Douchebags
Odd couple
Jon Olsson and Truls Brataas had only just met, and on the surface they were very different. Jon was a dashing freeski legend who was riding the early waves of an emerging video platform called Youtube. Truls was a heady entrepreneur who geeked out industrial engineering, space travel and astrophysics.
Despite their differences, the two shared a love for action sports, adventure and product. Truls had just returned from a year roaming the earth, and lamented the lack of premium luggage to carry his gear. After a decade of lugging skis around the world, Jon acutely understood this pain point.
Getting to work
That night, Truls and Jon drew initial product sketches and sparked what would become a wildfire of product-centric innovation. From there, it was a cinematic montage of hustle. Design and redesign. Rum and development (wild ideation). Research and development (practical application). Surveying 150+ athletes, travelers and baggage handlers to ensure they were solving real life problems. Anemic bank accounts. Late nights. Noodles. Until finally, in 2012, Douchebags* was born.
Their meticulous dedication to the details and outside the box thinking paid off. The gear was a hit and Db was inundated with orders from dozens of countries, 5-star reviews and design awards. They poured some Champagne, hugged and took a deep breath. They’d done it.
What’s in a name?
*The name “Douchebags” was conceived and dismissed in an early brainstorming session. Then Jon asked his audience what the company should be called, and “Douchebags” came up again and again. They liked that it was irreverent and brought a playfulness to their otherwise polished branding. With one chance to succeed, they knew they needed to be memorable. After much debate they finally decided: Douchebags it is.