in France to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe, starting on Sunday 6th November.
About Henri-Lloyd
Henri-Lloyd has been an industry leader for nearly six decades, pioneering techniques that have revolutionised the production of waterproof clothing. Henri-Lloyd is committed to creating responsibly built, high quality, timeless products that will support anyone, anywhere in their own adventure.
About Oliver Heer Ocean Racing
Oliver Heer Ocean Racing, was established in April 2022, as a global IMOCA 60 sailing team, with Swiss roots. Managed and skippered by 34 year old Oliver Heer. The objective is to compete in the 2024 Vendee Globe, the solo, non-stop, unassisted round the world race, that takes place every four years. The next edition starts in November 2024. The management headquarters are based in Zurich, Switzerland, where Oliver was born. The skipper has a family and home in the Hamble, UK and a French registered IMOCA sailing out of Port La Foret in Brittany, France.
The race program for 2022/23:
Route Du Rhum - ST Malo to Guadeloupe – November 2022
Bermudes 1000 - Brest to Brest, France – May 2023
RORC Fastnet Race - Cowes, UK – July 2023
Defi Azimut - Lorient, France – September 2023
TJV - Le Havre to Martinique – October 2023
Back to Basics – Martinique – November, 2023
Sustainability and Climate Change
As well as racing, the team is working towards securing suitable funding and title partnership for the campaign, but also wants to make a difference.
