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BLACKYAK®
MADE FOR MISSIONS
OUR HERITAGE

OUR HERITAGE

Our history in Europe is still young, but BLACKYAK already has a long tradition. And it is an incomparable success story: In 1973, Tae Sun Kang opened a small store with imported outdoor clothing and equipment. But soon he developed his own collection and BLACKYAK was born. Even today, BLACKYAK is still family-run, represented around the globe and one of the most recognized tech labels in the outdoor industry. 

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MILESTONES


"When I opened my first store in the "Garment District" in the South Korean capital Seoul in the early 1970s, I had a clear vision: I wanted to offer mountaineers everything they need in my store to realize their alpine goals.”

TAE SUN KANG - Chairman & Founder


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2019
2020

ESTABLISHED OF THE HIMALAYAN ORIGINAL BLACKYAK BY TAE SUN KANG WHO OPENED HIS FIRST SHOP IN THE "GARMENT DISTRICT" OF THE SOUTH KOREAN CAPITAL SEOUL. 

SPONSORING OF A KOREAN EXPEDITION TEAM WHICH CLIMBED THE NANGA PARBAT, ALSO CALLED THE "KING OF THE MOUNTAINS". 
ACQUISITION OF A GORE-TEX® TRADE MARK LICENSE FOR PRODUCTION AND SALES.

BLACKYAK LAUNCHES IN CHINA. STORES OPENED IN 18 MAJOR DEPARTMENT STORES IN BEIJING, INCLUDING TIANJIN AND YANSHA

BLACKYAK DEBUTS AT THE ISPO IN BEIJING, CHINA.


ESTABLISHMENT OF "BLACKYAK CO., LTD." SUCCESS OF EUN-SUN OH IN REACHING ALL 14 SUMMITS OF 8,000M. 

ESTABLISHMENT OF A 15,000 M2 AUTOMATIC DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IN YANGJI. IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST LOGISTICS CENTRES IN THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY. 
BLACKYAK DEBUTS AT THE ISPO MUNICH, GERMANY. ISPO AWARD 'ASIAN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR' FOR THE MOUNTAINEERING JACKET "B1XG1 JACKET"! 

EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS WITH SHOWROOM AND OFFICE OPENS IN MUNICH, GERMANY. 


ISPO AWARD "ASIAN PRODUCTS HIKING AND TREKKING SHOES" FOR THE HIKING SHOES "DRIVEN GTX" BLACKYAK DONATES ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN TIBET.
LAUNCH IN EUROPE - SELL-IN STARTS

THE BLACKYAK FALL/WINTER COLLECTION 16/17 IS AVAILABLE IN SELECTED OUTDOOR STORES IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA. THE JURY AT THE ISPO AWARDS HONOURS BLACKYAK WITH ELEVEN AWARDS FOT ITS PRODUCTS - EIGHT OF WHICH ARE GOLD! A UNIQUE RECORD IN THE HISTORY OF THE ISPO AWARDS.

ISPO AWARDS FOR THE "SIGNATURE JACKET", "HEAVY DUTY DOWN JACKET" AND "VIVID JACKET". WITH A TOTAL OF 16 AWARDS, BLACKYAK IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMPANY IN THE HISTORY OF THE ISPO AWARD. 
POLARTEC APEX AWARD FOR THE "COMBAT SHIRT". 
LAUNCH OF THE BLACKYAK MID-SHELL® CATEGORY. 
ISPO GOLD AWARD FOR THE "MODICANA JACKET". THE "HARIANA JACKET" AND THE "BRANGUS JACKET" ARE ALSO AWARED THE TITLE ISPO WINNER. 

FOR THE FALL/WINTER SEASON, BLACKYAK INTRODUCES IT'S INTO AIRTM TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM BLACKYAK STRENGTHENS ITS POSITION AS ISPO'S MOST SUCCESSFUL BRAND BY WINNING 24 AWARDS IN TOTAL. THE "MOUNTAIN SHEMAGH", THE "KOSTROMA JACKET" AND THE "SINDHI VEST" ARE AWARDED AT THE ISPO 2019 WITH THE ISPO GOLD AWARD; THE "WATUSI DOWN SUIT" AND THE "CALVANA HOODY" ARE BESTOWED THE TITLE ISPO WINNER. 


TWO MORE ISPO AWARDS FOR BLACKYAK. THE "AMRIT BC PANTS" WINS AN ISPO GOLD AWARD, AND THE "ATA JACKET" IS ISPO WINNER.