Amid swirling yellow sands, unpredictable weather, sudden gusts of wind, brooding clouds, and scorching sun.
A Third Collaboration with CKGSB: Forging the Team Spirit in the Gobi Together
This event marked the third time Skyleader and CKGSB joined forces to take on the Gobi. Following gear collaborations in the previous two editions, CKGSB has become one of the most recognizable teams in the Gobi Challenge, laying a unified visual foundation that contributed to the team’s success across various awards. “A unified team image is an effective way to align goals, boost morale, and enhance visibility in the same environment,” explained Ms. Zeng Hua, founder of the Skyleader brand. As a member of CKGSB, she takes pride in this team honor; as the founder of Skyleader, she is honored that her brand has been chosen by so many business school teams for customization. According to reports, Skyleader is not only the gear partner for CKGSB’s Gobi13gear collaboration, but has also customized Gobi team outfits for institutions such as Zhejiang University’s School of Management, the AmericanUTABusiness School, the University of International Business and Economics’ School of International Business, the University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Shandong UniversityEMBAamong others.
Skyleader Founder Zeng Hua: Personally Involved to Forge a Better Team Spirit
From the launch of the Gobi13event, Skyleader has worked hand-in-hand with CKGSB to provide fully customized designs—from training camp apparel, the Baigou selection races, the Chongming selection races, the Songshan Lake selection races, to the training uniforms. Throughout this process, the goal was to create the most suitable products for the Gobi. Zeng Hua actively participated in training sessions to test the products, gather feedback and suggestions from fellow participants, and continuously refine the gear to enhance user experience—infusing the Gobi spirit of “ideals, action, perseverance, and transcendence” into the products.
“Gobi gear must consider visual recognition, but more importantly, its functionality must withstand sun exposure, rain, and sandstorms.” Previously, Zeng Hua also took part in the Gobi Challenge twice, joining theBteam to complete the114kilometer mission, and theCteam to realize their Gobi public welfare goals, as well as standing at the finish line to welcome the triumphant return of the winning teams. Her varied roles gave her a deeper understanding of each team’s gear needs on the Gobi.
“Clothing should look good—and function well.”;“Backpacks should be lightweight yet convenient and user-friendly”; “Tents must be windproof, waterproof, and easy to set up and pack”; “Shoes should be a half size larger to allow for break-in before the Gobi”; “Using trekking poles can make your journey twice as efficient”… She compiled a list of Gobi dressing tips and provided travel strategy briefings to her teammates before setting off. At the same time, she built a strong rapport with veteran participants, noting past issues like imperfect zipper designs on travel packs, less-than-ideal stretch in sun-protection shirts, or missing specialized trail running bags in previous gear sets… With these insights from experienced teammates, she and the product development team immediately began refining the next edition’s gear. As a result, for the Gobi13, CKGSB’s strongest squad—Bteam andCteam—received a full gear upgrade. Even the camp tents were enhanced, emphasizing the blue-and-white colors of CKGSB,LOGOfurther highlighting the team’s imposing presence and making them the most striking lineup in the camp.
From Upgraded Gobi Gear to Unlocking the Secrets of Team Image Success
It is precisely this relentless pursuit of product experience that has led to a continuous evolution of Gobi expedition gear over the years of collaboration with Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.3Take, for example, the windbreaker—one of the most essential functional garments in the race.11In Gobi [Year], the focus was primarily on sun protection and breathability.12By Gobi [Year], elastic functional fabrics were introduced to allow greater freedom of movement.13Then, in Gobi [Year], comfort and ease were further enhanced with360The popularization of all-directional elastic windbreakers.
Every change is made to refine the product further, ensuring every warrior who steps onto the Gobi Desert has a more comfortable and smooth experience, enabling outstanding performance in the competition.
In addition, improvements such as enhanced wind resistance and stability of tents, specially customized bottom roller panniers, mosquito-repellent upgrades in quick-drying functional clothing, as well as optimization in overall color selection and coordination — from product functionality to overall visual image, down to personalized detail design — every change is made from the user's perspective, taking into full consideration the needs of team outdoor environments and image presentation. Meanwhile, the dedication to craftsmanship, the pursuit of detail perfection, and the continuous commitment to excellence remain SKYAN’s unchanging goals.
Is your team’s travel gear ready? SKYAN looks forward to crafting the soul of your team’s identity together with you.