The emergence of brands founded by athletes

Finding the right partners or co-founders is critical to the brand’s success, says Riccobono, who launched menswear brand DTC Untuckit in 2010. My background in manufacturing and retail, honed over the years I’ve spent developing Untuckit, has been a key in setting Winning Power for success. Navigating the clothing industry is notoriously tricky for both newcomers and smaller brands, so partnering with someone who is already an expert in the field can help celebrities authenticate their vision and eliminate some common missteps.

Similarly, Chow, co-founder and creative director of Bradys, says success doesn’t come easy in this field, regardless of the name behind the brand. It’s all about authenticity and a commitment to being true to their own stories, he explains. Tom’s greatness and consistency have been the cornerstone of every discussion we have around product and marketing. We can’t help but be great.

But it’s also important that the athletes behind the brand don’t just stick their name on the product.

It is important for us to work collaboratively, said Riccobono. Everyone behind Greatness Wins is heavily involved in design and day-to-day decision-making, not just being the face of the brand. Using this approach, we get the best of both worlds: invaluable hands-on knowledge of how athletic clothing should work, as well as extensive expertise on how to actually manufacture the product and bring it to market.

But like in any market, the success of an athlete-endorsed brand depends largely on whether it fills a gap in the market.

I’ve always wanted to solve problems and create products that weren’t already on the market, says Riccobobo. I consistently have trouble finding high-quality athletic wear that puts fitness and performance first. Across the big legacy brands in this space, quality has slipped, with inconsistent specs and products that either don’t last or break down over time. In contrast, smaller athleisure brands make products that look good, but aren’t meant for working out or training. I also wanted to provide a great customer experience with an easy-to-navigate set of options and offer specific products suitable for specific activities. .

The Felix brothers also found holes to fill when launching Saysh. “We know that athletic sneakers are primarily made around the male foot,” said Wes. This means that women’s sneakers are not for women at all. We’ve heard the term shrink it and make it pink, but we don’t understand the depth of inequality the footwear industry creates for women. We created Saysh because women deserve sneakers made to the last of their feet. We made Saysh because women deserve better. The innovative sneaker made it to Oprah’s Favorite Things list in 2021.

In April 2022, the brand made a strong statement by introducing the footwear first maternity return policy. It offers potential owners of the Saysh One sneakers a free second pair as their shoe size increases during pregnancy. Our goal for 2023 is to focus more on our mission and sell our reasons, not what we do, said Wes. We believe women deserve better, and it needs to continue to be our focus, for us to have the level of success we are capable of. We will also be very focused on supporting women’s organizations. Saying women deserve better isn’t just a tagline; we will put the action behind it.

Also in the new year, the brand will launch a running shoe, The Felix, in response to customer demand. This is not the best shoe for women to break the marathon world record, said Wes transparent. Other brands that are much bigger than ours are doing a great job there. This would be the best shoe for women to wear before work and run for 20 minutes. We built it to be super comfortable and chic.

Greatness Wins is only six months old, but based on 2022 success, the team has a clear marketing plan for 2023 to focus on paid social and Google. They would overlay radio commercials at some point throughout the year. They will also increase the company’s TV spend, taking advantage of successful advertising in late 2022. Eventually, Greatness Wins will expand into additional sports-specific categories, including football and tennis. Currently, Copeland is working with the team to finalize the design for the brand’s first women’s line, which will launch this spring.

As for the Brady team, they plan to continue building on the core items they’ve developed, including Brady trousers and comfortable all-day shorts and underwear. They will also expand the brand’s distribution channels.

We knew we had to identify a key value proposition for the brand, Chow said of the Bradys 2022 launch. That was to turn the learning from Tom’s unrivaled body of work, as well as his non-traditional preparation, maintenance, and recovery regimen, into a platform for the next generation of athletes. The plan for 2023 is to continue to promote the idea of ​​passing on experience and knowledge in the form of versatile products, all tested by the greatest of all time.