Gold-medal winning Olympic Team GB stars including the Brownlee brothers and Jason Kenny are visiting the city to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of one of Derby’s most successful companies.
Triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jess Learmonth will join Britain’s most decorated Olympian cyclist Jason Kenny at a party to mark an incredible first decade in business for city-based sportwear firm HUUB.
The company has invited staff, friends, family and investors to the event on October 9 when Jonny, Georgia and Jess will provide live commentary during a screening of their gold-medal-winning triathlon relay performance from the Tokyo Olympics.
Team GB’s Olympic gold stars set to raise a glass to a decade of global success for Derby’s HUUB Gold-medal winning Olympic Team GB stars
The fourth member of the team, Alex Yee, will join the athletes over Zoom, while American cyclist Ashton Lambie and British paratriathlete George Peasgood will also be making personal appearances at the party at Bustler Market, in John Street.
The 10-year anniversary will also see the company, which employs 25 people at its HQ in Full Street, receive its Queens Award for Innovation from Derbyshire Lord Lieutenant Liz Fothergill.
Founded by Derby-born entrepreneur Dean Jackson, HUUB set out in 2011 to use technology and research in the design of its clothing and accessories – namely wetsuits – to give triathletes extra speed through the water during their swim.
Two years later, the Brownlee brothers – who became household names and made the sport of triathlon famous in the UK – became brand ambassadors for HUUB and the next year more winners in the sport’s international series wore Huub than any other brand.
This year HUUB signed a three-year deal to become British Triathlon’s Official Wetsuit and Swimwear Partner, meaning all of the athletes who helped Team GB have such a successful time at the recent Tokyo games – including the gold medal-winning relay team – will wear Huub on their wetsuits, swimming gear and luggage.
Dean, who started out by designing his first wetsuit on his kitchen table at home in Mickleover, said: “We have been on an incredible journey over the last decade and the success of Huub has surpassed our expectations by a long way.
“At times running HUUB has been an endurance event in itself, but we are thrilled to be able to celebrate our 10th anniversary with the company in such a strong position.
Two years later, the Brownlee brothers – who became household names and made the sport of triathlon famous in the UK
“It’s only right that we celebrate our success here in Derby, where it all started. This will be a celebration on many levels, not least our HUUB athletes’ incredible achievements in Tokyo and our own Queen’s Award.
“I have no doubt that Jonny, Georgia, Jess and Alex describing their incredible gold-medal relay will be the highlight of the whole evening. Not only was it an amazing achievement, it will also inspire a whole new generation of people to sign up for a triathlon themselves.”
HUUB, which means “bright mind” in Dutch, owes its success to the way in which its wetsuits were designed specifically for triathletes, whose body shape, position in the water and the need to conserve energy in their legs for the cycling stage of their event, was not being properly addressed by standard wetsuits.
This innovation, excellence and Dean’s drive saw HUUB become a world leader in triathlon gear, however the coronavirus threw its plans for 2020 into disarray, with the cancellation of both professional and amateur events and the postponement of last year’s Olympics.
In response, HUUB turned its attention to the cycling market, which experienced a huge boost during lockdown, and also launched a Crowdcube crowdfunding campaign to raise a minimum of £250,000 in order to cater for the increasing number of women taking part in endurance sport.
As a result, HUUB left the pandemic stronger than ever, with cycling gear sales up by 681%, sales of women’s wetsuit sales up by 68 per cent and with a whole new legion of loyal customers.
It is also a familiar name in its home city thanks to its sponsorship of a series of local sporting events, including the ever-popular Derby 10K, which takes place this year on October 17.
