Meet Our Founder

Meet Our Founder

Feb 22, 2023Simone Mikolas

Our founder, Stefan, was sick of his gym bags falling apart, stinking and failing to keep his gear organized. So he decided to do something about it and set out to create a gym bag that didn't exist at the time - a seriously tough, highly functional gym bag that would transform packing for the gym from a mundane task to a pre-performance ritual to look forward to.

This is Stefan's story... 

My passion for packing started when I left the hospital as a newborn, clutching my very own diaper bag. Ok that might be a slight exaggeration. However, truthfully my passion for packing was ignited early in life. I was an active kid who took up any sport I could, from soccer to boxing and eventually weightlifting. From a young age, my backpack felt like an extension of me.

Stefan, KNKG Founder

I always appreciated the ritual of packing my bag for sports or gym. The process of preparing and packing my bag before a big game or training session was something I looked forward to. With it came a sense of mental preparation, setting the tone for what’s about to come. Carefully selecting and organizing every item I needed made me feel like the hero of my own victory story.

Scientist Stefan Gehrig

During my PhD studies in Muscle Biology, my passion for fitness remained strong. I discovered CrossFit, drawn to the sport's evidence-based and data-driven approach, where every workout felt like a scientific experiment of trial and error. 

Stefan Gehrig at the CrossFit Games

At that time, the big-name fitness brands were selling cheap, single-compartment bags that fell apart after a few months of use. Finding a gym bag that was tough enough to withstand the wear and tear of my workouts while keeping all my CrossFit gear organized and accessible proved to be a challenge. While competing at the CrossFit Games, I met many athletes who faced the same issue. 

The first King Kong duffel bag

This was when the idea for KNKG was born. In 2011, I put my ideas into action and created the first KNKG gym bag.

Want to learn more about the KNKG story? 

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