Of course, it's great seeing our kits worn in top divisions abroad. But more importantly, working with professional teams also gives the two Icarus offices some teams to support on livestream together.
So, here are the two teams that have given us the most entertainment over the past year...
The story of FC Samartex is a miraculous one. Founded by the Samartex Timber Company in 1996 to provide local workers with recreation and entertainment, the club's responsible stewardship and talent for spotting young talents saw them promoted to Ghana's top division in 2021.
We wanted to play a part in their underdog story, so that year became the official kit partner of the Timber Giants. In the years since, we've designed a slate of gear for FC Samartex, drawing on the timber industry at the heart of the club and its fanbase, from kits incorporating forest patterns to the cross section of chopped logs.
Since 2021, Icarus and FC Samartex have grown side by side, and in that time we've gone from simple kit partners to an office obsessed with the following the exploits of Evans Osei-Wusu and Emmanuel Keyekeh. The Samartex story reached its climax in 2024 when the club defeated the odds and won their historic first ever Ghana Premier League in 2024.
Our personal highlight? Traveling to Casablanca to watch the Timber Giants don their Icarus jerseys in their first ever African Champions League game. Surreal.
Thimphu City FC is the most successful team in Bhutan’s capital city, a key influence in the development of the country’s burgeoning football culture, and half of one of the world's most hotly-contested two horse title races along with rivals Paro FC. They also have the privilege of playing at the beautiful Changlimithang Stadium, which is one of the highest stadiums in the world, at 7,500ft above sea level. A tough away day.
The Icarus community took to Thimphu City - and its owner, birdwatcher/tour guide Hishey Tshering - so much that last year, we flew one lucky customer all the way to Bhutan to experience the Thimphu derby in person, raising much-needed funds for the club at the same time.
When we first partnered with the club in 2022, we honored the occasion by drawing heavily on Bhutanese culture for the kit designs.
The red home kit reimagines traditional martha textile patterns to spell out 'TCFC' throughout, while maintaining the customary martha color palette.
Thimphu's altitude means that clouds often envelope the city and its surrounding mountains, so we drew on this image for the white away kit.
Finally, the black third kit uses a pattern inspired by the Druk - otherwise known as the 'Thunder Dragon' from Bhutanese mythology - that appears on the flag of Bhutan. A fun project!