Rhone Apparel

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Rhone Apparel Inc.
IndustryTextile
Founded2014; 8 years ago (2014)
FoundersNate Checketts, Carras Holmstead, Casey Edgar, Ben Checketts
Headquarters484 Pacific St.,
Stamford
,
United States
Number of locations
3
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nate Checketts (CEO)
ProductsMen's sportswear (activewear)
BrandsRhone, SilverTech, GoldFusion
Number of employees
50 (2019)
Websiterhone.com

Rhone Apparel (referred to simply as Rhone) is an American company producing and selling men's sportswear (activewear).

History[]

In 2014, Rhone was founded in New Canaan, Connecticut, by brothers and and three of their close friends.[1] The company's name derives from the river and region in Europe.[2] The founders were inspired that the Rhône was highly function for the surrounding civilizations and also found it aesthetically beautiful.[3]

The company originally launched as a web-only retailer but partnered with Bloomingdale's in November 2014 to sell in five locations. In 2015, it enjoyed rapid growth after being stocked in 127 locations with retailers such as Nordstrom, Equinox, and CorePower Yoga.[4] It earned 62% of its total 2014 annual revenue in November 2015 and saw its website traffic rise by 350%.[5]

In September 2015, the company announced the closing of a $5 million Series A financing. Investors included individuals from sports, media, and fashion circles.[6] Since its launch, Rhone has raised a total of $6.2 million.[4]

In February 2016, Rhone purchased a building in Stamford to use as its new headquarters.[7] Its first pop-up store was opened in New York City.[8]

Profile and products[]

Rhone markets towards high-income, active men aged between 25 and 50 years.[8][5] Its buyers include a unit that defuses bombs in Afghanistan and marathon winners.[2]

The company's product line aims to separate the brand from competitors like Lululemon, Nike, and Under Armour.[6] The company claims it uses superior materials in order to create clothes that last longer than the average product. Some of Rhone's fabrics cost $15 per yard.[2][5]

When the company founders began researching antimicrobial fabrics, they found that weaving silver into cloth created permanent antibacterial and anti-odorant protection.[9][citation needed] Silver thread is woven into the company's fabrics.[10]

Inspirational messages are sometimes stitched on, such as "Don't Die Without a Few Scars" or "What We Do in Life Echoes in Eternity."[11] Flatlock stitching, where the seams lie flat with edges of fabric butting together rather than folding together, is used to avoid chafing.[5] The Polartec Power Dry patented construction creates a fabric that is quick wicking to improve breathability and performance.[6]

Style names come from masculine icons like Durden after "Fight Club" character Tyler Durden[12] or Mako after the shark from The Old Man and the Sea.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Stephanie Smith (17 September 2014). "Athletic gear fit for Superman". New York Post. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Dave Ruden (28 July 2014). "Top Of The Line: Two New Canaan Football Graduates Looking To Make It Big In Men's Activewear". The Ruden Report. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Our Story". Rhone Apparel. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b Fareeha Ali (13 January 2016). "Activewear retailer Rhone Apparel grows 500% in 2015". Internet Retailer. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Rhone Apparel Gets Into the Activewear Game". Bloomberg Business. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Jason Belzer (11 November 2015). "Move Over Lululemon, Rhone Is About To Take Over The Men's Activewear Market". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  7. ^ Alexander Soule (3 February 2016). "Just for men: Rhone picks Stamford for new headquarters". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b Nick Winkler (19 February 2016). "How Rhone Apparel Uses Pop-up Stores to Create 3D Customer Experiences & Grow 500%". Shopify. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Growing New Canaan startup to move to Stamford". News 12 Connecticut. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Rhone Apparel. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  11. ^ Dominic Bonvissuto (28 October 2014). "Rhone Apparel Review". Jeans & Ties. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  12. ^ David Colman (18 July 2014). "Rhone Apparel Makes Activewear Just for Men". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 March 2016.

External links[]

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