SIP Trousers are BACK!!
Arborist company Perihon celebrating the new BCC SIP trousers at the French Tree Climbing Competition last year
Through 2023 we have been running our online shop, and the sales of our bespoke merchandise have been a huge boost towards reaching our ambitious target of 20,000€. A successful year has given us much to share with you all, and 2024 will give us the opportunity to do so.
One of our most exciting initiatives we have pursued this past year has involved us teaming up with SIP Protection to design and produce a limited stock of BCC branded Gecko climbing trousers. A design was put together by our very own Rebecca Tough which combined elements of our BCC branding alongside unique Siekopai symbolism. SIP Protection were incredibly accommodating in manufacturing a batch of 100 pairs which sported this design. We felt this combination of BCC and Siekopai imagery was right at home in this significant year of fundraising and representation for the community, and we are extremely grateful to SIP Protection for all their help and support bringing this idea to reality.
The symbol, specific to the Siekopai Remolino, which we felt was most appropriate was the Poosa je’je Sarawa.
The community provided BCC permission to use the symbol as part of the fundraising campaign for the expedition and it will be used only on this particular limited edition product.
It is traditionally painted on the faces of those who the Siekopai wish to make welcome in their community and ancestral lands, a sentiment which reflects our 4 years working alongside them and being made so welcome to collaborate and help support them in their plight however we can. It was important to us that this symbol is particularly prominent on the trouser leg as it is an excellent way to prompt a curiosity in those who see the trousers worn. It is one of many ways that we can spread the word of who the Siekopai are, bringing to light their fight for recognition, and by giving their name, and the fight for their land, greater recognition worldwide we can help this incredible community even further.
While our initial intention was to order and sell 100 pairs of the Gecko trousers, this first batch was so well received that we very quickly sold out, and so we have jumped at the opportunity to stock 100 more to sell in the coming months. The success of this first batch is largely thanks to our fantastic retail partners, Condor Safety and Climbtools, who have promoted our cause and sold the trousers in store and at various tree climbing conferences and competitions. With this next batch of trousers we have Honey Brothers and Seiltechnik Hannover on board to help raise a further 2500€ to round off our final push of fundraising and firmly reach our goal of 20,000€ for the Siekopai Remolino community. The help and support of our retail partners has been a huge boost to us, as it provided us opportunity to promote this incredible cause more extensively throughout the tree climbing community. (Please see below for details of each retailer and how to purchase the trousers)
We are delighted with how well received these trousers have been, having had consistently good feedback from the trousers that we have sold so far, and there has been a visible eagerness amongst tree climbers across Europe to see more in stock soon. The exceptional quality of the Gecko trousers, alongside the unique design, have been undeniable factors in this product’s popularity.
We always endeavour to put our name on top quality products, whose ethos we can get behind, and the team at SIP have really come through for us in this regard. A special thank you to Paul Verhelst whose support, patience and guidance was key in making this initiative happen. It’s fantastic to see big, quality brands step up for good causes, and we’re delighted that they could help us in this ambitious fundraising venture of ours in support of the Siekopai Remolino. We can’t wait to see this next batch of trousers back with our chosen retailers, and perhaps some will even make it to the stands at Augsburg!
2023 was a significant year for Big Canopy Campout where our connection with the SËRA Foundation grew even stronger, and more was achieved in support of the Siekopai Remolino Community than we have ever been able to achieve previously. The team spent much of 2023 carefully planning, and preparing for, our expedition to visit the community in the Ecuadorian rainforest. We were delighted to see all of this prep work come to fruition with a successful expedition, and the funds that we are raising for the Seikopai’s rainforest laboratory have been accumulating at an impressive rate thanks to the support of our BCC community and the fantastic companies that have supported us along the way.
Head over to one of BCC’s main supporters and distributers of BCC products. International shipping, French, Dutch and English spoken.
Stefan and Tanja in Hannover have supported BCC for several years selling their products and sharing stand spaces at conferences and climbing competitions! Come see us in Augsburg in April!
The UK’s largest arboriculture supplier with international shipping worldwide. Honey’s order of the trousers ensured a second batch of these limited edition trousers was possible!
Based in Berlin, Hamburg and Mülheim, Climbtools has for several years stocked BCC products and other fundraising products for different charities.