26 September 2019 – Connexia presents Extreme Respect, the new brand value film from Save The Duck in which Everest is climbed with complete respect for animals for the first time ever in the history of mountaineering. This truly extraordinary joint story belongs to the top 100% animal-free padded outerwear brand and the vegan mountaineer Kuntal A. Joisher, who is the first man to ever climb the world’s highest mountain without wearing any products of animal origin. And he did it wearing a Save The Duck suit, the only one of its kind to have ever climbed so high.

The Indian vegan mountaineer Kuntal A. Joisher approached Save The Duck to ask the brand to make a suit exclusively for him that respected his ethical beliefs but would also allow him to climb Mount Everest in complete safety and comfort. Save The Duck accepted the challenge to make a suit without any materials of animal origin that could withstand the temperatures on the world’s highest mountain and so the studies, research and testing began. Inspired by this unprecedented experience, Save The Duck created its Fall/Winter 2019-2020 collection of outdoor wear fuelled by technological innovation.

The expedition ended on 23 May 2019 – precisely a month after climbing the North Face of Mount Everest – and Connexia made a docufilm about Kuntal’s and Save The Duck’s adventure: a story of shared values, respect for all living things, and passion. Connexia worked with the production company Piraña Films to coordinate shooting which took place on the Dolomites in January 2019. The data-driven creativity agency also handled the social communication strategy and press campaign and managed the advertising budget.

“This film represents the purest essence of Save The Duck: we started off with the mission to create animal-cruelty-free products and our commitment to safeguarding animals and the environment is fundamental to us,” said Nicolas Bargi, the CEO and founder of Save The Duck. “Connexia successfully provided the best possible portrayal of our company’s spirit, helping us to tell the story of Kuntal A. Joisher and his dream. We weren’t the first to be contacted, but we were the only ones happy to take on the challenge, a challenge that involved designing a completely new product that didn’t even exist at the time. We were passionate about this adventure; it filled us with pride and we are really happy to have played a key role in this unique endeavour with Kuntal.”

“Save The Duck is a unique company that looks at the world through innovative, curious, and impassioned eyes and is always on a quest to find new ways to help safeguard animals and the environment,” said Paolo D’Ammassa, the CEO and founder of Connexia. “So we are well aware of what a huge responsibility it is to convey the brands values of choosing to be 100% animal-free, making modern yet ethical products, and taking on projects that are in keeping with the brand’s value system.”