Excellent news! After 45 days (not counting extensions) of a marathon Ulule crowdfunding campaign, the Iron Back project is now funded and is therefore, no longer just a project!
First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who supported us during the campaign, whether it was through pre-orders of hoodies or various packs, donations, or simply sharing (there were a ton of shares!), we were absolutely blown away by the enthusiasm of the participants and are eternally grateful. That's all!
Okay, now what's next?
The funds
To begin, it's important to note that Ulule has already released the funds (phase 1 and extensions); their responsiveness is a major factor in our ability to move forward quickly, which is greatly appreciated. Additional funding was also secured shortly thereafter.
Production and shipping estimate
In fact, we were able to place the production order with our manufacturing workshop in Portugal on December 12, 2025. They are currently indicating a shipping date to our order preparation center for the end of February 2026, which aligns with the start of campaign reward shipping to backers in early March (as anticipated). Of course, this phase may experience delays, and we will keep you informed if that happens!
Goodies
We have launched orders for the promotional items (sticker sheet and keychain), they are currently in production!
Associations
Keep in mind that Iron Back is a socially responsible fashion brand. We are committed to highlighting the everyday work of organizations that strive to improve society or, at the very least, to help those in need live better lives. We also want to contribute to this effort by donating a percentage of our revenue to these organizations.
It is within this framework that we began the search for an initial group of associations. Initially, it seemed relevant to target actions carried out by entities geographically close to us, specifically in the Yvelines and the North.
E-commerce launch
This is the next big step! Pre-orders on Ulule are no longer available, and we are now certain that we will have an inventory of "Origins" sweatshirts by March 2026 at the latest. In fact, nothing now prevents the opening of online sales, even if it means initially implementing a pre-order system.
On this subject we have not yet definitively decided on the approach, which is still in the planning phase, but you will have more visibility very soon.
Defining an art direction
When we conceived Iron Back a few years ago, we had a fairly clear vision of the brand's visual approach. But as things progressed, the focus shifted significantly to the product, to the detriment of the art direction and the brand image. This is reflected in our publications, our photographic approach, and even the quality of our videos.
We do not have the ambition or the capacity to present a brand image worthy of the biggest brands, but it remains relevant to work on this aspect if only for multi-platform visual consistency and to manage these issues calmly over time.