It takes tremendous effort to launch a new brand, and no one ever succeeds alone. While celebrating the public unveiling of JANUARY and our debut shoe this month, we also want to express gratitude for all that’s happened to get to this point.
Because we are 100% financed by family and friends, we’re especially thankful to them for believing in us first, when JANUARY was just an idea. Our investors have known us for a long time, in some cases our entire lives, experienced good times and bad, and pivotal milestone events. We’ve had lots of adventures in life, and this next chapter ties all of us even closer together.
Our first shoe, Scignal, is having a strong debut because of all the efforts put in by our developer, suppliers, mold shops, and factories. Having access to cutting edge technology and manufacturing is rare for a startup and we thank everyone on the product side for supporting us. We can all be very proud of Scignal and how it performs.
Feedback from runners drove all the improvements that were made throughout the design and development process. We’re especially grateful to shoe testers from Renegade, Running Wylder, Milestone Running, Wild Runners, The Running Company, and Believe in the Run. Besides direct feedback about fit and performance, we had valuable discussions about brand and product strategy, pricing, trends in the market, color and styling.
The talented creatives who have helped us bring the brand to life deserve credit too. Photographers Miya Hirabayashi, Lindsey O’Shea, James Im, and video directors Richard Chen and Joshua W Strong all supplied imagery and storytelling. And special mention goes to our PR agency, Forte Mare, who elevate our messaging and visibility in the media.
Last but not least, thanks to our retail launch partners, affiliates, our EU distributor Indusnow, and everyone who tries our shoes. Thank you all for taking this first step with us. We look forward to making more connections in the running world.
—Wei-En Chang, Founder