Behind Xcelsior: The Story Behind ASCENSION

This month, we're looking back at one of the projects that shaped Xcelsior more than almost any other—the ASCENSION Collection from Fall 2025.

ASCENSION introduced several firsts for us. It marked our expansion into joggers, leggings, and long sleeves, allowing us to create apparel better suited for the colder months. It also represented our first collection to feature women's-specific pieces, an important milestone as we continued growing the Xcelsior community.

But more than the apparel itself, ASCENSION was about telling a story.

Every collection we release is built around an idea before it's built around a product. For ASCENSION, that idea was simple: growth requires overcoming adversity. The path toward becoming the person you want to be is rarely easy, but the challenges you overcome shape the person waiting on the other side.

To bring that message to life, we knew we didn't want to simply photograph people wearing clothing. We wanted to create an experience.

That vision became a three-part short film following a group of friends hiking a mountain together.

Some of our favorite memories from the entire project weren't on the mountain—they were the weeks beforehand. Storyboarding scenes, debating camera angles, refining dialogue, and bouncing ideas back and forth reminded us why we love creating together. We even reached out to friends with experience in directing and editing to help us strengthen the story before we ever picked up a camera.

With Lucas attending school in upstate New York, we were fortunate to have incredible hiking trails nearby. After plenty of recommendations, we chose Azure Mountain as the backdrop and invited four friends to spend the day bringing the project to life.

As luck would have it, everything came together perfectly.

The trees had reached peak fall color, covering the mountainside in shades of orange, gold, and deep red. It was exactly the setting we'd imagined.

The first chapter, The Base, represented the decision to begin. Every meaningful goal starts with a choice to step into uncertainty, and often the courage to take that first step comes from the people around us. No matter the challenge, it's easier to start when you're surrounded by others who believe in your potential.

Then came The Climb.

Originally, we planned to act exhausted for the cameras. As it turned out, we didn't have to.

The hike was far steeper than we expected.

By the time we reached the middle of the mountain, we were genuinely tired, out of breath, and questioning how much farther we had to go. Looking back, it couldn't have been more fitting. The climb became a real reminder of what we were trying to communicate: adversity is uncomfortable, progress isn't always visible, and sometimes the only reason you keep moving is because the people beside you refuse to let you quit.

Had any one of us attempted that hike alone, there's a good chance we would have turned back early. Together, we kept going.

Eventually, the trees began to open.

Sunlight broke through the canopy, and we knew we were almost there.

The final chapter, The Summit, wasn't meant to celebrate reaching the top—it was meant to celebrate the journey it took to get there. Standing at the overlook, surrounded by the people who had climbed beside us, we had a chance to appreciate everything we'd accomplished together.

But perhaps the most important lesson came after we looked beyond the summit.

Stretching across the horizon were countless more mountain peaks.

That moment reminded us of something we've carried with us ever since: no achievement is the finish line. Every summit simply gives you a clearer view of the next challenge waiting in the distance.

Looking back, ASCENSION wasn't just one of our favorite collections—it became one of the projects that best represents what Xcelsior stands for.

Growth isn't found at the summit.

It's found in the climb.

Stay Underrated,

David Tauman

Thank you for checking out our newsletter!

This has been an exciting new avenue for us, creating a way to inform and engage our community with segments we find interesting and beneficial to our lives. We hope you enjoyed what we had to offer, and we will be back next month with more. Let us know what segments you liked, if there are others you would want us to include, or even contribute to a post in the future!

Subscribe to our newsletter

A community for the Underrated Competitor.

Xcelsior

Clothing for the underrated competitor, stay underrated.

Support

contact@xcelsiorcollective.com

© 2025. All rights reserved.

Refund Policy